OF   THE 
U  N  IVERSITY 
OF    ILLINOIS 


977.346 
C36 


•^ 


ALBU 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES,  ILLS., 


CONTAINING 


Full  Page  Portraits  and   Biographical  Sketches  of  Prominent 
and  Representative  Citizens  of  the  County, 

TOGETHER    WITH 

PORTRAITS  AND  BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ALL  THE  GOVERNORS  OF  THE  STATE,  AND 
OF  THE  PRESIDENTS  OF  THE   UNITISD  STATES. 


CHICAGO: 

CHAPMAN    BROTHERS, 

1889. 


««• 


I    I  . 


(7 


jlIE  greatest  of  English  historians,  MACAULAY,  and  one  of  the  most  brilliant  writers  of 
the  present  century,  has  said  :  "The  history  of  a  country  is  best  told  in  a  record  of  the 
lives  of  its  people."  In  conformity  with  this  idea  the  POBTKAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL 
AuiUMOf  this  county  has  been  prepared.  Instead  of  going  to  musty  records,  and 
taking  therefrom  dry  statistical  matter  that  can  be  appreciated  by  but  few,  our 
corps  of  writers  have  gone  to  the  people,  the  men  and  women  who  have,  by  their 
enterprise  and  industry,  brought  the  county  to  a  rank  second  tononeamongtlici.se 
comprising  this  great  and  noble  State,  and  from  their  lips  have  the  story  of  their  life 
struggles.  No  more  interesting  or  instructive  matter  could  be  presented  to  an  intelli- 
gent public.  In  this  volume  will  be  found  a  record  of  many  whose  lives  are  worthy  the 
imitation  of  coming  generations.  It  tells  how  some,  commencing  life  in  poverty,  by 
industry  and  economy  have  accumulated  wealth.  It  tells  how  others,  with  limited 
advantages  for  securing  an  education,  have  become  learned  men  and  women,  with  an 
influence  extending  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  It  tells  of  men  who 
have  risen  from  the  lower  walks  of  life  to  eminence  as  statesmen,  and  whose  names  have 
become  famous.  It  tells  of  those  in  every  walk  in  life  who  have  striven  to  succeed,  and 
records  how  that  success  has  usually  crowned  their  efforts.  It  tells  also  of  many,  very 
many,  who,  not  seeking  the  applause  of  the  world,  have  pursued  "the  even  tenor  of  their  way,''  content 
to  have  it  said  of  them  as  Christ  said  of  the  woman  performing  a  deed  of  mercy — "they  have  done  what 
the}'  could."  It  tells  how  that  many  in  the  pride  and  strength  of  young  manhood  left  the  plow  and  the 
anvil,  the  lawyer's  office  and  the  counting-room,  left,  every  trade  and  profession,  and  at  their  country's 
call  went  forth  valiantly  "to  do  or  die,"  and  how  through  their  efforts  the  Union  was  restored  and  peace 
once  more  reigned  in  the  land.  In  the  life  of  every  man  and  of  every  woman  is  a  lesson  that  should  not 
be  lost  upon  those  who  follow  after. 

Coming  generations  will  appreciate  this  volume  and  preserve  it  as  a  sacred  treasure,  from  the  fact 
that  it  contains  so  much  that  would  never  find  its  way  into  public  records,  and  which  would  otherwise  be 
inaccessible.  Great  care  has  been  taken  in  the  compilation  of  the  work  and  every  opportunity  possible 
given  to  those  represented  to  insure  correctness  in  what  has  been  written,  and  the  publishers  flatter  them- 
selves that  they  give  to  their  readers  a  work  with  few  errors  of  consequence.  In  addition  to  the  biograph- 
ical sketches,  portraits  of  a  number  of  representative  citizens  are  given. 

The  faces  of  some,  and  biographical  sketches  of  many,  will  be  missed  in  this  volume.  For  this  the 
publishers  are  not  to  blame.  Not  having  a  proper  conception  of  the  work,  some  refused  to  give  the 
information  necessary  to  compile  a  sketch,  while  others  were  indifferent.  Occasionally  some  member  of 
the  family  would  oppose  the  enterprise,  and  on  account  of  such  opposition  the  support  of  the  interested 
one  would  be  withheld.  In  a  few  instances  men  could  never  be  found,  though  repeated  calls  were  made 
at  their  residence  or  place  of  business. 

CHAPMAN  BROS. 
CHICAGO,  July,  1889, 


f 


•*• 


4 


OF  THE 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS 


AND   OF  THE 


OFTHE 


t 


FIRST  PRESIDENT. 


tj  •..«,  •.,-,  •..',  •. ',  •.  -,  •. ',  •. ',  •.  >,  •. ',  •.  >,  •. ',  •. ',  '..v..'X't.'  >>..•  i';.")',."^;".1  ."i'..11!1..' :',,•  .>.-•  v .:•?,:>,< .:.,<<;•, 


•'  •' .'  i' .'  i1 .'  i1 .'  i1 ; .' .'  i'..;.i' : .' ; .' ; .' ; .' ; .' ; .: :.  •..»•  •.  »i 


HE  Father  of  our  Country  was 
born  in  Westmorland  Co.,  Va., 
Feb.    22,   1732.     His  parents 
were    Augustine    and    Mary 
(Ball)  Washington.  The  family 
to  which  he  belonged  has  not 
been    satisfactorily  traced    in 
England.       His     great-grand- 
father, John  Washington,  em- 
igrated to  Virginia  about  1657, 
and    became     a     prosperous 
planter.      He  had   two   sons, 
Lawrence    and     John.      The 
former   married    Mildred    Warner 
and    had    three    children,    John, 
Augustine  and  Mildred.      Augus- 
tine,   the   father  of   George,  first 
married    Jane   Butler,    who    bore 
him  four  children,  two  of  whom, 
Lawrence  and  Augustine,  reached 
maturity.     Of  six  children  by  his 
second  marriage,  George  was  the 
eldest,   the    others    being    Betty, 
Samuel,  John   Augustine,  Charles 
and  Mildred. 

Augustine  Washington,  the  father  of  George,  died 
in  1743,  leaving  a  large  landed  property.  To  his 
eldest  son,  Lawrence,  he  bequeathed  an  estate  on 
the  Patomac,  afterwards  known  as  Mount  Vernon, 
and  to  George  he  left  the  parental  residence.  George 
received  only  such  education  as  the  neighborhood 
schools  afforded,  save  for  a  short  time  after  he  left 
school,  when  he  received  private  instruction  in 
mathemat'cs.  His  spelling  was  rather  defective 


Remarkable  stories  are  told  of  his  great  physical 
strength  and  development  at  an  early  age.  He  was 
an  acknowledged  leader  among  his  companions,  and 
was  early  noted  for  that  nobleness  of  character,  fair- 
ness and  veracity  which  characterized  his  whole  life. 

When  George  was  1 4  years  old  he  had  a  desire  to  go  to 
sea,  and  a  midshipman's  warrant  was  secured  for  him, 
but  through  the  opposition  of  his  mother  the  idea  was 
abandoned.  Two  years  later  he  was  appointed 
surveyor  to  the  immense  estate  of  Lord  Fairfax.  In 
this  business  he  spent  three  years  in  a  rough  frontier 
life,  gaining  experience  which  afterwards  proved  very 
essential  to  him.  In  1751,  though  only  19  years  of 
age,  he  was  appointed  adjutant  with  the  rank  of 
major  in  the  Virginia  militia,  then  being  trained  for 
active  service  against  the  French  and  Indians.  Soon 
after  this  he  sailed  to  the  West  Indies  with  his  brother 
Lawrence,  who  went  there  to  restore  his  health.  They 
soon  returned,  and  in  the  summer  of  1752  Lawrence 
died,  leaving  a  large  fortune  to  an  infant  daughter 
who  did  not  long  survive  him.  On  her  demise  the 
estate  of  Mount  Vernon  was  given  to  George. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Robert  Dinwiddie,  as  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor  of  Virginia,  in  1752,  the  militia  was 
reorganized,  and  the  province  divided  into  four  mili- 
tary districts,  of  which  the  northern  was  assignee!  to 
Washington  as  adjutant  general.  Shortly  after  this 
a  very  perilous  mission  was  assigned  him  and  ac- 
cepted, which  others  had  refused.  This  was  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  French  post  near  Lake  Erie  in  North- 
western Pennsylvania.  The  distance  to  be  traversed 
was  between  500  and  600  miles.  Winter  was  at  hand, 
and  the  journey  was  to  be  made  without  military 
escort,  through  a  territory  occupied  by  Indians.  The 


f 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 


trip  was  a  perilous  one,  and  several  limes  he  came  near 
losing  his  life,  yet  he  returned  in  safety  and  furnished 
a  full  and  useful  report  of  his  expedition.  A  regiment 
of  300  men  was  raised  in  Virginia  and  put  in  com- 
mand of  Col.  Joshua  Fry,  and  Major  Washington  was 
commissioned  lieutenant-colonel.  Active  war  was 
then  begun  against  the  French  and  Indians,  in  which 
Washington  took  a.  most  important  part.  In  the 
memorable  event  of  July  9,  1755,  known  as  Brad- 
dock's  defeat,  Washington  was  almost  the  only  officer 
of  distinction  who  escaped  from  the  calamities  of  the 
day  with  life  and  honor.  The  other  aids  of  Braddock 
were  disabled  early  in  the  action,  and  Washington 
alone  was  left  in  that  capacity  on  the  field.  In  a  letter 
to  his  brother  he  says:  "I  had  four  bullets  through 
my  coat,  and  two  horses  shot  under  me,  yet  I  escaped 
unhurt,  though  death  was  leveling  my  companions 
on  every  side."  An  Indian  sharpshooter  said  he  was 
not  born  to  be  killed  by  a  bullet,  for  he  had  taken 
direct  aim  at  him  seventeen  times,  and  failed  to  hit 
him. 

After  having  been  five  years  in  the  military  service, 
and  vainly  sought  promotion  in  the  royal  army,  he 
look  advantage  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Duquesne  and  the 
expulsion  of  the  French  from  the  valley  of  the  Ohio, 
10  resign  his  commission.  Soon  after  he  entered  the 
Legislature,  where,  although  not  a  leader,  he  took  an 
Active  and  important  part.  January  17,  1759,  he 
married  Mrs.  Martha  (Dandridge)  Custis,  the  wealthy 
widow  of  John  Parke  Custis. 

When  the  British  Parliament  had  closed  the  port 
~>f  Boston,  the  cry  went  up  throughout  the  provinces 
that  "The  cause  of  Boston  is  the  cause  of  us  all." 
It  was  then,  at  the  suggestion  of  Virginia,  that  a  Con- 
gress of  all  the  colonies  was  called  to  meet  at  Phila- 
del|)hia,Sept.  5,  1774,  to  secure  their  common  liberties, 
peaceably  if  possible.  To  this  Congress  Col.  Wash- 
ington was  sent  as  a  delegate.  On  May  10,  1775,  the 
Congress  re-assembled,  when  the  hostile  intentions  of 
England  were  plainly  apparent.  The  battles  of  Con- 
cord and  Lexington  had  been  fought.  Among  the 
first  acts  of  this  Congress  was  the  election  of  a  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  colonial  forces.  This  high  and 
responsible  office  was  conferred  upon  Washington, 
who  was  still  a  member  of  the  Congress.  He  accepted 
it  on  June  19,  but  upon  the  express  condition  that -he 
receive  no  salary.  He  would  keep  an  exact  account 
of  expenses  and  expect  Congress  to  pay  them  and 
nothing  more.  It  is  not  the  object  of  this  sketch  to 
I  race  the  military  acts  of  Washington,  to  whom  the 
fortunes  and  liberties  of  the  people  of  this  country 
were  so  long  confided.  The  war  was  conducted  by 
him  under  ever)-  possible  disadvantage,  and  while  his 
forces  often  met  with  reverses,  yet  he  overcame  every 
obstacle,  and  after  seven  years  of  heroic  devotion 
and  matchless  skill  he  gained  liberty  for  the  greatest 
nation  of  earth.  On  Dec.  23,  1783,  Washington,  in 
a  parting  address  of  surpassing  beauty,  icsigned  his 


1 


commission  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  to 
to  the  Continental  Congress  sitting  at  Annapolis.  He 
retired  immediately  to  Mount  Vernon  and  resumed 
his  occupation  as  a  farmer  and  planter,  shunning  all 
connection  with  public  life. 

In  February^Sg,  Washington  was  unanimously 
elected  President.  In  his  presidential  career  he  was 
subject  to  the  peculiar  trials  incidental  to  a  .new 
government ;  trials  from  lack  of  confidence  on  the  part 
of  other  governments;  trials  from  want  of  harmony 
between  the  different  sections  of  our  own  country; 
trials  from  the  impoverished  condition  of  the  country, 
owing  to  the  war  and  want  of  credit;  trials  from  the 
beginnings  of  party  strife.  He  was  no  partisan.  His 
clear  judgment  could  discern  the  golden  mean  ;  and 
while  perhaps  this  alone  kept  our  government  from 
sinking  at  the  very  outset,  it  left  him  exposed  to 
attacks  from  both  sides,  which  were  often  bitter  and 
very  annoying. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  he  was  unani- 
mously re-elected.  At  the  end  of  this  term  many 
were  anxious  that  he  be  re-elected,  but  he  absolutely 
refused  a  third  nomination.  On  the  fourth  of  March, 
1797,  at  the  expiraton  of  his  second  term  as  Presi- 
dent, he  returned  to  his  home,  hoping  to  pass  there 
his  few  remaining  years  free  from  the  annoyances  of 
public  life.  Later  in  the  year,  however,  his  repose 
seemed  likely  to  be  interrupted  by  war  with  France. 
At  the  prospect  of  such  a  war  he  was  again  urged  to 
take  command  of  the  armies.  He  chose  his  sul- 
ordinate  officers  and  left  to  them  the  charge  of  mat- 
ters in  the  field,  which  he  superintended  from  his 
home.  In  accepting  the  command  he  made  the 
reservation  that  he  was  not  to  be  in  the  field  until 
it  was  necessary.  In  the  midst  of  these  preparations 
his  life  was  suddenly  cut  off.  December  12,  he  took 
a  severe  cold  from  a  ride  in  the  rain,  which,  settling 
in  his  throat,  produced  inflammation,  and  terminated 
fatally  on  the  night  of  the  fourteenth.  On  the  eigh- 
teenth his  body  was  borne  wi'h  military  honors  to  its 
final  resting  place,  and  interred  in  the  family  vault  at 
Mount  Vernon. 

Of  the  character  of  Washington  it  is  impossible  to 
speak  but  in  terms  of  the  highest  respect  and  ad- 
miration. The  more  we  see  of  the  operations  of 
our  government,  and  the  more  deeply  we  feel  the 
difficulty  of  uniting  all  opinions  in  a  common  interest, 
the  more  highly  we  must  estimate  the  force  of  his  tal- 
ent and  character,  which  have  been  able  to  challenge 
the  reverence  of  all  parties,  and  principles,  and  na- 
tions, and  to  win  a  fame  as  extended  as  the  limits 
of  the  globe,  and  which  we  cannot  but  believe  will 
be  as  lasting  as  the  existence  of  man. 

The  person  of  Washington  was  unusally  tali,  erect 
and  well  proportioned.  His  muscular  strength  was 
great.  His  features  were  of  a  beautiful  symmetry. 
He  commanded  respect  without  any  appearance  of 
haughtiness,  and  ever  serious  without  being  dull. 

^ .! -^          4l'' 


PRESIDENT. 


Jo 


" 


OHN  ADAMS,  the  second 
President  and  the  first  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  in  Braintree  ( now 
Quincy))Mass.,  and  about  ten 
miles  from  Boston,  Oct.  19, 
a,  1735.  His  great-grandfather,  Henry 
Adams,  emigrated  from  England 
about  1640,  with  a  family  of  eight 
sons,  and  settled  at  Braintree.  The 
parents  of  John  were  John  and 
Susannah  (Boylston)  Adams.  His 
father  was  a  farmer  of  limited 
means,  to  which  he  added  the  bus- 
iness of  shoemaking.  He  gave  his 
eldest  son,  John,  a  classical  educa- 
tion at  Harvard  College.  John 
graduated  in  1755,  and  at  once  took  charge  of  the 
school  in  Worcester,  Mass.  This  he  found  but  a 
"school  of  affliction,"  from  which  he  endeavored  to 
gain  relief  by  devoting  himself,  in  addition,  to  the 
study  of  law.  For  this  purpose  he  placed  himself 
under  the  tuition  of  the  only  lawyer  in  the  town.  He 
had  thought  seriously  of  the  clerical  profession 
but  seems  to  have  been  turned  from  this  by  what  he 
termed  "  the  frightful  engines  of  ecclesiastical  coun- 
cils, of  diabolical  malice,  and  Calvanistic  good  nature,'1 
of  the  operations  of  which  he  had  been  a  witness  in 
his  native  town.  He  was  well  fitted  for  the  legal 
l.-.ofession,  possessing  a  clear,  sonorous  voice,  being 
ready  and  fluent  of  speech,  and  having  quick  percep- 
live  powers.  He  gradually  gained  practice,  and  in 
1764  married  Abigail  Smith,  a  daughter  of  a  minister, 
and  a  lady  of  superior  intelligence.  Shortly  after  his 
marriage,  (i7f>s),  the  attempt  of  Parliamentary  taxa- 
tion turned  him  from  law  to  politics.  He  took  initial 
steps  toward  holdir...,  :i  town  meeting,  and  the  resolu- 


tions  he  offered  on  the  subject  became  very  populai 
throughout  the  Province,  and  were  adopted  word  for 
word  by  over  forty  different  towns.  He  moved  to  Bos- 
ton in  1768,  and  became  one  of  the  most  courageous 
and  prominent  advocatesof  the  popular  cause,  and 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  General  Court  (the  Leg- 
lislature)  in  1770. 

Mr.  Adams  was  chosen  one  of  the  first  delegates 
from  Massachusetts  to  the  first  Continental  Congress, 
which  met  in  1774.  Here  he  distinguished  himselt 
by  his  capacity  for  business  and  for  debate,  and  ad- 
vocated the  movement  for  independence  against  the 
majority  of  the  members.  In  May,  1776,  he  mcved 
and  carried  a  resolution  in  Congress  that  the  Colonies 
should  assume  the  duties  of  self-government.  He 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  committee  of  iive 
appointed  June  n,  to  prepare  a  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence. This  article  was  drawn  by  Jefferson,  but 
on  Adams  devolved  the  task  of  battling  it  through 
Congress  in  a  three  days  debate. 

On  the  day  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  passed,  while  his  soul  was  yet  warm  with  th; 
glow  of  excited  feeling,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  wife 
which,  as  we  read  it  now,  seems  to  have  been  dictated 
by  the  spirit  of  prophecy.  "  Yesterday,"  he  says,  "the 
greatest  question  was  decided  that  ever  was  debated 
in  America;  and  greater,  perhaps,  never  was  or  wiL 
be  decided  among  men.  A  resolution  was  passed 
without  one  dissenting  colony,  '  that  these  United 
States  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  inde- 
pendent states.'  The  day  is  passed.  The  fourth  of 
July,  1776,  will  be  a  memorable  epoch  in  the  history 
of  America.  I  am  apt  to  believe  it  will  be  celebrated 
by  succeeding  generations,  as  the  great  anniversary 
festival.  It  ought  to  be  commemorated  as  the  day  of 
deliverance  by  solemn  acts  of  devotion  to  Almighty 
God.  It  ought  to  be  solemnized  with  pomp,  shows. 


JOHN  ADAMS. 


i 


games,  sports,  guns,  bells,  bonfires,  and  illuminations 
from  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  from  this 
lime  forward  for  ever.  You  will  think  me  transported 
with  enthusiasm,  but  I  am  not.  I  am  well  aware  of 
the  toil,  and  blood  and  treasure,  that  it  will  cost  to 
maintain  this  declaration,  and  support  and  defend 
these  States;  yet,  through  all  the  gloom,  I  can  see  the 
rays  of  light  and  glory.  I  can  see  that  the  end  is 
worth  more  than  all  the  means;  and  that  posterity 
will  triumph,  although  you  and  I  may  rae,  which  I 
hope  we  shall  not." 

In  November,  1777,  Mr.  Adams  was  appointed  a 
delegate  to  France  and  to  co-operate  with  Bemjamin 
Franklin  and  Arthur  Lee,  who  were  then  in  Paris,  in 
the  endeavor  to  obtain  assistance  in  arms  and  money 
from  the  French  Government.  This  was  a  severe  trial 
to  his  patriotism,  as  it  separated  him  from  his  home, 
compelled  him  to  cross  the  ocean  in  winter,  and  ex- 
posed him  to  great  peril  of  capture  by  the  British  cruis- 
ers, who  were  seeking  him.  He  left  France  June  17, 
1779.  In  September  of  the  same  year  he  was  again 
chosen  to  go  to  Paris,  and  there  hold  himself  in  readi- 
ness to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace  and  of  commerce 
with  Great  Britian,  as  soon  as  the  British  Cabinet 
might  be  found  willing  to  listen  to  such  proposals.  He 
sailed  for  France  in  November,  from  there  he  went  to 
Holland,  where  he  negotiated  important  loans  and 
formed  important  commercial  treaties. 

Finally  a  treaty  of  peace  with  England  was  signed 
Jan.  21,  1783.  The  re-action  from  the  excitement, 
toil  and  anxiety  through  which  Mr.  Adams  had  passed 
threw  him  into  a  fever.  After  suffering  from  a  con- 
tinued fever  and  becoming  feeble  and  emaciated  he 
was  advised  to  go  to  England  to  drink  the  waters  of 
Bath.  While  in  England,  still  drooping  anddespond- 
ing,  he  received  dispatches  from  his  own  government 
urging  the  necessity  of  his  going  to  Amsterdam  to 
negotiate  another  loan.'  It  was  winter,  his  health  was 
delicate,  yet  he  immediately  set  out,  and  through 
storm,  on  sea,  on  horseback  and  foot,he  made  the  trip. 

February  24,  1785,  Congress  appointed  Mr.  Adams 
envoy  to  the  Court  of  St.  James.  Here  he  met  face 
to  face  the  King  of  England,  who  had  so  long  re- 
garded him  as  a  traitor.  As  England  did  not 
condescend  to  appoint  a  minister  to  the  United 
States,  and  as  Mr.  Adams  felt  that  he  was  accom- 
plishing but  little,  he  sought  permission  to  return  to 
his  own  country,  where  he  arrived  in  June,  1788. 

When  Washington  was  first  chosen  President,  John 
Adams,  rendered  illustiious  by  his  signal  services  at 
home  and  abroad,  was  chosen  Vice  President.  Again 
at  the  second  election  of  Washington  as  President, 
Adams  was  chosen  Vice  President.  In  1796,  Wash- 
ington retired  from  public  life,  and  Mr.  Adams  was 
elected  President,though  not  without  much  opposition. 
Serving  in  this  office  four  years,he  was  succeeded  by 
NTr.  Jefferson,  his  opponent  in  politics. 

While    Mr.  Adams  was  Vice  President  the   great 


French  Revolution  shook  the  continent  of  Europe, 
and  it  was  upon  this  point  which  he  was  at  issue  with 
the  majority  of  his  countrymen  led  by  Mr.  Jefferson. 
Mr.  Adams  felt  no  sympathy  with  the  French  people 
in  their  struggle,  for  he  had  no  confidence  in  their 
power  of  self-government,  and  he  utterly  abhored  the 
classof  atheist  philosophers  who  he  claimed  caused  it. 
On  the  other  hand  Jefferson's  sympathies  were  strongly 
enlisted  in  behalf  of  the  French  people.  Hence  or- 
iginated the  alienation  between  these  distinguished 
men,  and  two  powerful  parties  were  thus  soon  organ- 
ized, Adams  at  the  head  of  the  one  whose  sympathies 
were  with  England  and  Jefferson  led  the  other  in 
sympathy  with  France. 

The  world  has  seldom  seen  a  spectacle  of  more 
moral  beauty  and  grandeur,  than  was  presented  by  the 
old  age  of  Mr.  Adams.  The  violence  of  party  feeling 
had  died  away,  and  he  had  begun  to  receive  that  just 
appreciation  which,  to  most  men,  is  not  accorded  till 
after  death.  No  one  could  look  upon  his  venerable 
form,  and  think  of  what  he  had  done  and  suffered, 
and  how  he  had  given  up  all  the  prime  and  strength 
of  his  life  to  the  public  good,  without  the  deepest 
emotion  of  gratitude  and  respect.  It  was  his  peculiar 
good  fortune  to  witness  the  complete  success  of  the 
institution  which  he  had  been  so  active  in  creating  and 
supporting.  In  1824,  his  cup  of  happiness  was  filled 
to  the  brim,  by  seeing  his  son  elevated  to  the  highest 
station  in  the  gift  of  the  people. 

The  fourth  of  July,  1826,  which  completed  the  half 
century  since  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, arrived,  and  there  were  but  three  of  the 
signers  of  that  immortal  instrument  left  upon  the 
earth  to  hail  its  morning  light.  ..And,  as  it  is 
well  known,  on  that  day  two  of  these  finished  their 
earthly  pilgrimage,  a  coincidence  so  remarkable  as 
to  seem  miraculous.  For  a  few  days  before  Mr. 
Adams  had  been  rapidly  failing,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  fourth  he  found  himself  too  weak  to  rise  from 
his  bed.  On  being  requested  to  name  a  toast  for  the 
customary  celebration  of  the  day,  he  exclaimed  "  IN- 
DEPENDENCE FOREVER."  When  the  day  was  ushered 
in,  by  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  firing  of  .cannons, 
he  was  asked  by  one  of  his  attendants'  if  he  knew 
what  day  it  was?  He  replied,  "O  yes;  it  is  the  glor- 
ious fourth  of  July — -God  bless  it — God  bless  you  all." 
In  the  course  of  the  day  he  said,  "It  is  a  great  and 
glorious  day."  The  last  words  he  uttered  were, 
"Jefferson  survives."  But  he  had,  at  one  o'clock,  re- 
signed his  spirit  into  the  hands  of  his  God. 

The  personal  appearance  and  manners  of  Mr. 
Adams  were  not  particularly  prepossessing.  His  face, 
as  his  portrait  manifests.was  intellectual  ard  expres- 
sive, but  his  figure  was  low  and  ungraceful,  and  his 
manners  were  frequently  abrupt  and  uncourteous. 
He  had  neither  the  lofty  dignity  of  Washington,  nor 
the  engaging  elegance  and  gracefulness  which  marked 
the  manners  and  address  of  Jefferson. 


THIRD  PRESIDENT. 


"JkiSfcS  rf£3Uiik?  «<*w 

-"•^AF^-"*  •" -is/Tv  *-fe< 


AS  JEIFIFEIS 


^•7^—  -^Si^%^-, : 

^      ^Sg* 


HOMAS  JEFFERSON  was 
born  April  2,  1743,  at  Shad- 
well,  Albermarle  county,  Va. 

His  parents  were  Peter  and 
Jane  (  Randolph)  Jefferson, 
the  former  a  native  of  Wales, 
and  the  latter  born  in  Lon- 
don. To  them  were  born  six 
daughters  and  two  sons,  of 
whom  Thomas  was  the  elder. 
When  14  years  of  age  his 
father  died.  He  received  a 
most  liberal  education,  hav- 
ing been  kept  diligently  at  school 
from  the  time  he  was  five  years  of 
age.  In  1760  he  entered  William 
and  Mary  College.  Williamsburg  was  then  the  seat 
of  the  Colonial  Court,  and  it  was  the  obodeof  fashion 
and  splendor.  Young  Jefferson,  who  was  then  17 
years  old,  lived  somewhat  expensively,  keeping  fine 
horses,  and  much  caressed  by  gay  society,  yet  he 
was  earnestly  devoted  to  his  studies,  and  irreproacha- 
able  in  his  morals.  It  is  strange,  however,  under 
such  influences,that  he  was  not  ruined.  In  the  sec- 
ond year  of  his  college  course,  moved  by  some  un- 
explained inward  impulse,  he  discarded  his  horses, 
society,  and  even  his  favorite  violin,  to  which  he  had 
previously  given  much  time.  He  often  devoted  fifteen 
hours  a  day  to  hard  study,  allowing  himself  for  ex- 
ercise only  a  run  in  the  evening  twilight  of  a  mile  out 
of  the  city  and  back  again.  He  thus  attained  very 
high  intellectual  culture,  alike  excellence  in  philoso- 
phy and  the  languages.  The  most  difficult  Latin  and 
Greek  authors  he  read  with  facility.  A  more  finished 
scholar  has  seldom  gone  forth  from  college  halls;  and 


there  was  not  to  be  found,  perhaps,  in  all  Virginia,  a 
more  pureminded,  upright,  gentlemanly  young  man. 

Immediately  upon  leaving  college  he  began  the 
study  of  law.  For  the  short  time  he  continued  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  he  rose  rapidly  and  distin- 
guished himself  by  his  energy  and  accuteness  as  a 
lawyer.  But  the  times  called  for  greater  action. 
The  policy  of  England  had  awakened  the  spirit  of 
resistance  of  the  American  Colonies,  and  the  enlarged 
views  which  Jefferson  had  ever  entertained,  soon  led 
him  into  active  political  life.  In  1769  he  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses.  In 
1772  he  married  Mrs.  Martha  Skelton,  a  very  beauti- 
ful, wealthy  and  highly  accomplished  young  widow. 

Upon  Mr.  Jefferson's  large  estate  at  Shadwell,  there 
was  a  majestic  swell  of  land,  called  Monticello,  which 
commanded  a  prospect  of  wonderful  extent  and 
beauty.  This  spot  Mr.  Jefferson  selected  for  his  new 
home;  and  here  he  reared  a  mansion  of  modest  yet 
elegant  architecture,  which,  next  to  Mount  Vernon, 
became  the  most  distinguished  resort  in  our  land. 

In  1775  he  was  sent  to  the  Colonial  Congress, 
where,  though  a  silent  member,  his  abilities  as  a 
writer  and  a  reasoner  soon  become  known,  and  he 
was  placed  upon  a  number  of  important  committees, 
and  was  chairman  of  the  one  appointed  for  the  draw- 
ing up  of  a  declaration  of  independence.  This  com- 
mittee consisted  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Adams, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  Roger  Sherman  and  Robert  R. 
Livingston.  Jefferson,  as  chairman,  was  appointed 
to  draw  up  the  paper.  Franklin  and  Adams  suggested 
a  few  verbal  changes  before  it  was  submitted  to  Con 
gress.  On  June  28,  a  few  slight  changes  were  made 
in  it  by  Congress,  and  it  was  passed  and  signed  July 
4,  1776.  What  must  have  been  the  feelings  of  that 


I 


28 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON. 


man — what  the  emotions  that  swelled  his  breast — 
who  was  charged  with  the  preparation  of  that  Dec- 
laration, which,  while  it  made  known  the  wrongs  of 
America,  was  also  to  publish  her  to  the  world,  free, 
s.overign  and  independent.  It  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable papers  ever  written  ;  and  did  no  other  effort 
iyf  the  mind  of  its  author  exist,  that  alone  would  be 
sufficient  to  stamp  his  name  with  immortality. 

In  1779  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  successor  to 
Patrick  Henry,  as  Governor  of  Virginia.  At  one  time 
the  British  officer,  Tarleton,  sent  a  secret  expedition  to 
Monticello,  to  capture  the  Governor.  Scarcely  five 
minutes  elapsed  after  the  hurried  escape  of  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson and  his  family,  ere  his  mansion  was  in  posses- 
sion of  the  British  troops.  His  wife's  health,  never 
very  good,  was  much  injured  by  this  excitement,  and 
in  the  summer  of  1782  she  died. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1783. 
Two  years  later  he  was  appointed  Minister  Plenipo- 
tentiary to  France.  Returning  to  the  United  States 
in  September,  1789,  he  became  Secretary  of  State 
in  Washington's  cabinet.  This  position  he  resigned 
Jan.  r,  1794.  In  1797,  he  was  chosen  Vice  Presi- 
dent, and  four  years  later  was  elected  President  over 
Mr.  Adams,  with  Aaron  Burr  as  Vice  President.  In 
1804  he  was  re-elected  with  wonderful  unanimity, 
and  George  Clinton,  Vice  President. 

The  early  part  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  second  adminstra- 
tion  was  disturbed  by  an  event  which  threatened  the 
tranquility  and  peace  of  the  Union;  this  was  the  con- 
spiracy of  Aaron  Burr.  Defeated  in  the  late  election 
to  the  Vice  Presidency,  and  led  on  by  an  unprincipled, 
ambition,  this  extraordinary  man  formed  the  plan  of  a 
military  expedition  into  the  Spanish  territories  on  our 
southwestern  frontier,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  there 
a  new  republic.  This  has  been  generally  supposed 
was  a  mere  pretext ;  and  although  it  has  not  been 
generally  known  what  his  real  plans  were,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  they  were  of  a  far  more  dangerous 
character. 

In  1809,  at  the  expiration  of  the  second  term  for 
which  Mr.  Jefferson  had  been  elected,  he  determined 
to  retire  from  political  life.  For  a  period  of  nearly 
forty  years,  he  had  been  continually  before  the  pub- 
lic, and  all  that  time  had  been  employed  in  offices  of 
the  greatest  trust  and  responsibility.  Having  thus  de- 
voted the  best  part  of  his  life  to  the  service  of  his 
country,  he  now  felt  desirous  of  that  rest  which  his 
declining  years  required,  and  upon  the  organization  of 
the  new  administration,  in  March,  1809,  he  bid  fare- 
well forever  to  public  life,  and  retired  to  Monticello. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  profuse  in  his  hospitality.  Whole 
families  came  in  their  coaches  with  their  horses, — 
fathers  and  mothers,  boys  and  girls,  babies  and 
nurses, — and  remained  three  and  even  six  months. 
Life  at  Monticello,  for  years,  resembled  that  at  a 
fashionable  watering-place. 

The  fourth  of  July,  1826,  being  the  fiftieth  anniver- 


sary of  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence, 
great  preparations  were  made  in  every  part  of  the 
Union  for  its  celebration,  as  the  nation's  jubilee,  and 
the  citizens  of  Washington,  to  add  to  the  solemnity 
of  the  occasion,  invited  Mr.  Jefferson,  as  the  framer. 
and  one  of  the  few  surviving  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion, to  participate  in  their  festivities.  But  an  ill- 
ness, which  had  been  of  several  weeks  duration,  and 
had  been  continually  increasing,  compelled  him  to 
decline  the  invitation. 

On  the  second  of  July,  the  disease  under  which 
he  was  laboring  left  him,  but  in  such  a  reduced 
state  that  his  medical  attendants,  entertained  nc 
hope  of  his  recovery.  From  this  time  he  was  perfectly 
sensible  that  his  last  hour  was  at  hand.  On  the  next 
d;iy,  which  was  Monday,  he  asked  of  those  around 
him,  the  day  of  the  month,  and  on  being  told  it  was 
the  third  of  July,  he  expressed  the  earnest  wish  that 
he  might  be  permitted  lo  breathe  the  airof  the  fiftieth 
anniversary.  His  prayer  was  heard — that  day,  whose 
dawn  was  hailed  with  suchTapture  through  our  land, 
burst  upon  his  eyes,  and  then  they  were  closed  for- 
ever. And  what  a  noble  consummation  of  a  noble 
life!  To  die  on  that  day, — the  birthday  of  a  nation,- - 
the  day  which  his  own  name  and  his  own  act  had 
rendered  glorious;  to  die  amidst  the  rejoicings  and 
festivities  of  a  whole  nation,  who  looked  up  to  him, 
as  the  author,  under  God,  of  their  greatest  blessings, 
was  all  that  was  wanting  to  fill  up  the  record  his  life. 

Almost  at  the  same  hour  of  his  death,  the  kin- 
dred spirit  of  the  venerable  Adams,  as  if  to  bear 
him  company,  left  the  scene  of  his  earthly  honors. 
Hand  in  hand  they  had  stood  forth,  the  champions  of 
freedom  ;  hand  in  hand,  during  the  dark  and  desper- 
ate struggle  of  the  Revolution,  they  had  cheered  and 
animated  their  desponding  countrymen;  for  half  a 
century  they  had  labored  together  for  the  good  of 
the  country;  and  now  hand  in  hand  they  depart. 
In  their  lives  they  had  been  united  in  the  same  great 
cause  of  liberty,  and  in  their  deaths  they  were  not 
divided. 

In  person  Mr.  Jefferson  was  tall  and  thin,  rather 
above  six  feet  in  height,  but  well  formed;  his  eyes 
were  light,  his  hair  originally  red,  in  after  life  became 
white  and  silvery;  his  complexion  was  fair,  his  fore- 
head broad,  and  his  whole  countenance  intelligent  and 
thoughtful.  He  possessed  great  fortitude  of  mind  ns 
well  as  perse»al  courage ;  and  his  command  of  tem- 
per was  such  that  his  oldest  and  most  intimate  friends 
never  recollected  to  have  seen  him  in  a  passion. 
His  manners,  though  dignified,  were  simple  and  un- 
affected, and  his  hospitality  was  so  unbounded  that 
all  found  at  his  house  a  ready  welcome.  In  conver- 
sation he  was  fluent,  eloquent  and  enthusiastic  ;  and 
his  language  was  remarkably  pure  and  correct.  He 
was  a  finished  classical  scholar,  and  in  his  writings  is 
discernable  the  care  with  which  he  formed  his  style 
upon  the  best  models  of  antiquity. 


FOURTH  PRESIDENT. 


AMES    MADISON,    "Father 
of  the  Constitution,''  and  fourth 
President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  March  16,  1757,  and 
died  at  his   home  in  Virginia, 
June  28,  1836.     The  name  of 
James  Madison  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  most  of  the  important 
events  in  that  heroic  period  of  our 
country  during  which  the  founda- 
tions of  this  great   republic  were 
laid.  He  was  the  last  of  the  founders 
of  the   Constitution   of  the    United 
States  to   be   called   to   his    eternal 
reward. 

.The  Madison  family  were  among 
the  early  emigrants  to  the  New  World, 
landing  upon  the  shores  of  the  Chesa- 
peake but  15  years  after  the  settle- 
ment of  Jamestown.  The  father  of 
James  Madison  was  an  opulent 
planter,  residing  upon  a  very  fine  es- 
tate called  "Montpelicr,"  Orange  Co., 
Va.  The  mansion  was  situated  in 
the  midst  of  scenery  highly  pictur- 
esque and  romantic,  on  the  west  side 
of  South-west  Mountain,  at  the  foot  of 
Blue  Ridge.  It  was  but  25  miles  from  the  home  of 
Jefferson  at  Monticello.  The  closest  personal  and 
political  attachment  existed  between  these  illustrious 
men,  from  their  early  youth  until  death. 

The  early  education  of  Mr.  Madison  was  conducted 
mostly  at  home  under  a  private  tutor.  At  the  age  of 
1 8  he  was  sent  to  Princeton  College,  in  New  Jersey. 
Here  he  applied  himself  to  study  with  the  most  im- 


prudent  zeal ;  allowing  himself,  for  months,  but  three 
hours'  sleep  out  of  the  24.  His  health  thus  became  so 
seriously  impaired  that  he  never  recovered  any  vigor 
of  constitution.  He  graduated  in  1771.  with  a  feeble 
body,  with  a  character  of  utmost  purity,  and  with  a 
mind  highly  disciplined  and  richly  stored  with  learning 
which  embellished  and  gave  proficiency  to  his  subse- 
quent career. 

Returning  to  Virginia,  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law  and  a  course  of  extensive  and  systematic  reading. 
This  educational  course,  the  spirit  of  the  times  in 
which  he  lived,  and  the  society  with  which  he  asso- 
ciated, all  combined  to  inspire  him  with  a  strong 
love  of  liberty,  and  to  train  him  for  his  life-work  of 
a  statesman.  Being  naturally  of  a  religious  turn  of 
mind,  and  his  frail  health  leading  him  to  think  that 
his  life  was  not  to  be  long,  he  directed  especial  atten- 
tion to  theological  studies.  Endowed  with  a  mind 
singularly  free  from  passion  and  prejudice,  and  with 
almost  unequalled  powers  of  reasoning,  he  weighed 
all  the  arguments  for  and  against  revealed  religion, 
until  his  faith  became  so  established  as  never  to 
be  shaken. 

In  the  spring  of  1776,  when  26  years  of  age,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Convention,  to 
frame  the  constitution  of  the  State.  The  next  year 
(1777),  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  General  Assembly. 
He  refused  to  treat  the  whisky-loving  voters,  and 
consequently  lost  his  election ;  but  those  who  had 
witnessed  the  talent,  energy  and  public  spirit  of  the 
ivlodest  young  man,  enlisted  themselves  in  his  behalf, 
and  he  was  appointed  to  the  Executive  Council. 

Both  Patrick  Henry  and  Thomas  Jefferson  were 
Governors  of  Virginia  while  Mr.  Madison  remained 
member  of  the  Council ;  and  their  appreciation  of  his 


JAMES  MADISON. 


intellectual,  social  and  moral  worth,  contributed  not 
a  little  to  his  subsequent  eminence.  In  the  year 
1 7  80,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress.  Here  he  met  the  most  illustrious  men  in 
our  land,  and  he  was  immediately  assigned  to  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  positions  among  them. 

For  three  years  Mr.  Madison  continued  in  Con- 
gress, one  of  its  most  active  and  influential  members. 
In  the  year  1784,  his  term  having  expired,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Legislature. 

No  man  felt  more  deeply  than  Mr.  Madison  the 
utter  inefficiency  of  the  old  confederacy,  with  no  na- 
tional government,  with  no  power  to  form  treaties 
which  would  be  binding,  or  to  enforce  law.  There 
was  not  any  State  more  prominent  than  Virginia  in 
the  declaration,  that  an  efficient  national  government 
must  be  formed.  In  January,  1786,  Mr.  Madison 
carried  a  resolution  through  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia,  inviting  the  other  States  to  appoint  commis- 
sioners to  meet  in  convention  at  Annapolis  to  discuss 
this  subject.  Five  States  only  were  represented.  The 
convention,  however,  issued  another  call,  drawn  up 
by  Mr.  Madison,  urging  all  the  States  to  send  their 
delegates  to  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1787,  to  draft 
a  Constitution  for  the  United  States,  to  take  the  place 
of  that  Confederate  League.  The  delegates  met  at 
the  time  appointed.  Every  State  but  Rhode  Island 
was  represented.  George  Washington  was  chosen 
president  of  the  convention ;  and  the  present  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States  was  then  and  there  formed. 
There  was,  perhaps,  no  mind  and  no  pen  more  ac- 
tive in  framing  this  immortal  document  than  the  mind 
and  the  pen  of  James  Madison. 

The  Constitution,  adopted  by  a  vote  81  to  79,  was 
to  be  presented  to  the  several  States  for  acceptance. 
Hut  grave  solicitude  was  felt.  Should  it  be  rejected 
we  should  be  left  but  a  conglomeration  of  independent 
States,  with  but  little  power  at  home  and  little  respect 
abroad.  Mr.  Madison  was  selected  by  the  conven- 
tion to  draw  up  an  address  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  expounding  the  principles  of  the  Constitution, 
and  urging  its  adoption.  There  was  great  opposition 
to  it  at  first,  but  ;t  at  length  triumphed  over  all,  and 
went  into  effect  in  1789. 

Mr.  Madison  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  the  first  Congress,  and  soon  became  the 
avowed  leader  of  the  Republican  party.  While  in 
New  York  attending  Congress,  he  met  Mrs.  Todd,  a 
young  widow  of  remarkable  power  of  fascination, 
whom  he  married.  She  was  in  person  and  character 
queenly,  and  probably  no  lady  has  thus  far  occupied 
so  prominent  a  position  in  the  very  peculiar  society 
which  has  constituted  our  republican  court  as  Mrs". 
Madison. 

Mr.  Madison  served  as  Secretary  of  State  under 
f.;fferson,  and  at  the  close  of  his  administration 
was  chosen  President.  At  this  time  the  encroach- 
ments of  England  had  brought  us  to  the  verge  of  war. 


British  orders  in  council  destioyed  our  commerce,  and 
our  flag  was  exposed  to  constant  insult.  Mr.  Madison 
was  a  man  of  peace.  Scholarly  in  his  taste,  retiring 
in  his  disposition,  war  had  no  charms  for  him.  But  the 
meekest  spirit  can  be  roused.  It  makes  one's  blood 
boil,  even  now,  to  think  of  an  American  ship  brought 
to,  upon  the  ocean,  by  the  guns  of  an  English  cruiser. 
A  young  lieutenant  steps  on  bo'ard  and  orders  the 
crew  to  be  paraded  before  him.  With  great  nonchal- 
ance he  selects  any  number  whom  he  may  please  to 
designate  as  British  subjects ;  orders  them  down  the 
ship's  side  into  his  boat;  and  places  them  on  the  gun- 
deck  of  his  man-of-war,  to  fight,  by  compulsion,  the 
battles  of  England.  This  right  of  search  and  im- 
pressment, no  efforts  of  our  Government  could  induce 
the  British  cabinet  to  relinquish. 

On  the  1 8th  of  June,  1812,  President  Madison  gave 
his  approval  to  an  act  of  Congress  declaring  war 
against  Great  Britain.  Notwithstanding  the  bitter 
hostility  of  the  Federal  party  to  the  war,  the  country 
in  general  approved;  and  Mr.  Madison,  on  the  '41)1 
of  March,  r8i3>  was  re-elected  by  a  large  majority, 
and  entered  upon  his  second  term  of  office.  This  is 
not  the  place  to  describe  the  various  adventures  of 
this  war  on  the  land  and  on  the  water.  Our  infant 
navy  then  laid  the  foundations  of  its  renown  in  grap- 
pling with  the  most  formidable  power  which  ever 
swept  the  seas.  The  contest  commenced  in  earnest 
by  the  appearance  of  a  British  fleet,  early  in  February, 
1813,  in  Chesapeake  Bay,  declaring  nearly  the  whole 
coast  of  the  United  States  under  blockade. 

The  Emperor  of  Russia  offered  his  services  as  me 
dilator.  America  accepted ;  England  refused.  A  Brit- 
ish force  of  five  thousand  men  landed  on  the  banks 
of  the  Patuxet  River,  near  its  entrance  into  Chesa- 
peake Bay,  and  marched  rapidly,  by  way  of  Bladens- 
burg,  upon  Washington. 

The  straggling  little  city  of  Washington  was  thrown 
into  consternation.  The  cannon  of  the  brief  conflict 
at  Bladensburg  echoed  through  the  streets  of  the 
metropolis.  The  whole  population  fled  from  the  city. 
The  President,  leaving  Mrs.  Madison  in  the  White 
House,  with  her  carriage  drawn  up  at  the  door  to 
await  his  speedy  return,  hurried  to  meet  the  officers 
in  a  council  of  war.  He  met  our  troops  utterly  routed, 
and  he  could  not  go  back  without  danger  of  being 
captured.  But  few  hours  elapsed  ere  the  Presidential 
Mansion,  the  Capitol,  and  all  the  public  buildings  in 
Washington  were  in  flames. 

The  war  closed  after  two  years  of  fighting,  and  on 
Feb.  13,  1815,  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  at  Ghent. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1817,  his  second  term  of 
office  expired,  and  he  resigned  the  Presidential  chair 
to  his  friend,  James  Monroe.  He  retired  to  his  beau- 
tiful home  at  Montpelier,  and  there  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  On  June  28,  1836,  then  at  the 
age  of  85  years,  he  fell  asleep  in  death.  Mrs.  Madi- 
son died  July  12,  1849, 


FIFTH  PRESIDENT. 


35 


AMES  MONROE,  the  fifth 
President  of  The  United  States, 
was  born  in  Westmoreland  Co., 
Va.,  April  28,  1758.  His  early 
life  was  passed  at  the  place  of 
nativity.  His  ancestors  had  for 
many  years  resided  in  the  prov- 
ince in  which  he  was  born.  When, 
at  17  years  of  age,  in  the  process 
of  completing  his  education  at 
William  and  Mary  College,  the  Co- 
lonial Congress  assembled  at  Phila- 
delphia to  deliberate  upon  the -un- 
just and  manifold  oppressions  of 
Great  Britian,  declared  the  separa- 
tion of  the  Colonies,  and  promul- 
gated the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. Had  he  been  born  ten  years  before  it  is  highly 
probable  that  he  would  have  been  one  of  the  signers 
of  that  celebrated  instrument.  At  this  time  he  left 
school  and  enlisted  among  the  patriots. 

He  joined  the  army  when  everything  looked  hope- 
less and  gloomy.  The  number  of  deserters  increased 
from  day  to  day.  The  invading  armies  came  pouring 
in;  and  the  lories  not  only  favored  the  cause  of  the 
mother  country,  but  disheartened  the  new  recruits, 
who  were  sufficiently  terrified  at  the  prospect  of  con- 
tending with  an  enemy  whom  they  had  been  taught 
to  deem  invincible.  To  such  brave  spirits  as  James 
Monroe,  who  went  right  onward,  undismayed  through 
difficulty  and  danger,  the  United  States  owe  their 
political  emancipation.  The  young  cadet  joined  the 
r.uiks,  and  espoused  the  cause  of  his  injured  country, 
with  a  firm  determination  to  live  or  die  with  her  strife 


for  liberty.  Firmly  yet  sadly  he  shared  in  the  mel- 
ancholy retreat  from  Harleam  Heights  and  White 
Plains,  and  accompanied  the  dispirited  army  as  it  fled 
before  its  foes  through  New  Jersey.  In  four  months 
after  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  patriots 
had  been  beaten  in  seven  battles.  At  the  battle  of 
Trenton  he  led  the  vanguard,  and,  in  the  act  of  charg- 
ing upon  the  enemy  he  received  a  wound  in  the  left 
shoulder. 

As  a  reward  for  his  bravery,  Mr.  Monroe  was  pro- 
moted a  captain  of  infantry ;  and,  having  recovered 
from  his  wound,  he  rejoined  the  army.  He,  however, 
receded  from  the  line  of  promotion,  by  becoming  an 
officer  in  the  staff  of  Lord  Sterling.  During  the  cam- 
paigns of  1777  and  1778,  in  the  actions  of  Brandy 
wine,  Germantown  and  Monmouth,  he  continued 
aid-de-camp;  but  becoming  desirous  to  regain  his 
position  in  the  army,  he  exerted  himself-  to  collect  a 
regiment  for  the  Virginia  line.  This  scheme  failed 
owing  to  the  exhausted  condition  of  the  State.  Upon 
this  failure  he  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  at 
that  period  Governor,  and  pursued,  with  considerable 
ardor,  the  study  of  common  law.  He  did  not,  however, 
entirely  lay  aside  the  knapsack  for  the  green  bag; 
but  on  the  invasions  of  the  enemy,  served  as  a  volun- 
teer, during  the  two  years  of  his  legal  pursuits. 

In  1782,  he  was  elected  from  King  George  county, 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  and  by  that 
body  he  was  elevated  to  a  seat  in  the  Executive 
Council.  He  was  thus  honored  with  the  confidence 
of  his  fellow  citizens  at  23  years  of  age  ;  and  having 
at  this  early  period  displayed  some  of  that  ability 
and  aptitude  for  legislation,  which  were  afterwards 
employed  with  unremitting  energy  for  the 


iood, 

if 


JAMES  MOMROE. 


lie  was  in  the  succeeding  year  chosen  a  member  of 
ihe  Congress  of  the  United  States. 
Uecplyas  Mr.  Monroe  felt  the  imperfections  of  the  old 
Confederacy,  he  was  opposed  to  the  new  Constitution, 
thinking,  with  many  others  of  the  Republican  party, 
'.hat  it  gave  too  much  power  to  the  Central  Government, 
and  not  enough  to  the  individual  States.  Still  he  re- 
tained the  esteem  of  his  friends  who  were  its  warm 
supporters,  and  who,  notwithstanding  his  opposition 
secured  its  adoption.  In  1789,  he  became  a  member 
cf  the  United  States  Senate;  which  office  he  held  for 
four  years.  Every  month  the  line  of  distinction  be- 
tween the  two  great  parties  which  divided  the  nation, 
the  Federal  and  the  Republican,  was  growing  more 
distinct.  The  two  prominent  ideas  which  now  sep- 
arated them  were,  that  the  Republican  party  was  in 
sympathy  with  France,  and  also  in  favor  of  such  a 
strict  construction  of  the  Constitution  as  to  give  the 
Central  Government  as  little  power,  and  the  State 
Governments  as  much  power,  as  the  Constitution  would 
warrant.  The  Federalists  sympathized  with  England, 
and  were  in  favor  of  a  liberal  construction  of  the  Con- 
stitution, which  would  give  as  much  power  to  the 
Central  Government  as  that  document  could  possibly 
authorize. 

The  leading  Federalists  and  Republicans  were 
alike  noble  men,  consecrating  all  their  energies  to  the 
good  of  the  nation.  Two  more  honest  men  or  more 
pure  patriots  than  John  Adams  the  Federalist,  and 
James  Monroe  the  Republican,  never  breathed.  In 
building  up  this  majestic  nation,  which  is  destined 
to  eclipse  all  Grecian  and  Assyrian  greatness,  the  com- 
bination of  their  antagonism  was  needed  to  create  the 
light  equilibrium.  And  yet  each  in  his  day  was  de- 
nounced as  almost  a  demon. 

Washington  was  then  President.  England  had  es- 
poused the  cause  of  the  Bourbons  against  the  princi- 
ples of  the  French  Revolution.  All  Europe  was  drawn 
i:ito  the  conflict.  We  were  feeble  and  far  away. 
Washington  issued  a  proclamation  of  neutrality  be- 
tween these  contending  powers.  France  had  helped 
us  in  the  struggle  for  our  liberties.  All  the  despotisms 
of  Europe  were  now  combined  to  prevent  the  French 
from  escaping  from  a  tyranny  a  thousand-fold  worse 
than  that  which  we  had  endured  Col.  Monroe,  more 
magnanimous  than  prudent,  was  anxious  that,  at 
whatever  hazard,  we  should  help  our  old  allies  in 
their  extremity.  It  was  the  impulse  of  a  generous 
and  noble  nature.  He  violently  opposed  the  Pres- 
ident's proclamation  as  ungrateful  and  wanting  in 
magnanimity. 

Washington,  who  could  appreciate  such  a  character, 
developed  his  calm,  serene,  almost  divine  greatness, 
by  appointing  that  very  James  Monroe,  who  was  de- 
nouncing the  policy  of  the  Government,  as  the  minister 
of  that  Government  to  the  Republic  of  France.  Mr. 
Monroe  was  welcomed  by  the  National  Convention 
in  France  with  the  most  enthusiastic  demonstrations. 


Shortly  after  his  return  to  this  country,  Mr.  Mon- 
roe was  elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  held  the 
office  for  three  yeais.  He  was  again  sent  to  Prance  to 
co-operate  with  Chancellor  Livingston  in  obtaining 
the  vast  territory  then  known  as  the  Province  of 
Louisiana,  which  France  had  but  shortly  before  ob- 
tained from  Spain.  Tneir  united  efforts  were  suc- 
cessful. For  the  comparatively  small  sum  of  fifteen 
millions  of  dollars,  the  entire  territory  of  Orleans  and 
district  of  Louisiana  were  added  to  the  United  States. 
This  was  probably  the  largest  transfer  of  real  estate 
which  was  ever  made  in  all  the  history  of  the  world. 

From  France  Mr.  Monroe  went  to  England  to  ob- 
tain from  that  country  some  recognition  of  our 
rights  as  neutrals,  and  to  remonstrate  against  those 
odious  impressments  of  our  seamen.  But  Eng- 
land was  unrelenting.  He  again  returned  to  Eng- 
land on  the  same  mission,  but  could  receive  no 
redress.  He  returned  to  his  home  and  was  again 
chosen  Governor  of  Virginia.  This  he  soon  resigned 
to  accept  the  position  of  Secretary  of  State  under 
Madison.  While  in  this  office  war  with  England  was 
declared,  the  Secretary  of  War  resigned,  and  during 
these  trying  times,  the  duties  of  the  War  Department 
were  also  put  upon  him.  He  was  truly  the  armor- 
bearer  of  President  Madison,  and  the  most  efficient 
business  man  in  his  cabinet.  Upon  the  return  oi 
peace  he  resigned  the  Department  of  War,  but  con- 
tinued in  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  until  the  ex- 
piration of  Mr.  Madison's  adminstration.  At  the  elec 
tion  held  the  previous  autumn  Mr.  Monroe  himself  had 
been  chosen  President  with  but  little  opposition,  and 
upon  March  4,  181-7,  was  inaugurated.  Four  years 
later  he  was  elected  for  a  second  term. 

Among  the  important  measures  of  his  Presidency 
were  the  cession  of  Florida  to  the  United  States;  the 
Missouri  Compromise,  and  the  "  Monroe  doctrine.'- 

This  famous  doctrine,  since  known  as  the  "  Monroe 
doctrine,"  was  enunciated  by  him  in  1823.  At  that 
time  the  United  States  had  recognized  the  independ- 
ence of  the  South  American  states,  and  did  not  wish 
to  have  European  powers  longer  attempting  to  sub- 
due portions  of  the  American  Continent.  The  doctrine 
is  as  follows:  "That  we  should  consider  any  attempt 
on  the  part  of  European  powers  to  extend  their  sys- 
tem to  any  portion  of  this  hemisphere  as  dangerous 
to  our  peace  and  safety,"  and  "that  we  could  not 
view  any  interposition  for  the  purpose  of  oppressing 
or  controlling  American  governments  or  provinces  in 
any  other  light  than  as  a  manifestation  by  European 
powers  of  an  unfriendly  disposition  toward  the  United 
States."  This  doctrine  immediately  affected  the  course 
of  foreign  governments,  and  has  become  the  approved 
sentiment  of  the  United  States. 

At  the  end  of  his  fecond  term  Mr.  Monroe  retired 
to  his  home  in  Virginia,  where  he  lived  until   1830, 
when  he  went  to  New  York  to  live  with  his  son-in 
law.     In  that  city  he  died,on  the  4th  of  July,  1831 


•P- 


J , 


SIXTH  PRESIDENT. 


39 


£^:^S;£*S»5H>S£^^^ 

Mi 


30511  QUIIJ0Y 


IIHHlHHII 


L 

* 


OHN  QUINCY  ADAMS,  the 
sixth  President  of  the  United 
States,  was   born  in  the   rural 
home  of  his    honored   father, 
John  Adams,  in  Qnincy,  Mass  , 
on  the  i  ith  cf  July,  1767.  His 
mother,  a  woman  of  exalted 
worth,  watched  over  his  childhood 
during  the  almost   constant   ab- 
sence of  his  father.      When   but 
eight  years  of  age,  he  stood  with 
his  mother  on  an  eminence,  listen- 
ing to  the  booming  of  the  great  bat- 
tle on  Bunker's  Hill,  and  gazing  on 
upon  the  smoke  and  flames  billow- 
ing up  from    the   conflagration   of 
Charlestown. 

When  but  eleven  years  old  he 
took  a  tearful  adieu  of  his  mother, 
to  sail  with  his  fatner  for  Europe, 
through  a  fleet  of  hostile  British  cruisers.  The  bright, 
animated  boy  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  Pan's,  where 
his  father  was  associated  with  Franklin  and  Lee  as 
minister  plenipotentiary.  His  intelligence  attracted 
the  notice  of  these  distinguished  men,  and  he  received 
from  them  flattering  murks  of  attention. 

Mr.  John  Adams  had  scarcely  returned  to  this 
country,  in  1779,  ere  he  was  again  sent  abroad  Again 
Vohn  Quincy  accompanied  his  father.  At  Paris  he 
applied  himself  with  great  diligence,  for  six  months, 
to  Jtudy;  then  accompained  his  father  to  Holland, 
\vhere  he  entered,  first  a  school  in  Amsterdam,  then 
the  University  at  Leyden.  About  a  year  from  this 
time,  in  T78i,  when  the  manly  loy  was  but  fourteen 
yea—,  of  age,  he  was  selected  by  Mr.  Dana,  our  min- 
ister to  the  Russian  court,  as  his  private  secretary. 

Tn  this  school  of  incessant  labor  and  of  enobling 
culture  he  spent  fourteen  months,  and  then  returned 
to  Holland  through  Sweden,  Denmark,  Hamburg  and 
Bremen.  This  long  journey  he  took  alone,  in  the 
winter,  when  in  his  sixteenth  year.  Again  he  resumed 
his  studies,  under  a  private  tutor,  at  Hague.  Thence, 


in  the  spring  of  1782,  he  accompanied  his  father  to 
Paris,  traveling  leisurely,  and  forming  acquaintance 
with  the  most  distinguished  men  on  the  Comment; 
examining  architectural  remains,  galleries  of  paintings, 
and  all  renowned  works  of  art.  At  Paris  he  again 
became  associated  with  the  most  illustrious  men  of 
all  lands  in  the  contemplations  of  the  loftiest  temporal 
themes  which  can  engross  the  human  mind.  After 
a  short  visit  to  England  he  returned  to  Paris,  and 
consecrated  all  his  energies  to  study  until  May,  1785, 
when  he  returned  to  America.  To  a  brilliant  young 
man  of  eighteen,  who  had  seen  much  of  the  world, 
and  who  was  familiar  with  the  etiquette  of  courts,  a 
residence  with  his  father  in  London,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, must  have  been  extremely  attractive ; 
but  with  judgment  very  rare  in  one  of  his  age,  he  pre- 
ferred to  return  to  America  to  complete  his  education 
in  an  American  college.  He  wished  then  to  study 
law,  that  with  an  honorable  profession,  he  might  be 
able  to  obtain  an  independent  support. 

Upon  leaving  Harvard  College,  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
he  studied  law  for  three  years.  In  June,  1794,  be- 
ing then  but  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Washington,  resident  minister  at  the 
Netherlands.  Sailing  from  Boston  in  July,  he  reached 
London  in  October,  where  he  was  immediately  admit- 
ted to  the  deliberations  of  Messrs.  Jay  and  Pinckney, 
assisting  them  in  negotiating  a  commercial  treaty  with 
Great  Britian.  After  thus  spending  a  fortnight  in 
London,  he  proceeded  to  the  Hague. 

In  July,  T797,  he  left  the  Hague  to  go  to  Portugal  as 
minister  plenipotentiary.  On  his  way  to  Portugal, 
upon  arriving  in  London,  he  met  with  despatches 
directing  him  to  the  court  of  Berlin,  but  requesting 
him  to  remain  in  London  until  he  should  receive  his 
instructions.  While  writing  he  was  married  to  an 
American  lady  to  whom  he  had  been  previously  en- 
gaged,— Miss  Louisa  Catherine  Johnson,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Joshua  Johnson,  American  consul  in  I  ondon  ; 
a  lady  endownd  with  that  beauty  and  those  accom- 
plishment which  eminently  filled  1-er  to  ivcve  in  the 
elevated  sphere  for  which  she  was  destined. 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


\ 


He  reached  Berlin  with  his  wife  in  November,  1797  ; 
whore  he  remained  until  July,  1799,  when,  having  ful- 
filled all  the  purposes  of  his  mission,  he  solicited  his 
recall. 

Soon  after  his  return,  in  1802,  he  was  chosen  to 
the  Senate  of  Massachusetts,  from  Boston,  and  then 
was  elected  Senator  of  the  United  States  for  six  years, 
from  the  4th  of  March,  1804.  His  reputation,  his 
ability  and  his  experience,  placed  him  immediately 
among  the  most  prominent  and  influential  members 
of  that  body.  Especially  did  he  sustain  the  Govern- 
ment in  its  measures  of  resistance  to  the  encroach- 
ments of  England,  destroying  our  commerce  and  in- 
sulting our  flag.  There  was  no  man  in  America  more 
familiar  with  the  arrogance  of  the  British  court  upon 
these  points,  and  no  one  more  resolved  to  present 
a  firm  resistance. 

In  1809,  Madison  succeeded  Jefferson  in  the  Pres- 
idential chair,  and  he  immediately  nominated  John 
Qiiincy  Adams  minister  to  St.  Petersburg.  Resign- 
ing his  professorship  in  Harvard  College,  he  embarked 
at  Boston,  in  August,  1809. 

While  in  Russia,  Mr.  Adams  was  an  intense  stu- 
dent. He  devoted  his  attention  to  the  language  and 
history  of  Russia;  to  the  Chinese  trade;  to  the 
European  system  of  weights,  measures,  and  coins  ;  to 
the  climate  and  astronomical  observations  ;  while  he 
Kept  up  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  the  Greek  and 
Latin  classics.  In  all  the  universities  of  Europe,  a 
more  accomplished  scholar  could  scarcely  be  found. 
All  through  life  the  Bible  constituted  an  important 
part  of  his  studies.  It  was  his  rule  to  read  five 
chapters  every  day. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1817,  Mr.  Monroe  took  the 
Presidential  chair,  and  immediately  appointed  Mr. 
Adams  Secretary  of  State.  Taking  leave  of  his  num- 
erous friends  in  public  and  private  life  in  Europe,  he 
sailed  in  June,  1819,  for  the  United  States.  On  the 
i8th  of  August,  he  again  crossed  the  threshold  of  his 
home  in  Quincy.  During  the  eight  years  of  Mr.  Mon- 
roe's administration,  Mr.  Adams  continued  Secretary 
of  State. 

Some  time  before  the  close  of  Mr.  Monroe's  second 
term  of  office,  new  candidates  began  to  be  presented 
for  the  Presidency.  The  friends  of  Mr.  Adams  brought 
forward  his  name.  It  was  an  exciting  campaign. 
Party  spirit  was  never  more  bitter.  Two  hundred  and 
sixty  electoral  votes  were  cast.  Andrew  Jackson  re- 
ceived ninety-nine;  John  Quincy  Adams,  eighty-four; 
William  H.  Crawford,  forty-one;  Henry  Clay,  thirty- 
se/en.  As  there  was  no  choice  by  the  people,  the 
question  went  to  the  House  of  Representatives.  Mr. 
Clay  gave  the  vote  of  Kentucky  to  Mr.  Adams,  and 
he  was  elected. 

The  friends  of  all  the  disappointed  candidates  now 
combined  in  a  venomous  and  persistent  assault  upon 
Mr.  Adams.  There  is  nothing  more  disgraceful  in 
the  past  history  of  our  country  than  the  abuse  which 


was  poured  in  one  uninterrupted  stream,  upon  this 
high-minded,  upright,  patriotic  man.  There  never  was 
an  administration  more  pure  in  principles,  more  con- 
scientiously devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  the  coun- 
try, than  that  of  John  Quincy  Adams;  and  never, per- 
haps, was  there  an  administration  more  unscrupu- 
lously and  outrageously  assailed. 

Mr.  Adams  was,  to  a  very  remarkable  degree,  ab- 
stemious and  temperate  in  his  habits;  always  rising 
early,  and  taking  much  exercise.  When  at  his  home  in 
Quincy,  he  has  been  known  to  walk,  before  breakfast, 
seven  miles  to  Boston.  In  Washington,  it  was  said 
that  he  was  the  first  man  up  in  the  city,  lighting  his 
own  fire  and  applying  himself  to  work  in  his  library 
often  long  before  dawn. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1829,  Mr.  Adams  retired 
from  the  Presidency,  and  was  succeeded  by  Andrew 
Jackson.  John  C.  Calhoun  was  elected  Vice  Presi- 
dent. The  slavery  question  now  began  to  assume 
portentous  magnitude.  Mr.  Adams  returned  to 
Quincy  and  to  his  studies,  which  he  pursued  with  un- 
abated zeal.  But  he  was  not  long  permitted  to  re- 
main in  retirement.  In  November,  1830,  he  was 
elected  representative  to  Congress.  For  seventeen 
years,  until  his  death,  he  occupied  the  post  as  repre- 
sentative, towering  above  all  his  peers,  ever  ready  to 
do  brave  battle'  for  freedom,  and  winning  the  title  of 
"the  old  man  eloquent."  Upon  taking  his  seat  in 
the  House,  he  announced  that  he  should  hold  him- 
self bound  to  no  party.  Probably  there  never  was  a 
member  more  devoted  to  his  duties.  He  was  usually 
the  first  in  his  place  in  the  morning,  and  the  last  to 
leave  his  seat  in  the  evening.  Not  a  measure  could 
be  brought  forward  and  escape  his  scrutiny.  The 
battle  which  Mr.  Adams  fought,  almost  singly,  against 
the  proslavery  party  in  the  Government,  was  sublime 
in  its  moral  daring  and  heroism.  For  persisting  in 
presenting  petitions  for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  he 
was  threatened  with  indictment  by  the  grand  jury, 
with  expulsion  from  the  House,  with  assassination  ; 
but  no  threats  could  intimidate  him,  and  his  final 
triumph  was  complete. 

It  has  been  said  of  President  Adams,  that  when  his 
body  was  bent  and  his  hair  silvered  by  the  lapse  of 
fourscore  years,  yielding  to  the  simple  faith  of  a  little 
child,  he  was  accustomed  to  repeat  every  night,  before 
he  slept,  the  prayer  which  his  mother  taught  him  in 
his  infant  years. 

On  the  2 1 st  of  February,  1848,  he  rose  on  the  floor 
of  Congress,  with  a  paper  in  his  hand,  to  address  the 
speaker.  Suddenly  he  fell,  again  stricken  by  paraly- 
sis, and  was  caught  in  the  arms  of  those  around  him. 
For  a  time  he  was  senseless,  as  he  was  conveyed  to 
the  sofa  in  the  rotunda.  With  reviving  conscious- 
ness, he  opened  his  eyes,  looked  calmly  around  and 
said  "  This  is  the  end  of  earth  /'then  after  a  moment's 
pause  he  added,  "/  am  content"  These  were  the 
last  words  of  the  grand  "Old  Man  Eloquent." 


SEVENTH  PRESIDENT. 


NDREW  JACKSON,  the 
seventh  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in 
VVaxhaw  settlement,  N.  C., 
March  15,  1767,  a  few  days 
after  his  father's  death.  His 
parents  were  poor  emigrants 
from  Ireland,  and  took  up 
their  abode  in  Waxhaw  set- 
tlement, where  they  lived  in 
deepest  poverty. 
Andrew,  or  Andy,  as  he  was 
universally  called,  grew  up  a  very 
rough,  rude,  turbulent  boy.  His 
features  were  coarse,  his  form  un- 
gainly; and  there  was  but  very 
little  in  his  character,  made  visible,  which  was  at- 
tractive. 

When  only  thirteen  years  old  he  joined  the  volun- 
teers of  Carolina  against  the  British  invasion.  In 
1781,  he  and  his  brother  Robert  were  captured  and 
imprisoned  for  a  time  at  Camden.  A  British  officer 
ordered  him  to  brush  his  mud-spattered  boots.  "  I  am 
a  prisoner  of  war,  not  your  servant,"  was  the  reply  of 
the  dauntless  boy. 

The  brute  drew  his  sword,  and  aimed  a  desperate 
Dlow  at  the  head  of  the  helpless  young  prisoner. 
Andrew  raised  his  hand,  and  thus  received  two  fear- 
ful gashes, — one  on  the  hand  and  the  other  upon  the 
head.  The  officer  then  turned  to  his  brother  Robert 
with  the  same  demand.  He  also  refused,  and  re- 
ceived a  blow  from  the  keen-edged  sabre,  which  quite 
disabled  him,  and  which  probably  soon  after  caused 
his  death.  They  suffered  much  other  ill-treatment,  and 
were  finally  stricken  with  the  small-pox.  Their 
mother  was  successful  in  obtaining  their  exchange, 


and  took  her  sick  boys  home.  After  a  long  illnoss 
Andrew  recovered,  and  the  death  of  his  mother  soon 
left  him  entirely  friendless. 

Andrew  supported  himself  in  various  ways,  such  as 
working  at  the  saddler's  trade,  teaching  school  and 
clerking  in  a  general  store,  until  1784,  when  he 
entered  a  law  office  at  Salisbury,  N.  C.  He,  however, 
gave  more  attention  to  the  wild  amusements  of  the 
times  than  to  his  studies.  In  1788,  he  was  appointed 
solicitcr  for  the  western  district  of  North  Carolina,  of 
which  Tennessee  was  then  a  part.  This  involved 
many  long  and  tedious  journeys  amid  dangers  of 
every  kind,  but  Andrew  Jackson  never  knew  fear, 
and  the  Indians  had  no  desire  to  repeat  a  skirmish 
with  the  Sharp  Knife. 

In  1791,  Mr.  Jackson  was  married  to  a  woman  who 
supposed  herself  divorced  from  her  former  husband. 
Great  was  the  surprise  of  both  parties,  two  years  later, 
to  find  that  the  conditions  of  the  divorce  had  just  been 
definitely  settled  by  the  first  husband.  The  marriage 
ceremony  was  performed  a  second  time,  but  the  occur- 
rence was  often  used  by  his  enemies  to  bring  Mr. 
Jackson  into  disfavor. 

During  these  years  he  worked  hard  at  his  profes- 
sion, and  frequently  had  one  or  more  duels  on  hand, 
one  of  which,  when  he  killed  Dickenson,  was  espec- 
ially disgraceful. 

In  January,  1796,  the  Territory  of  Tennessee  then 
containing  nearly  eighty  thousand  inhabitant?,  the 
people  met  in  convention  at  Knoxville  to  frame  a  con- 
stitution. Five  were  sent  from  each  of  the  eleven 
counties.  Andrew  Jackson  was  one  of  the  delegates. 
The  new  State  was  entitled  to  but  one  meml.er  in 
the  National  House  of  Representatives.  Andrew  Jack- 
son was  chosen  that  member.  Mounting  his  horse  he 
rode- to  Philadelphia,  where  Congress  then  held  its 


1  '  44 


ANDREW  JACKSON. 


\ 


sessions, — a  distance  of  about  eight  hundred    miles. 

Jackson  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  Deaio- 
cratic  party.  Jefferson  was  his  idol.  He  admired 
Bonaparte,  loved  France  and  hated  England.  As  Mr. 
Jackson  took  his  seat,  Gjn.  Washington,  whose 
second  term  of  office  was  then  expiring,  delivered  his 
last  speech  to  Congress.  A  committee  drew  up  a 
complimentary  address  in  reply.  Andrew  Jackson 
did  not  approve  of  the  address,  and  was  one  of  the 
twelve  who  voted  against  it.  He  was  not  willing  to 
say  that  Gen.  Washington's  adminstration  had  been 
*'  wise,  firm  and  patriotic." 

Mr.  Jackson  was  elected  to  the  United  States 
Senate  in  1797,  but  soon  resigned  and  returned  home. 
Soon  after  he  was  chosen  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  his  State,  which  position  he  held  for  six  years. 

When  the  war  of  1812  with  Great  Biitian  com- 
menced, Madison  occupied  the  Presidential  chair. 
Aaron  Burr  sent  word  to  the  President  that  there  was 
an  unknown  man  in  the  West,  Andrew  Jackson,  who 
would  do  credit  to  a  commission  if  one  were  con- 
ferred upon  him.  Just  at  that  time  Gen.  Jackson 
offered  his  services  and  those  of  twenty-five  hundred 
volunteers.  His  offer  was  accepted,  and  the  troops 
were  assembled  at  Nashville. 

As  the  British  were  hourly  expected  to  make  an  at- 
tack upon  New  Orleans,  where  Gen.  Wilkinson  was 
in  command,  he  was  ordered  to  descend  the  river 
with  fifteen  hundred  troops  to  aid  Wilkinson.  The 
expedition  reached  Natchez;  and  after  a  delay  of  sev- 
eral weeks  there,  without  accomplishing  anything, 
the  men  were  ordered  back  to  their  homes.  But  the 
energy  Gen.  Jackson  had  displayed,  and  his  entire 
devotion  to  the  comrfort  of  his  soldiers,  won  him 
golden  opinions;  and  he  became  the  most  popular 
man  in  the  State.  It  was  in  this  expedition  that  his 
toughness  gave  him  the  nickname  of  "Old  Hickory." 

Soon  after  this,  while  attempting  to  horsewhip  Col. 
Thomas  H.  Benton,  for  a  remark  that  gentleman 
made  about  his  taking  a  part  as  second  in  a  duel,  in 
which  a  younger  brother  of  Benton's  was  engaged, 
he  received  two  severe  pistol  wounds.  While  he  was 
"lingering  upon  a  bed  of  suffering  news  came  that  the 
Indians,  who  had  combined  under  Tecumseh  from 
Florida  to  the  Lakes,  to  exterminate  the  white  set- 
ilers,  were  committing  the  most  awful  ravages.  De- 
cisive action  became  necessary.  Gen.  Jackson,  with 
his  fractured  bone  just  beginning  to  heal,  his  arm  in 
a  sling,  and  unable  to  mount  his  horse  without  assis- 
tance, gave  his  amazing  energies  to  the  raising  of  an 
army  to  rendezvous  at  Fayettesville,  Alabama. 

The  Creek  Indians  had  established  a  strong  fort  on 
one  of  the  bends  of  the  Tallapoosa  River,  near  the  cen- 
ter of  Alabama,  about  fifty  miles  below  Fort  Strother. 
With  an  army  of  two  thousand  men,  Gen.  Jackson 
traversed  the  pathless  wilderness  in  a  march  of  eleven 
days.  He  reached  their  fort,  called  Tohopeka  or 
Horse-shoe,  on  the  27111  of  March.  1814.  The  bend 


of  the  river  enclosed  nearly  one  hundred  acres  of 
tangled  forest  and  wild  ravine.  Across  the  narrow 
neck  the  Indians  had  constructed  a  formidable  breast- 
work of  logs  and  brush.  Here  nine  hundred  warriors, 
with  an  ample  suplyof  arms  were  assembled. 

The  fort  was  stormed.  The  fight  was  utterly  des 
perate.  Not  an  Indian  would  accept  of  quarter.  When 
bleeding  and  dying,  they  would  fight  those  who  en- 
deavored to  spare  their  lives.  From  ten  in  the  morn- 
ing until  dark,  the  battle  raged.  The  carnage  was 
awful  and  revolting.  Some  threw  themselves  into  the 
river;  but  the  unerring  bullet  struck  their  heads  as 
they  swam.  Nearly  everyone  of  the  nine  hundred  war- 
rios  were  killed  A  few  probably,  in  the  night,  swam 
the  river  and  escaped.  This  ended  the  war.  The 
jxawer  of  the  Creeks  was  broken  forever.  This  bold 
plunge  into  the  wilderness,  with  its  terriffic  slaughter, 
so  appalled  the  savages,  that  the  haggard  remnants 
of  the  bands  came  to  the  camp,  begging  for  peace. 

This  closing  of  the  Creek  war  enabled  us  to  con- 
centrate all  our  militia  upon  the  British,  who  were  the 
allies  of  the  Indians  No  man  of  less  resolute  will 
than  Gen.  Jackson  could  have  conducted  this  Indian 
campaign  to  so  successful  an  issue  Immediately  he 
was  appointed  major-general. 

Late  in  August,  with  an  army  of  two  thousand 
men,  on  a  rushing  march,  Gen.  Jackson  came  to 
Mobile.  A  British  fleet  came  from  Pensacola,  landed 
a  force  upon  the  beach,  anchored  near  the  little  fort, 
and  from  both  ship  and  shore  commenced  a  furious 
assault.  The  battle  was  long  and  doubtful.  At  length 
one  of  the  ships  was  blown  up  and  the  rest  retired. 

Garrisoning  Mobile,  where  he  had  taken  his  little 
army,  he  moved  his  troops  to  New  Orleans, 
And  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  which  soon  ensued, 
was  in  reality  a  very  arduous  campaign.  This  won 
for  Gen.  Jackson  an  imperishable  name.  Here  his 
troops,  which  numbered  about  four  thousand  men, 
won  a  signal  victory  over  the  British  army  of  about 
nine  thousand.  His  loss  was  but  thirteen,  while  the 
loss  of  the  British  was  two  thousand  six  hundred. 

The  name  of  Gen.  Jackson  soon  began  to  be  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  Presidency,  but,  in  1824, 
he  was  defeated  by  Mr.  Adams.  He  was,  however, 
successful  in  the  election  of  1828,  and  was  re-elected 
for  a  second  term  in  1832.  In  1829,  just  before  he 
assumed  the  reins  of  the  government,  he  met  with 
the  most  terrible  affliction  of  his  life  in  the  death  of 
his  wife,  whom  he  had  loved  with  a  devotion  which  has 
perhaps  never  been  surpassed.  From  the  shock  of 
her  death  he  never  recovered. 

His  administration  was  one  of  the  most  memorable 
in  the  annals  of  our  country;  applauded  by  one  party, 
condemned  by  the  other.  No  man  had  more  bitter 
enemies  or  warmer  friends.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
two  terms  of  office  he  retired  to  the  Hermitage,  where 
he  died  June  8,  1845.  The  last  years  of  Mr.  Jack- 
son's life  were  that  of  a  devoted  Christian  man. 


,. 


EIGHTH  PRESIDENT. 


4* 

47    ' 


ARTIN  VAN  BUREN,  the 
eighth     President     of     the 
United  States,  was  born  at 
Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  5, 
1782.     He  died  at  the  same 
place,  July   24,    1862.      His 
body  rests  in  the  cemetery 
at  Kinderhook.     Above  it  is 
a  plain  granite   shaft  fifteen  feet 
high,  bearing  a  simple  inscription 
about  half  way  up  on   one    face. 
The  lot  is  unfenced,  unbordered 
or  unbounded  by  shrub  or  flower. 

There  is  but  little  in  the  life  of  Martin  Van  Buren 
of  romantic  interest.  He  fought  no  battles,  engaged 
in  no  wild  adventures.  Though  his  life  was  stormy  in 
political  and  intellectual  conflicts,  and  he  gained  many 
signal  victories,  his  days  passed  uneventful  in  those 
incidents  which  give  zest  to  biography.  His  an- 
cestors, as  his  name  indicates,  were  of  Dutch  origin, 
and  were  among  the  earliest  emigrants  from  Holland 
to  the  banks  of  the  Hudson.  His  father  was  a  farmer, 
residing  in  the  old  town  of  Kinderhook.  His  mother, 
also  of  Dutch  lineage,  was  a  woman  of  superior  intel- 
ligence and  exemplary  piety. 

He  was  decidedly  a  precocious  boy,  developing  un- 
usual activity,  vigor  and  strength  of  mind.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen,  he  had  finished  his  academic  studies 
in  his  native  village,  and  commenced  the  study  of 
law.  As  he  had  not  a  collegiate  education,  seven 
years  of  study  in  a  law-office  were  required  of  him 
before  he  could  be  admitted  to  the  bar.  Inspired  with 
a  lofty  ambition,  and  conscious  of  his  powers,  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  with  indefatigable  industry.  After 
.->;  ending  six  years  in  an  office  in  his  native  village, 


he  went  to  the  city  of  New  York,  and  prosecuted  his 
studies  for  the  seventh  year. 

In  1803,  Mr.  Van  Buren,  then  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  his  native  vil- 
lage. The  great  conflict  between  the  Federal  and 
Republican  party  was  then  at  its  height.  Mr.  Van 
Buren  was  from  the  beginning  a  politician.  He  had, 
perhaps,  imbibed  that  spirit  while  listening  to  the 
many  discussions  which  had  been  carried  on  in  his 
father's  hotel.  He  was  in  cordial  sympathy  with 
Jefferson,  and  earnestly  and  eloquently  espoused  (he 
cause  of  State  Rights ;  though  at  that  time  the  Fed- 
eral party  held  the  supremacy  both  in  his  town 
and  State. 

His  success  and  increasing  ruputation  led  him 
after  six  years  of  practice,  to  remove  to  Hudson,  th.: 
county  seat  of  his  county.  Here  he  spent  seven  years 
constantly  gaining  strength  by  contending  in  the 
courts  with  some  of  the  ablest  men  who  have  adorned 
the  bar  of  his  State. 

Just  before  leaving  Kinderhook  for  Hudson,  Mi. 
Van  Buren  married  a  lady  alike  distinguished  for 
beauty  and  accomplishments.  After  twelve  short 
years  she  sank  into  the  grave,  the  victim  of  consump- 
tion, leaving  her  husband  and  four  sons  to  weep  over 
her  loss.  For  twenty-five  years,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was 
an  earnest,  successful,  assiduous  lawyer.  The  record 
of  those  years  is  barren  in  items  of  public  interest. 
In  1812,  when  thirty  years  of  age,  he  was  chosen  to 
the  State  Senate,  and  gave  his  strenuous  support  to 
Mr.  Madison's  adminstration.  In  1815,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Attorney-General,  and  the  next  year  moved 
to  Albany,  the  capital  of  the  State. 

While  he  was  acknowledged  us  one  of  the  nu.st 
prominent  leaders  of  the  Democratic  party,  he  I.d 


MARTIN  VAN  BUREN. 


the  moral  courage  to  avow  that  true  democracy  did 
not  require  that  " universal  suffrage"  which  admits 
the  vile,  the  degraded,  the  ignorant,  to  the  right  of 
governing  the  State.  In  true  consistency  with  his 
democratic  principles,  he  contended  that,  while  the 
path  leading  to  the  privilege  of  voting  should  be  open 
to  every  man  without  distinction,  no  one  should  be 
invested  with  that  sacred  prerogative,  unless  he  were 
in  some  degree  qualified  for  it  by  intelligence,  virtue 
and  some  property  interests  in  the  welfare  of  the 
State. 

In  1821  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate;  and  in  the  same  year,  he  took  a  seat 
in  the  convention  to  revise  the  constitution  of  his 
native  State.  His  course  in  this  convention  secured 
the  approval  of  men  of  all  parties.  No  one  could 
doubt  the  singleness  of  his  endeavors  to  promote  the 
interests  of  all  classes  in  the  community.  In  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States,  he  rose  at  once  to  a 
conspicuous  position  as  an  active  and  useful  legislator. 

In  1827,  John  Quincy  Adams  being  then  in  the 
Presidential  chair,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  re-elected  to 
the  Senate.  He  had  been  from  the  beginning  a  de- 
termined opposer  of  the  Administration,  adopting  the 
"State  Rights"  view  in  opposition  to  what  was 
deemed  the  Federal  proclivities  of  Mr.  Adams. 

Soon  after  this,  in  1828,  he  was  chosen  Governorof 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  accordingly  resigned  his 
seat  in  the  Senate.  Probably  no  one  in  the  United^ 
States  contributed  so  much  towards  ejecting  John  Q. 
Adams  from  the  Presidential  chair,  and  placing  in  it 
Andrew  Jackson,  as  did  Martin  Van  Buren.  Whether 
entitled  to  the  reputation  or  not,  he  certainly  was  re- 
garded throughout  the  United  States  as  one  of,  the 
most  skillful,  sagacious  and  cunning  of  politicians. 
It  was  supposed  that  no  one  knew  so  well  as  he  how 
to  touch  the  secret  spiings  of  action;  how  to  pull  all 
the  wires  to  put  his  machinery  in  motion ;  and  how  to 
organize  a  political  army  which  would,  secretly  and 
stealthily  accomplish  the  most  gigantic  results.  By 
these  powers  it  is  said  that  he  outwitted  Mr.  Adams, 
Mr.  Clay,  Mr.  Webster,  and  secured  results  which 
lew  thought  then  could  be  accomplished. 

When  Andrew  Jackson  was  elected  President  he 
appointed  Mr.  Van  Buren  Secretary  of  State.  This 
position  he  resigned  in  1831,  and  was  immediately 
appointed  Minister  to  England,  where  he  went  the 
same  autumn.  The  Senate,  however,  when  it  met, 
refused  to  ratify  the  nomination,  and  he  leturned 


home,  apparently  untroubled ;  was  nominated  Vice 
President  in  the  place  of  Calhoun,  at  the  re-election 
of  President  Jackson ;  and  with  smiles  for  all  and 
frowns  for  none,  he  took  his  place  at.  the  head  of  that 
Senate  which  had  refused  to  confirm  his  nomination 
as  ambassador. 

His  rejection  by  the  Senate  roused  all  the  zeal  of 
President  Jackson  in  behalf  of  his  repudiated  favor- 
ite; and  this,  probably  more  than  any  other  cause, 
secured  his  elevation  to  the  chair  of  the  Chief  Execu- 
tive. On  the  2oth  of  May,  1836,  Mr.  Van  Buren  re- 
ceived the  Democratic  nomination  to  succeed  Gen. 
Jackson  as  President  of  the  United  States.  He  was 
elected  by  a  handsome  majority,  to  the  delight  of  the 
retiring  President.  "  Leaving  New  York  out  of  the 
canvass,"  says  Mr.  Parton,  "the  election  of  Mr.  Van 
Buren  to  the  Presidency  was  as  much  the  act  of  Gen. 
Jackson  as  though  the  Constitution  had  conferred 
upon  him  the  power  to  appoint  a  successor." 

His  administration  was  filled  with  exciting  events. 
The  insurrection  in  Canada,  which  threatened  to  in 
volve  this  country  in  war  witli  England,  the  agitation 
of  the  slavery  question,  and  finally  the  great  commer- 
cial panic  which  spread  over  the  country,  all  were 
trials  to  his  wisdom.  The  financial  distress  was  at- 
tributed to  the  management  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  brought  the  President  into  such  disfavor  that  he 
failed  of  re-election. 

With  the  exception  of  being  nominated  for  the 
Presidency  by  the  "Free  Soil"  Democrats,  in  1848, 
Mr.  Van  Buren  lived  quietly  upon  his  estate  until 
his  death. 

He  had  ever  been  a  prudent  man,  of  frugal  habits, 
and  living  within  his  income,  had  now  fortunately  a 
competence  for  his  declining  years.  His  unblemished 
character,  his  commanding  abilities,  his  unquestioned 
patriotism,  and  the  distinguished  positions  which  he 
had  occupied  in  the  government  of  our  country,  se- 
cured to  him  not  only  the  homage  of  his  party,  but 
the  respect  ot  the  whole  community.  It  was  on  the 
4th  of  March,  1841,  that  Mr.  Van  Buren  retired  from 
the  presidency.  From  his  fine  estate  at  Lindenwald) 
he  still  exerted  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  politics 
of  the  country.  From  this  time  until  his  death,  on 
the  24th  of  July,  1862,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  he 
resided  at  Lindenwald,  a  gentleman  of  leisure,  of 
culture  and  of  wealth;  enjoying  in  a  healthy  old 
age,  probably  far  more  happiness  than  he  had  before 
experienced  amid  the  stormy  scenes  of  his  active  life. 


NINTH  PRESIDENT. 


ILLIAM  HENRY  HARRI- 
SON, the  ninth   President  of 
the   United  States,  was  born 
at  Berkeley,  Va.,  Feb.  9, 1773. 
His  father,   Benjamin   Harri- 
son, was  in  comparatively  op- 
ulent circumstances,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  of  his  day.      He  was  an 
intimate    friend    of     George 
Washington,  w  as  early  elected 
a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress,    and  was    conspicuous 
among  the  patriots  of  Virginia  in 
resisting  the  encroachments  of  the 
British  crown.     In  the  celebrated 
Congress  of  1775,  Benjamin  Har- 
rison   and   John    Hancock   were 
both  candidates  for  the  office  of 
speaker. 

Mr  Harrison  was  subsequently 
chosen  Governor  of  Virginia,  and 
was  twice   re-elected.      His  son, 
i  William  Henry,  of  course  enjoyed 

in  childhood  all  the  advantages  which  wealth  and 
intellectual  and  cultivated  society  could  give.  Hav- 
ing received  a  thorough  common-school  education,  he 
entered  Hampden  Sidney  College,  where  he  graduated 
with  honor  soon  after  the  death  of  his  father.  He 
then  repaired  to  Philadelphia  to  study  medicine  under 
the  instructions  of  Dr.  Rush  and  the  guardianship  of 
Robert  Morris,  both  of  whom  were,  with  his  father, 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Indian  troubles,  and  not- 
withstanding the  remonstrances  of  his  friends,  he 
abandoned  his  medical  studies  and  entered  the  army, 
having  obtained  a  commission  of  Ensign  from  Presi- 


dent  Washington.  He  was  then  but  19  years  old. 
From  that  time  he  passed  gradually  upward  in  rank 
until  he  became  aid  to  General  Wayne,  after  whose 
death  he  resigned  his  commission.  He  was  then  ap- 
pointed Secretary  of  the  North-western  Territory.  This 
Territory  was  then  entitled  to  but  one  member  in 
Congress  and  Capt.  Harrison  was  chosen  to  fill  that 
position. 

In  the  spring  of  1800  the  North-western  Territory 
was  divided  by  Congress  into  two  portions.  The 
eastern  portion,  comprising  the  region  now  embraced 
in  the  State  of  Ohio,  was  called  ''  The  Territory 
north-west  of  the  Ohio."  The  western  portion,  which 
included  what  is  now  called  Indiana,  Illinois  and 
Wisconsin,  was  called  the  "Indiana  Territory."  Wil- 
liam Henry  Harrison,  then  27  years  of  age,  was  ap- 
pointed by  John  Adams,  Governor  of  the  Indiana 
Territory,  and  immediately  after,  also  Governor  of 
Upper  Louisiana.  He  was  thus  ruler  over  almost  as 
extensive  a  realm  as  any  sovereign  upon  the  globe.  He 
was  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  and  was  in- 
vested with  powers  nearly  dictatorial  over  the  now 
rapidly  increasing  white  population.  The  ability  and 
fidelity  with  which  he  discharged  these  responsible 
duties  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  was  four 
times  appointed  to  this  office — first  by  John  Adams, 
twice  by  Thomas  Jefferson  and  afterwards  by  Presi- 
dent Madison. 

When  he  began  his  adminstration  there  were  but 
three  white  settlementsin  that  almost  boundless  region, 
now  crowded  with  cities  and  resounding  with  all  the 
tumult  of  wealth  and  traffic.  One  of  these  settlements 
was  on  the  Ohio,  nearly  opposite  Louisville;  one  at 
Vincennes,  on  the  Wabash,  and  the  third  a  French 
settlement. 

The  vast  wilderness  over  which  Gov.  Harrison 
reigned  was  filled  with  many  tribes  of  Indians.  About 


S2 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON. 


the  year  1806,  two  extraordinary  men,  twin  brothers, 
of  the  Shawnese  tribe,  rose  among  them.  One  of 
these  was  called  Tecumseh,  or  "  The  Crouching 
1'anther;"  the  other,  Olliwacheca,  or  "The  Prophet." 
Tecumseh  was  not  only  an  Indian  warrior,  but  a  man 
of  great  sagacity,  far-reaching  foresight  and  indomit- 
able perseverance  in  any  enterprise  in  which  he  might 
engage.  He  was  inspired  with  the  highest  enthusiasm, 
and  had  long  regarded  with  dread  and  with  hatred 
the  encroachment  of  the  whites  upon  the  hunting- 
grounds  of  his  fathers.  His  brother,  the  Prophet,  was 
anorator,  who  could  sway  the  feelings  of  the  untutored 
Indian  as  tha  gale  tossed  the  tree -tops  beneath  which 
they  dwelt. 

But  the  Prophet  was  not  merely  an  orator :  he  was, 
in  the  superstitious  minds  of  the  Indians,  invested 
with  the  superhuman  dignity  of  a  medicine-man  or  a 
magician.  With  an  enthusiasm  unsurpassed  by  Peter 
the  Hermit  rousing  Europe  to  the  crusades,  he  went 
from  tribe  to  tribe,  assuming  that  he  was  specially  sent 
by  the  Great  Spirit. 

Gov.  Harrison  made  many  attempts  to  conciliate 
the  Indians,  but  at  last  the  war  came,  and  at  Tippe- 
canoe  the  Indians  were  routed  with  great  slaughter. 
October  28,  1812,  his  army  began  its  march.  When 
near  the  Prophet's  town  three  Indians  of  rank  made 
their  appearance  and  inquired  why  Gov.  HarrUon  was 
approaching  them  in  so  hostile  an  attitude.  After  a 
short  conference,  arrangements  were  made  for  a  meet- 
ing the  next  day,  to  agree  upon  terms  of  peace. 

But  Gov.  Harrison  was  too  well  acquainted  with 
the  Indian  character  to  be  deceived  by  such  protes- 
tations. Selecting  a  favorable  spot  for  his  night's  en- 
campment, he  took  every  precaution  against  surprise. 
His  troops  were  posted  in  a  hollow  square,  and  slept 
upon  their  arms. 

The  troops  threw  themselves  upon  the  ground  for 
rest;  but  every  man  had  his  accoutrements  on,  his 
loaded  musket  by  his  side, and  his  bayonet  fixed.  The 
wakeful  Governor,  between  three  and  four  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  had  risen,  and  was  sitting  in  conversa- 
tion with  his  aids  by  the  embers  of  a  waning  fire.  It 
was  a  chill,  cloudy  morning  with  a  drizzling  rain.  In 
the  darkness,  the  Indians  had  crept  as  near  as  possi- 
ble, and  just  then,  with  a  savage  yell,  rushed,  with  all 
the  desperation  which  superstition  and  passion  most 
highly  inflamed  could  give,  upon  the  left  flank  of  the 
little  army.  The  savages  had  been  amply  provided 
with  guns  and  ammunition  by  the  English.  Their 
war-whoop  was  accompanied  by  a  shower  of  bullets. 

The  camp-fires  were  instantly  extinguished,  as  the 
light  aided  the  Indians  in  their  aim.  With  hide- 
His  yells,  the  Indian  bands  rushed  on,  not  doubting  a 
speedy  and  an  entire  victory.  But  Gen.  Harrison's 
Iroops  stood  as  immovable  as  the  rocks  around  them 
11  -it.il  day  dawned :  they  then  made  a  simultaneous 
charge  with  the  bayonet,  and  swept  every  thing  be- 
fore them,  and  completely  routing  tlif  foe. 


Gov.  Harrison  now  had  all  his  energies  tasked 
to  the  utmost.  The  British  descending  from  the  Can- 
adas,  were  of  themselves  a  very  formidable  force  ;  but 
with  their  savage  allies,  rushing  like  wolves  from  the 
forest,  searching  out  every  remote  farm-house,  burn- 
ing, plundering,  scalping,  torturing,  the  wide  frontier 
was'  plunged  into  a  state  of  consternation  which  even 
the  most  vivid  imagination  can  but  faintly  conceive. 
The  war-whoop  was  resounding  everywhere  in  the 
forest.  The  horizon  was  illuminated  with  the  conflagra- 
tion of  the  cabins  of  the  settlers.  Gen  Hull  had  made 
the  ignominious  surrender  of  his  forces  at  Detroit. 
Under  these  despairing  circumstances,  Gov.  Harrison 
was  appointed  by  President  Madison  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  North-western  army,  with  orders  to  retake 
Detroit,  and  to  protect  the  frontiers. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  place  a  man  in  a  situation 
demanding  more  energy,  sagacity  and  courage;  but 
General  Harrison  was  found  equal  to  the  position, 
and  nobly  and  triumphantly  did  he  meet  all  the  re 
sponsibilities. 

He  won  the  love  of  his  soldiers  by  always  sharing 
with  them  their  fatigue.  His  whole  baggage,  while 
pursuing  the  foe  up  the  Thames,  was  carried  in  a 
valise;  and  his  bedding  consisted  of  a  single  blanket 
lashed  over  his  saddle  Thirty-five  British  officers, 
his  prisoners  of  war,  supped  with  him  after  the  battle. 
The  only  fare  he  could  give  them  was  beef  roasted 
before  the  fire,  without  bread  or  salt. 

In  1816,  Gen.  Harrison  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  National  House  of  Representatives,  to  represent 
the  District  of  Ohio.  In  Congress  he  proved  an 
active  member;  and  whenever  he  spoke,  it  was  with 
force  of  reason  and  power  of  eloquence,  which  arrested 
the  attention  of  all  the  members. 

In  1819,  Harrison  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of 
Ohio;  and  in  1824,  as  one  of  the  presidential  electors 
of  that  State,  he  gave  his  vote  for  Henry  Clay.  The 
same  year  he  was  chosen  to  the  United  States  Senate. 

In  1836,  the  friends  of  Gen.  Harrison  brought  him 
forward  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  against 
Van  Buren,  but  he  was  defeated.  At  the  close  of 
Mr.  Van  Buren's  term,  he  was  re -nominated  by  his 
party,  and  Mr.  Harrison  was  unanimously  nominated 
by  the  Whigs,  with  John  Tyler  forthe  Vice  Presidency. 
The  contest  was  very  animated.  Gen  Jackson  gave 
all  his  influence  to  prevent  Harrison's  election  ;  but 
his  triumph  was  signal. 

The  cabinet  which  he  formed,  with  Daniel  Webster 
at  its  head  as  Secretary  of  State,  was  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  with  which  any  President  had  ever  been 
surrounded.  Never  were  the  prospects  of  an  admin- 
istration more  flattering,  or  the  hopes  of  the  country 
more  sanguine.  In  the  midst  of  these  bright  and 
joyous  prospects,  Gen.  Harrison  was  seized  by  a 
pleurisy-fever  and  after  a  few  days  of  violent  sick- 
ness, died  on  the  4th  of  April ;  just  one  month  after 
his  inauguration  as  President  of  the  United  States. 


TENTH  PRESIDENT. 


55 


OHN    TYLER,     the    tenth 
Presidentof  the  United  States. 
He  was  born  in  Charles-city 
Co.,  Va.,  March  29, 1790.  He 
was  the  favored  child   of  af- 
fluence and  high   social    po- 
sition.    At  the   early  age   of 
twelve,  John  entered  William 
and   Mary  College  and  grad- 
uated with  much  honor  when 
but  seventeen  years  old.  After 
graduating,  he  devoted  him- 
self with    great   assiduity  to   the 
study    of    law,    partly   with    his 
father   and   partly  with   Edmund 
Randolph,  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished lawyers  of  Virginia. 

At  nineteen  years  of  age,  lie 
commenced  the  practice  of  law. 
His  success  was  rapid  and  aston- 
ishing. It  is  said  that  three 
months  had  not  elapsed  ere  there 
was  scarcely  a  case  on  the  dock- 
i  et  of  the  court  in  which  he  was 
not  retained.  When  but  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he 
was  almost  unanimously  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  State 
Legislature.  He  connected  himself  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  warmly  advocated  the  measures  of 
Jefferson  and  Madison.  For  five  successive  years  he 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  receiving  nearly  the 
unanimous  vote  or  his  county. 

When  but  twenty-six  years  of  age,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  Congress.  Here  be  acted  earnestly  and 
ably  with  the  Democratic  party,  opposing  a  national 
bank,  internal  improvements  by  the  General  Govern- 


ment,  a  protective  tariff,  and  advocating  a  strict  con- 
struction of  the  Constitution,  and  the  most  careful 
vigilance  over  State  rights.  His  labors  in  Congress 
were  so  arduous  that  before  the  close  of  his  second 
term  lu  found  it  necessary  to  resign  and  retire  to  his 
estate  in  Charles-city  Co.,  to  recruit  his  health.  He, 
however,  soon  after  consented  to  take  his  seat  in  the 
State  Legislature,  where  his  influence  was  powerful 
in  promoting  public  works  of  great  utility.  With  a 
reputation  thus  canstantly  increasing,  he  was  chosen 
by  a  very  large  majority  of  votes,  Governor  of  his 
native  State.  His  administration  was  signally  a  suc- 
cessful one.  His  popularity  secured  his  re-election. 

John  Randolph,  a  brilliant,  erratic,  half-crazed 
man,  then  represented  Virginia  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States.  A  portion  of  the  Democratic  party 
was  displeased  with  Mr.  Randolph's  wayward  course, 
and  brought  forward  John  Tyler  as  his  opponent, 
considering  him  the  only  man  in  Virginia  of  sufficient 
popularity  to  succeed  against  the  renowned  orator  of 
Roanoke.  Mr.  Tyler  was  the  victor. 

In  acccrdance  with  his  professions,  upon  taking  his 
seat  in  the  Senate,  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  opposi- 
tion. He  opposed  the  tariff;  he  spoke  against  and 
voted  against  the  bank  as  unconstitutional ;  he  stren- 
uously opposed  all  restrictions  upon  slavery,  resist- 
ing all  projects  of  internal  improvements  by  the  Gen- 
eral Government,  and  avowed  his  sympathy  with  Mr. 
Calhoun's  view  of  nullification  ;  he  declared  that  Gen. 
Jackson,  by  his  opposition  to  the  nullifiers,  had 
abandoned  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 
Such  was  Mr.  Tyler's  record  in  Congress, — a  record 
in  perfect  accordance  with  the  principles  which  he 
had  always  avowed. 

Returning  to  Virginia,  he  resumed  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  There  was  a  rplit  in  the  Democratic: 


JOHN  TYLER. 


party.  His  friends  still  regarded  him  as  a  true  Jef- 
fersonian,  gave  him  a  dinner,  and  showered  compli- 
ments upon  him.  He  had  now  attained  the  age  of 
forty-six.  His  career  had  been  very  brilliant.  In  con- 
sequence of  his  devotion  to  public  business,  his  pri- 
vate affairs  had  fallen  into  some  disorder;  and  it  was 
not  without  satisfaction  that  he  resumed  the  practice 
of  law,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  culture  of  his  plan- 
tation. Soon  after  this  he  remo\ed  to  Williamsburg, 
for  the  better  education  of  his  children  ;  and  he  again 
took  his  seat  in  the  Legislature  of  Virginia. 

By  the  Southern  Whigs,  he  was  sent  to  the  national 
convention  at  Harrisburg  to  nominate  a  President  in 
1839.  The  majority  of  votes  were  given  to  Gen.  Har- 
rison, a  genuine  Whig,  much  to  the  disappointment  of 
the  South,  who  wished  for  Henry  Clay.  To  concili- 
ate the  Southern  Whigs  and  to  secure  their  vote,  the 
convention  then  nominated  John  Tyler  for  Vice  Pres- 
ident. It  was  well  known  that  he  was  not  in  sympa- 
thy with  the  Whig  party  in  the  No:th:  but  the  Vice 
President  has  but  very  little  power  in  the  Govern- 
ment, his  main  and  almost  only  duty  being  to  pre- 
side over  the  meetings  of  the  Senate.  Thus  it  hap- 
pened that  a  Whig  President,  and,  in  reality,  a 
Democratic  Vice  President  were  chosen. 

In  1841,  Mr.  Tyler  was  inaugurated  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  In  one  short  month  from 
that  time,  President  Harrison  died,  and  Mr.  Tyler 
thus  found  himself,  to  his  own  surprise  and  that  of 
the  whole  Nation,  an  occupant  of  the  Presidential 
chair.  This  was  a  new  test  of  the  stability  of  our 
institutions,  as  it  was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  our 
country  that  such  an  event  had  occured.  Mr.  Tyler 
was  at  home  in  Williamsburg  when  he  received  the 
unexpected  tidings  of  the  death  of  President  Harri- 
son. He  hastened  to  Washington,  and  on  the  6th  of 
April  was  inaugurated  to  the  high  and  responsible 
office.  He  was  placed  in  a  position  of  exceeding 
delicacy  and  difficulty.  All  his  longlife  he  had  been 
opposed  tc  the  main  principles  of  the  party  which  had 
brought  him  into  power.  He  had  ever  been  a  con- 
sistent, honest  man,  with  an  unblemished  record. 
Gen.  Harrison  had  selected  a  Whig  cabinet.  Should 
he  retain  them,  and  thus  surround  himself  with  coun- 
sellors whose  views  were  antagonistic  to  his  own?  or, 
on  the  other  hand,  should  he  turn  against  the  party 
which  had  elected  him  and  select  a  cabinet  in  har- 
mony with  himself,  and  which  would  oppose  all  those 
views  which  the  Whigs  deemed  essential  to  the  pub- 
lic welfare?  This  was  his  fearful  dilemma.  He  in- 
vited the  cabinet  which  President  Harrison  had 
selected  to  retain  their  seats.  He  reccommcnded  a 
day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  that  God  would  guide  and 
bless  us. 

The  Whigs  carried  through  Congress  a  bill  for  the 
incor|x>ration  of  a  fiscal  bank  of  the  United  States. 
The  President,  after  ten  days' delay,  returned  it  with 
his  veto.  He  sueeested,  however,  that  he  would 


approve  of  a  bill  drawn  up  upon  such  a  plan  as  he 
proposed.  Such  a  bill  was  accordingly  prepared,  and 
privately  submitted  to  him.  He  gave  it  his  approval. 
It  was  passed  without  alteration,  and  he  sent  it  back 
with  his  veto.  Here  commenced  the  open  rupture. 
It  is  said  that  Mr.  Tyler  was  provoked  to  this  meas- 
ure by  a  published  letter  from  the  Hon.  John  M. 
Botts,  a  distinguished  Virginia  Whig,  who  severely 
touched  the  pride  of  the  President. 

The  opposition  now  exultingly  received  the  Presi- 
dent into  their  arms.  The  party  which  elected  him 
denounced  him  bitterly.  All  the  members  of  his 
cabinet,  excepting  Mr.  Webster,  resigned.  The  Whigs 
of  Congress,  both  the  Senate  and  the  House,  held  a 
meeting  and  issued  an  address  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  proclaiming  that  all  political  alliance 
between  the  Whigs  and  President  Tyler  were  at 
an  end. 

Still  the  President  attempted  to  conciliate.  He 
appointed  a  new  cabinet  of  distinguished  Whigs  and 
Conservatives,  carefully  leaving  out  all  strong  party 
men.  Mr.  Webster  soon  found  it  necessary  to  resign, 
forced  out  by  the  pressure  of  his  Whig  friends.  Thus 
the  four  years  of  Mr.  Tyler's  unfortunate  administra- 
tion passed  sadly  away.  No  one  was  satisfied.  The 
land  was  filled  with  murmurs  and  vituperation.  Whigs 
and  Democrats  alike  assailed  him.  More  and  more, 
however,  he  brought  himself  into  sympathy  with  his 
old  friends,  the  Democrats,  until  at  the  close  of  his  term, 
he  gave  his  whole  influence  to  the  support  of  Mr. 
Polk,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  his  successor. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1845,  he  retired  from  the 
harassments  of  office,  tothe  regret  of  neither  party,  and 
probably  to  his  own  unspeakable  telief.  His  first  wife, 
Miss  Letitia  Christian,  died  in  Washington,  in  1842; 
and  in  June,  1844,  President  Tyler  was  again  married, 
at  New  York,  to  Miss  Julia  Gardiner,  a  young  lady  of 
many  personal  and  intellectual  accomplishments. 

The  remainder  of  his  days  Mr.  Tyler  passed  mainly 
in  retirement  at  his  beautiful  home, — Sherwood  For- 
est, Charles  city  Co.,  Va.  A  polished  gentleman  in 
his  manners,  richly  furnished  with  information  from 
books  and  experience  in  the  world,  and  possessing 
brilliant  powers  of  conversation,  his  family  circle  was 
the  scene  of  unusual  attractions.  With  sufficient 
means  for  the  exercise  of  a  generous  hospitality,  he 
might  have  enjoyed  a  serene  old  age  with  the  few 
friends  who  gathered  around  him,  were  it  not  for  the 
storms  of  civil  war  which  his  own  principles  and 
policy  had  helped  to  introduce. 

When  the  great  Rebellion  rose,  which  the  State- 
rights  and  nullifying  doctrines  of  Mr.  John  C.  Cal- 
houn  had  inaugurated,  President  Tyler  renounced  his 
allegiance  to  the  United  States,  and  joined  the  Confed- 
erates. He  was  chosen  a  member  of  their  Congress; 
and  while  engaged  in  active  measures  1o  destroy,  by 
force  of  arms,  the  Government  over  which  he  had 
once  presided,  he  was  taken  sick  and  soon  died. 


ELEVENTH  PRESIDENT. 


59 


AMES  K.  POLK,  the  eleventh 
President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  in  Mecklenburg  Co., 
N.  C.,  Nov.  2,  1795.     His  par- 
ents were   Samuel   and    Jane 
(Knox)  Polk,  the  former  a  son 
of  Col.  Thomas  Polk,  who  located 
at  the  above  place,  as  one  of  the 
first  pioneers,  in  1735. 

In  the  year  1806,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  and  soon  after  fol- 
lowed by  most  of  the  members  of 
the  Polk  farnly,  Samuel  Polk  emi- 
grated some  two  or  three  hundred 
miles  farther  west,  to  the  rich  valley 
of  the  Duck  River.  Here  in  the 
midst  of  the  wilderness,  in  a  region 
which  was  subsequently  called  Mau- 
ry  Co.,  they  reared  their  log  huts, 
and  established  their  homes.  In  the 
hard  toil  of  a  new  farm  in  the  wil- 
derness, James  K.  Polk  spent  the 
early  years  of  his  childhood  and 
youth.  His  father,  adding  the  pur- 
suit of  a  surveyor  to  that  of  a  farmer, 
gradually  increased  in  wealth  until 
he  became  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  region.  His 
mother  was  a  superior  woman,  of  strong  common 
sense  and  earnest  piety. 

Very  early  in  life,  James  developed  a  taste  for 
reading  and  expressed  the  strongest  desire  to  obtain 
a  liberal  education.  His  mother's  training  had  made 
him  methodical  in  his  habits,  had  taught  him  punct- 
uality and  industry,  and  had  inspired  him  with  lofty 
principles  of  morality.  His  health  was  frail ;  and  his 
father,  fearing  that  he  might  not  be  able  to  endure  a 

4*  


sedentary  life,  got  a  situation  for  him  behind  the 
counter,  hoping  to  fit  him  for  commercial  pursuits. 

This  was  to  James  a  bitter  disappointment.  He 
had  no  taste  for  these  duties,  and  his  daily  tasks 
were  irksome  in  the  extreme.  He  remained  in  this 
uncongenial  occupation  but  a  few  weeks,  when  at  his 
earnest  solicitation  his  father  removed  him,  and  made 
arrangements  for  him  to  prosecute  his  studies.  Soon 
after  he  sent  him  to  Murfreesboro  Academy.  With 
ardor  which  could  scarcely  be  surpassed,  he  pressed 
forward  in  his  studies,  and  in  less  than  two  and  a  half 
years,  in  the  autumn  of  1815,  entered  the  sophomore 
class  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  at  Chapel 
Hill.  Here  he  was  one  of  the  most  exemplary  of 
scholars,  punctual  in  every  exercise,  never  allowing 
himself  to  be  absent  from  a  recitation  or  a  religious 
service. 

He  graduated  in  1818,  with  the  highest  honors,  be- 
ing deemed  the  best  scholar  of  his  class,  both  in 
mathematics  and  the  classics.  He  was  then  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  Mr.  Folk's  health  was  at  this 
time  much  impaired  by  the  assiduity  with  which  he 
had  prosecuted  his  studies.  After  a  short  season  of 
relaxation  he  went  to  Nashville,  and  entered  the 
office  of  Felix  Grundy,  to  study  law.  Here  Mr.  Polk 
renewed  his  acquaintance  with  Andrew  Jackson,  who 
resided  on  his  plantation,  the  Hermitage,  but  a  few 
miles  from  Nashville.  They  had  probably  been 
slightly  acquainted  before. 

Mr.  Folk's  father  was  a  Jeffersonian  Republican, 
and  James  K.  Polk  ever  adhered  to  the  same  politi- 
cal faith.  He  was  a  popular  public  speaker,  and  was 
constantly  called  upon  to  address  the  meetings  of  his 
party  friends.  His  skill  as  a  speaker  was  such  that 
he  was  popularly  called  the  Napoleon  of  the  stump. 
He  was  a  man  of  unblemished  morals,  genial  and 


JAMES  K.  POLK. 


:ourteous  in  his  bearing,  and  with  that  sympathetic 
p.ature  in  the  jo)  s  and  griefs  of  others  which  ever  gave 
him  troops  of  friends.  In  1823,  Mr.  Polk  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee.  Here  he  gave  his 
strong  influence  towards  the  election  of  his  friend, 
Mr.  Jacksoti,  to  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States. 

In  January,  1824,  Mr.  Polk  married  Miss  Sarah 
Childress,  of  Rutherford  Co.,  Tenn.  His  bride  was 
altogether  worthy  of  him, — a  lady  of  beauty  and  cul- 
ture. In  the  fall  of  1825,  Mr.  Polk  was  chosen  a 
member  of  Congress.  The  satisfaction  which  he  gave 
to  his  constituents  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact,  that 
for  fourteen  successive  years,  until  1 839,  he  was  con- 
tinued in  that  office.  He  then  voluntarily  withdrew, 
o:ily  that  he  might  accept  the  Gubernatorial  chair 
of  Tennessee.  In  Congress  he  was  a  laborious 
member,  a  frequent  and  a  popular  speaker.  He  was 
always  in  his  seat,  always  courteous;  and  whenever 
he  s|»ke  it  was  always  to  the  point,  and  without  any 
ambitious  rhetorical  display. 

During  five  sessions  of  Congress,  Mr.  Polk  was 
Speaker  of  the  House  Strong  passions  were  roused, 
and  stormy  scenes  were  witnessed  ;  but  Mr.  Polk  per- 
formed his  arduous  duties  to  a  very  general  satisfac- 
tion, and  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  to  him  was 
passed  by  the  House  as  he  withdrew  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1839. 

In  accordance  with  Southern  usage,  Mr.  Polk,  as  a 
candidate  for  Governor,  canvassed  the  State.  He  was 
elected  by  a  large  majority,  and  on  the  1 4th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1839,  look  the  oath  of  office  at  Nashville.  In  1841, 
his  term  of  office  expired,  and  he  was  again  the  can- 
didate of  the  Democratic  party,  but  was  defeated. 

On  the  4th of  March,  1845,  Mr.  Polk  was  inaugur- 
ated President  of  the  United  States.  The  verdict  of 
the  country  in  favor  of  the  annexation  of  Texas,  exerted 
us  influence  upon  Congress  ;  and  the  last  act  of  the 
administration  of  President  Tyler  was  to  affix  his  sig- 
njture  to  a  joint  resolution  of  Congress,  passed  on  the 
3d  of  March,  approving  of  the  annexation  of  Texas  to 
the  American  Union.  As  Mexico  still  claimed  Texas 
as  one  of  her  provinces,  the  Mexican  minister, 
Almonte,  immediately  demanded  his  passports  and 
left  the  country,  declaring  the  act  of  the  annexation 
to  be  an  act  hostile  to  Mexico. 

I.i  his  first  message,  President  Polk  urged  that 
Texas  should  immediately,  by  act  of  Congress,  be  re- 
ceived into  the  Union  on  the  same  footing  with  the 
'  other  States.  In  the  meantime,  Gen.  Taylor  was  sent 


with  an  army  into  Texas  to  hold  the  country.  He  was 
sent  first  to  Nueces,  which  the  Mexicans  said  was  the 
western  boundary  of  Texas.  Then  he  was  sent  nearly 
two  hundred  miles  further  west,  to  the  Rio  Grande, 
where  he  erected  batteries  which  commanded  the 
Mexican  city  of  Matamoras,  which  was  situated  on 
the  western  banks. 

The  anticipated  collision  soon  took  place,  and  war 
was  declared  against  Mexico  by  President  Polk.  The 
war  was  pushed  forward  by  Mr.  Folk's  administration 
with  great  vigor.  Gen.  Taylor,  whose  army  was  first 
called  one  of  "observation,"  then  of  "occupation," 
then  of  "  invasion,"was  sent  forward  to  Monterey.  The 
feeble  Mexicans,  in  every  encounter,  were  hopelessly 
and  awfully  slaughtered.  The  day  of  judgement 
alone  can  reveal  the  misery  which  this  war  caused. 
It  was  by  the  ingenuity  of  Mr.  Polk's  administration 
that  the  war  was  brought  on. 

'To  the  victors  belong  the  spoils."  Mexico  was 
prostrate  before  us.  Her  capital  was  in  our  hands. 
We  now  consented  to  peace  upon  the  condition  that 
Mexico  should  surrender  to  us,  in  addition  to  Texas, 
all  of  New  Mexico,  and  all  of  Upper  and  Lower  Cal- 
ifornia. This  new  demand  embraced,  exclusive  of 
Texas,  eight  hundred  thousand  square  miles.  This 
was  an  extent  of  territory  equal  to  nine  States  of  the 
size  of  New  York.  Thus  slavery  was  securing  eighteen 
majestic  States  to  be  added  to  the  Union.  There  were 
some  Americans  who  thought  it  all  right :  there  were 
others  who  thought  it  all  wrong.  In  the  prosecution 
of  this  war,  we  expended  twenty  thousand  lives  and 
more  than  a  hundred  million  of  dollars.  Of  this 
money  fifteen  millions  were  paid  to  Mexico. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  1849,  Mr.  Polk  retired  from 
office,  having  served  one  term.  The  next  day  was 
Sunday.  On  the  5th,  Gen.  Taylor  was  inaugurated 
as  his  successor.  Mr.  Polk  rode  to  the  Capitol  in  the 
same  carriage  with  Gen.  Taylor;  and  the  same  even- 
ing, with  Mrs.  Polk,  he  commenced  his  return  to 
Tennessee.  He  was  then  but  fifty-four  years  of  age. 
He  had  ever  been  strictly  temperate  in  all  his  habits, 
and  his  health  was  good  With  an  ample  fortune, 
a  choice  library,  a  cultivated  mind,  and  domestic  ties 
of  the  dearest  nature,  it  seemed  as  though  long  years 
of  tranquility  and  happiness  were  before  him.  But  the 
cholera — that  fearful  scourge— was  then  sweeping  up 
the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  This  he  contracted, 
and  died  on  the  151)1  of  June,  1849,111  the  fifty-fourth 
year  of  his  age,  greatly  mourned  by  his  countrymen. 


TWELFTH  PRESIDENT. 


ACHARY  TAYLOR,  twelfth 
President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  on  the  241)1  of  Nov., 
1784,  in  Orange  Co.,  Va.  His 
father,  Colonel  Taylor,  was 
a  Virginian  of  note,  and  a  dis- 
tinguished  patriot  and  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  When  Zachary 
was  an  infant,  his  father  with  his 
wife  and  two  children,  emigrated 
to  Kentucky,  where  he  settled  in 
the  pathless  wilderness,  a  few 
miles  from  Louisville.  In  this  front- 
ier home,  away  from  civilization  and 
all  its  refinements,  young  Zachary 
could  enjoy  but  few  social  and  educational  advan- 
tages. When  six  years  of  age  he  attended  a  common 
school,  and  was  then  regarded  as  a  bright,  active  boy, 
rather  remarkable  for  bluntness  and  decision  of  char- 
acter He  was  strong,  feailess  and  self-reliant,  and 
•manifested  a  strong  desire  to  enter  the  army  to  fight 
the  Indians  who  were  ravaging  the  frontiers.  There 
is  little  to  be  recorded  of  the  uneventful  years  of  his 
childhood  on  his  father's  large  but  lonely  plantation. 
In  1808,  his  father  succeeded  in  obtaining  for  him 
the  commission  of  lieutenant  in  the  United  States 
army ;  and  he  joined  the  troops  which  were  stationed 
at  New  Orleans  under  Gen.  Wilkinson.  Soon  after 
this  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Smith,  a  young  lady 
from  one  of  the  first  families  of  Maryland. 

Immediately  after  the  declaration  of  war  with  Eng- 
land, in  1812,  Capt.  Taylor  (for  he  had  then  been 
promoted  to  that  rank)  was  put  in  command  of  Fort 
Harrison,  on  the  Wabash,  about  fifty  miles  above 
Vincennes.  This  fort  had  been  built  in  the  wilder- 
ness by  Gen.  Harrison.on  his  march  to  Tippecanoe. 
It  was  one  of  the  first  points  of  attack  by  the  Indians, 
Jed  by  Tecumseh.  Its  garrison  consisted  of  a  broken 


company  of  infantry  numbering   fifty  men,   many  of 
whom  were  sick. 

Early  in  the  autumn  of  1812,  the  Indians,  stealthily, 
and  in  large  numbers,  moved  upon  the  fort.  Their 
approach  was  first  indicated  by  the  murder  of  two 
soldiers  just  outside  of  the  stockade.  Capt.  Taylor 
made  every  possible  preparation  to  meet  the  antici- 
pated assault.  On  the  4th  of  September,  a  band  of 
forty  painted  and  plumed  savages  came  to  the  fort, 
waving  a  white  flag,  and  informed  Capt.  Taylor  that 
in  the  morning  their  chief  would  come  to  have  a  talk 
with  him.  It  was  evident  that  their  object  was  merely 
to  ascertain  the  state  of  things  at  the  fort,  and  Capt. 
Taylor,  well  versed  in  the  wiles  of  the  savages,  kept 
them  at  a  distance. 

The  sun  went  down ;  the  savages  disappeared,  the 
garrison  slept  upon  their  arms.  One  hour  before 
midnight  the  war-whoop  burst  from  a  thousand  lips 
in  the  forest  around,  followed  by  the  discharge  of 
musketry,  and  the  rush  of  the  foe.  Every  man,  sick 
and  well,  sprang  to  his  post.  Eveiy  man  knew  that 
defeat  was  not  merely  death,  but  in  the  case  of  cap- 
ture, death  by  the  most  agonizing  and  prolonged  tor- 
ture. No  pen  can  describe,  no  immagination  can 
conceive  the  scenes  which  ensued.  The  savages  suc- 
ceeded in  setting  fire  to  one  of  the  block-houses- 
Until  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  this  awful  conflict 
continued.  The  savages  then,  baffled  at  every  point, 
and  gnashing  their  teeth  with  rage,  retired.  Capt. 
Taylor,  for  this  gallant  defence,  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  major  by  brevet. 

Until  the  close  of  the  war,  Major  Taylor  was.placed 
in  such  situations  that  he  saw  but  little  more  of  active 
service.  He  was  sent  far  away  into  the  depths  of  the 
wilderness,  to  Fort  Crawford,  on  Fox  River,  which 
empties  into  Green  Bay.  Here  there  was  but  little 
to  be  done  but  to  wear  away  the  tedious  hours  as  one 
best  could.  There  were  no  books,  no  society,  no  in- 


•4* 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR. 


I 


tellectual  stimulus.  Thus  with  him  the  uneventful 
years  rolled  on  Gradually  he  rose  to  the  rank  of 
colonel.  In  the  Black  Hawk  war,  which  resulted  in 
the  capture  of  that  renowned  chieftain,  Col  Taylor 
took  a  subordinate  but  a  brave  and  efficient  part. 

For  twenty-four  years  Col.  Taylor  was  engaged  in 
the  defence  of  the  frontiers,  in  scenes  so  remote,  and  in 
employments  so  obscure,  that  his  name  was  unknown 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  own  immediate  acquaintance. 
In  the  year  1836,  he  was  sent  to  Florida  to  compel 
the  Seminole  Indians  to  vacate  that  region  and  re- 
tire beyond  the  Mississippi,  as  their  chiefs  by  treaty, 
hac'  promised  they  should  do.  The  services  rendered 
he;c  secured  for  Col.  Taylor  the  high  appreciation  of 
the  Government ;  and  as  a  reward,  he  was  elevated 
tc  .he  rank  of  brigadier-general  by  brevet ;  and  soon 
after,  in  May,  1838,  was  appointed  to  the  chief  com- 
mand of  the  United  States  troops  in  Florida. 

After  two  years  of  such  wearisome  employment 
amidst  the  everglades  of  the  peninsula,  Gen.  Taylor 
obtained,  at  his  own  request,  a  change  of  command, 
;.nd  was  stationed  over  the  Department  of  the  South- 
west. This  field  embraced  Louisiana,  Mississippi, 
Alabama  and  Georgia.  Establishing  his  headquarters 
at  Fort  Jessup,  in  Louisiana,  he  removed  his  family 
to  a  plantation  which  he  purchased,  near  Baton  Rogue. 
Here  he  remained  for  five  years,  buried,  as  it  were, 
from  the  world,  but  faithfully  discharging  every  duty 
imposed  upon  him. 

In  1846,  Gen.  Taylor  was  sent  to  guard  the  land 
between  the  Nueces  and  Rio  Grande,  the  latter  river 
being  the  boundary  of  Texas,  which  was  then  claimed 
by  the  United  States.  Soon  the  war  with  Mexico 
was  brought  on,  and  at  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la 
Palma,  Gen.  Taylor  won  brilliant  victories  over  the 
Mexicans.  The  rank  of  major-general  by  brevet 
was  then  conferred  upon  Gen.  Taylor,  and  his  name 
was  received  with  enthusiasm  almost  everywhere  in 
the  Nation.  Then  came  the  battles  of  Monterey  and 
Buena  Vista  in  which  he  won  signal  victories  over 
forces  much  larger  than  he  commanded. 

His  careless  habits  of  dress  and  his  unaffected 
simplicity,  secured  for  Gen.  Taylor  among  his  troops, 
the  sobriquet  of  "Old  Rough  and  Ready.' 

T.ie  tidings  of  the  brilliant  victory  of  Buena  Vista 
rpread  the  wildest  enthusiasm  over  the  country.  The 
name  of  Gen.  Taylor  was  on  every  one's  lips.  The 
Whig  party  decided  to  take  advantage  of  this  wonder- 
ful popularity  in  bringing  forward  the  unpolished,  un- 
lettered, honest  soldier  as  their  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  Gen.  Taylor  was  astonished  at  the  an- 
nouncement, and  for  a.  time  would  not  listen  toil;  de- 
claring that  he  was  not  at  all  qualified  for  such  an 
orfice.  So  little  interest  had  he  taken  in  politics  that, 
for  forty  years,  he  had  not  cast  a  vote.  It  was  not 
•without  chagrin  that  several  distinguished  statesmen 
who  had  been  long  years  in  the  public  service  found 
ti.'.ir  claims  set  aside  in  behalf  of  one  whose  name 


had  never  been  heard  of,  save  in  connection  with  Palo 
Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Monterey  and  Buena 
Vista.  It  Is  said  that  Daniel  Webster,  in  his  haste  re- 
marked, "  It  is  a  nomination  not  fit  to  be  made." 

Gen.  Taylor  was  not  an  eloquent  speaker  nor  a  fine 
wnter  His  friends  took  possession  of  him,  and  pre- 
pared such  few  communications  as  it  was  needful 
should  be  presented  to  the  public.  The  popularity  of 
the  successful  warrior  swept  the  land.  He  was  tri- 
umphantly elected  over  two  opposing  candidates, — 
Gen.  Cass  and  Ex-President  Martin  Van  Buren. 
Though  he  selected  an  excellent  cabinet,  the  good 
old  man  found  himself  in  a  very  uncongenial  position, 
and  was,  at  times,  sorely  perplexed  and  harassed. 
His  mental  sufferings  were  very  severe,  and  probably 
tended  to  hasten  his  death.  The  pro-slavery  party 
was  pushing  its  claims  with  tireless  energy ,  expedi- 
tions were  fitting  out  to  capture  Cuba  ;  California  was 
pleading  for  admission  to  the  Union,  while  slavery 
stood  at  the  door  to  bar  her  out.  Gen.  Taylor  found 
the  political  conflicts  in  Washington  to  be  far  more 
trying  to  the  nerves  than  battles  with  Mexicans  or 
Indians. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  troubles,  Gen.  Taylor, 
after  he  had  occupied  the  Presidential  chair  but  little 
over  a  year,  took  cold,  and  after  a  brief  sickness  of 
but  little  over  five  days,  died  on  the  plh  of  July,  1850. 
His  last  words  were,  "  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.  I  am 
ready.  I  have  endeavored  to  do  my  duty."  He  died 
universally  respected  and  beloved.  An  honest,  un- 
pretending man,  he  had  been  steadily  growing  in  the 
affections  of  the  people ;  and  the  Nation  bitterly  la- 
mented his  death. 

Gen.  Scott,  who  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
Gen.  Taylor,  gave  the  following  graphic  and  truthful 
description  of  his  character: — "  With  a  good  store  of 
common  sense,  Gen.  Taylor's  mind  had  not  been  en- 
larged and  refreshed  by  reading,  or  much  converse 
with  the  world.  Rigidity  of  ideas  was  the  conse- 
quence. The  frontiers  and  small  military  posts  had 
been  his  home.  Hence  he  was  quite  ignorant  for  his 
rank,  and  quite  bigoted  in  his  ignorance.  His  sim- 
plicity was  child-like,  and  with  innumerable  preju- 
dices, amusing  and  incorrigible,  well  suited  to  the 
tender  age.  Thus,  if  a  man,  however  respectable, 
chanced  to  wear  a  coat  of  an  unusual  color,  or  his  hat 
a  little  on  one  side  of  his  head;  or  an  officer  to  leave 
a  corner  of  his  handkerchief  dangling  from  an  out- 
side pocket, — in  any  such  case,  this  critic  held  the 
offender  to  be  a  coxcomb  (perhaps  something  worse), 
whom  he  would  not,  to  use  his  oft  repeated  phrase, 
'touch  with  a  pair  of  tongs.' 

"Any  allusion  to  literature  beyond  good  old  Dil- 
worth's  spelling-book,  on  the  part  of  one  wearing  a 
sword,  was  evidence,  with  the  same  judge,  of  utter 
unfitness  for  heavy  marchings  and  combats.  In  short, 
few  men  have  ever  had  a  more  comfortable,  labor- 
saving  contempt  for  learning  of  every  kind." 


I 


THIRTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


ILLARD  FILLMORE,  thir- 
teenth President  of  the  United 
States,  was  born  at  Summer 
Hill,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y  .,  on 
the  yth  of  January,  1800.  His 
father  was  a  farmer,  and  ow- 
ing to  misfortune,  in  humble  cir- 
cumstances. Of  his  mother,  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  AbiatharMillard, 
of  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  it  has  been 
said  that  she  possessed  an  intellect 
of  very  high  order,  united  with  much 
personal  loveliness,  sweetness  of  dis- 
position, graceful  manners  and  ex- 
quisite sensibilities.  She  died  in 
1831 ;  having  lived  to  see  her  son  a 
young  man  of  distinguished  prom- 
ise, though  she  was  not  permitted  to  witness  the  high 
dignity  which  he  finally  attained. 

In  consequence  of  the  secluded  home  and  limited 
means  of  his  father,  Millard  enjoyed  but  slender  ad- 
vantages for  education  in  his  early  years.  The  com- 
mon schools,  which  he  occasionally  attended  were 
very  imperfect  institution^;  and  books  were  scarce 
and  expensive.  There  was  nothing  then  in  his  char- 
acter to  indicate  the  brilliant  career  upon  which  he 
was  about  to  enter.  He  was  a  plain  farmer's  boy ; 
intelligent,  good-looking,  kind-hearted.  The  sacred 
influences  of  home  had  taught  him  to  revere  the  Bible, 
and  had  laid  the  foundations  of  an  upright  character. 
When  fourteen  years  of  age,  his  father  sent  him 
some  hundred  miles  from  home,  to  the  then  wilds  of 
Livingston  County,  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  clothier. 
Near  the  mi'l  there  was  a  small  villiage,  where  some 


enterprising  man  had  commenced  the  collection  of  a 
village  library.  This  proved  an  inestimable  blessing 
to  young  Fillmore.  His  evenings  were  spent  in  read- 
ing. Soon  every  leisure  moment  was  occupied  with 
books.  His  thirst  for  knowledge  became  insatiate; 
and  the  selections  which  he  made  were  continually 
more  elevating  and  instructive.  He  read  history, 
biography,  oratory,  and  thus  gradually  there  was  en- 
kindled in  his  heart  a  desire  to  be  something  more 
than  a  mere  worker  with  his  hands;  and  he  was  be- 
coming, almost  unknown  to  himself,  a  well-informed, 
educated  man. 

The  young  clothier  had  now  attained  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  and  was  of  fine  personal  appearance 
and  cf  gentlemanly  demeanor.  It  so  happened  that 
there  was  a  gentleman  in  the  neighborhood  of  ample 
pecuniary  means  and  of  benevolence, — Judge  Walter 
Wood, — -who  was  struck  with  the  prepossessing  ap- 
pearance of  young  Fillmore.  He  made  his  acquaint- 
ance, and  was  so  much  impressed  with  his  ability  and 
attainments  that  he  advised  him  to  abandon  his 
trade  and  devote  himself  to  the  study  of  the  law.  The 
young  man  replied,  that  he  had  no  means  of  his  own, 
r.o  friends  to  help  him  and  that  his  previous  educa- 
tion had  been  very  imperfect.  But  Judge  Wood  had 
so  much  confidence  in  him  that  he  kindly  offered  to 
take  him  into  his  own  office,  and  to  loan  him  such 
money  as  he  needed.  Most  gratefully  the  generous 
offer  was  accepted. 

There  is  in  many  minds  a  strange  delusion  about 
a  collegiate  education.  A  young  man  is  supposed  to 
be  liberally  educated  if  he  has  graduated  at  sonic  col- 
lege. But  many  a  boy  loiters  through  university  hal' ; 
ind  then  enters  a  law  office,  who  is  by  no  means  as 


68 


MILLARD  FJLLMORE. 


well  prepared  to  prosecute  his  legal  studies  as  was 
Millard  Fillmore  when  he  graduated  at  the  clothing- 
mill  at  the  end  of  four  years  of  manual  labor,  during 
which  every  leisure  moment  had  been  devoted  to  in- 
tense mental  culture. 

In  1823,  when  twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  He  then 
went  to  the  village  of  Aurora,  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  law.  In  this  secluded,  peaceful  region, 
his  practice  of  course  was  limited,  and  there  was  no 
opportunity  for  a  sudden  rise  in  fortune  or  in  fame. 
Here,  in  the  year  1826,  he  married  a  lady  of  great 
moral  worth,  and  one  capable  of  adorning  any  station 
she  might  be  called  to  fill, — Miss  Abigail  Powers. 

His  elevation  of  character,  his  untiring  industry, 
his  legal  acquirements,  and  his  skill  as  an  advocate, 
gradually  attracted  attention  ;  and  he  was  invited  to 
enter  into  partnership  under  highly  advantageous 
circumstances,  with  an  elder  member  of  the  bar  in 
Buffalo.  Just  before  removing  to  Buffalo,  in  1829, 
lie  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Assembly,  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  as  a  representative  from  Erie 
County.  Though  he  had  never  taken  a  very  active 
part  in  politics,  his  vote  and  his  sympathies  were  with 
the  Whig  party.  The  State  was  then  Democratic, 
and  he  found  himself  in  a  helpless  minority  in  the 
Legislature  ,  still  the  testimony  comes  from  all  parties, 
that  his  courtesy,  ability  and  integrity,  won,  to  a  very 
unusual  degrt  e  the  respect  of  his  associates. 

In  the  autumn  of  1832,  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in 
the  United  States  Congress  He  entered  that  troubled 
arena  in  some  of  the  most  tumultuous  hours  of  our 
national  history.  The  great  conflict  respecting  the 
national  bank  and  the  removal  of  the  deposits,  was 
then  raging. 

His  term  of  two  years  closed  ;  and  he  returned  to 
his  profession,  which  he  pursued  with  increasing  rep- 
utation and  success.  After  a  lapse  of  two  years 
he  again  became  a  candidate  for  Congress ;  was  re- 
elected,  and  took  his  seat  in  1837.  His  past  expe- 
rience as  a  representative  gave  him  st«ength  and 
confidence.  The  first  term  of  service  in  Congress  to 
any  man  can  be  but  little  more  than  an  introduction. 
He  was  now  prepared  for  active  duty.  All  his  ener- 
gies were  brought  to  bear  upon  the  public  good.  Every 
measure  received  his  impress. 

Mr.  Fillmore  was  now  a  man  of  wide  repute,  and 
his  popularity  filled  the  State,  and  in  the  year  1847, 
he  was  elected  Comptroller  of  the  State. 


Mr.  Fillmore  had  attained  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years.  His  labors  at  the  bar,  in  the  Legislature,  in 
Congress  and  as  Comptroller,  had  given  him  very  con- 
siderable fame.  The  Whigs  were  casting  about  to 
find  suitable  candidates  for  President  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent at  the  approaching  election.  Far  away,  on  the 
waters  of  the  Rio  Grande,  there  was  a  rough  old 
soldier,  who  had  fought  one  or  two  successful  battles 
with  the  Mexicans,  which  had  caused  his  name  to  be 
proclaimed  in  trumpet-tones  all  over  the  land.  But 
it  was  necessary  to  associate  with  him  on  the  same 
ticket  some  man  of  reputation  as  a  statesman. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  considerations,  the 
namesof  Zachary  Taylor  and  Millard  Fillmore  became 
the  rallying-cry  of  the  Whigs,  as  their  candidates  for 
President  and  Vice-Peesident.  The  Whig  ticket  was 
signally  triumphant.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1849, 
Gen.  Taylor  was  inaugurated  President,  and  Millard 
Fillmore  Vice-President,  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  gth  of  July,  1850,  President  Taylor,  but 
about  one  year  and  four  months  after  his  inaugura- 
tion, was  suddenly  taken  sick  and  died.  By  the  Con- 
stitution, Vice-President  Fillmore  thus  became  Presi- 
dent. He  appointed  a  very  able  cabinet,  of  which 
the  illustrious  Daniel  VVeTjster  was  Secretary  of  State. 

Mr.  Fillniore  had  very  serious  difficulties  to  contend 
with,  since  the  opposition  had  a  majority  in  both 
Houses.  He  did  everything  in  his  power  to  conciliate 
the  South ;  but  the  pro-slavery  party  in  the  South  felt 
the  inadequacy  of  all  measuresof  transient  conciliation. 
The  population  of  the  free  States  was  so  rapidly  in- 
creasing over  that  of  the  slave  States  that  it  was  in- 
evitable that  the  power  of  th\e  Government  should 
soon  pass  into  the  hands  of  the  free  States.  The 
famous  compromise  measures  were  adopted  under  Mr. 
Fillmcre's  adminstration,  and  the  Japan  Expedition 
was  sent  out.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1853,  Mr.  Fill- 
more,  having  served  one  term,  retired. 

In  1856,  Mr.  Fillmore  was  nominated  for  the  Pres- 
idency by  the  "  Know  Nothing  "  party,  but  was  beaten 
by  Mr.  Buchanan.  After  that  Mr.  Fillmore  lived  in 
retirement.  During  the  terrible  conflict  of  civil  war, 
he  was  mostly  silent.  It  was  generally  supposed  that 
his  sympathies  were  rather  with  those  who  were  en- 
deavoring to  overthrow  our  institutions.  President 
Fillmore  kept  aloof  from  the  conflict,  without  any 
cordial  words  of  cheer  to  the  one  party  or  the  other. 
He  was  thus  forgotten  by  both.  He  lived  to  a  ripe 
old  age,  and  died  in  Buffalo.  N.  Y.,  March  8,  1874. 


FOURTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


I 

* 


RANKLIN     PIERCE,   the 
fourteenth    President  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in 
Hillsborough,   N.    H.,    Nov. 
23,  1804.     His  father  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,   who, 
with   his   own    strong    arm, 
hewed   out  a    home   in    the 
wilderness.     He  was  a  man 
of    inflexible    integrity;     of 
strong,  though   uncultivated 
mind,  and  an  uncompromis- 
ing Democrat.      The   mother  of 
Franklin  Pierce  was  all  that  a  son 
could  desire, — an  intelligent,  pru- 
dent, affectionate,  Christian  wom- 
an.    Franklin  was  the  sixth  of  eight  children. 

Franklin  was  a  very  bright  and  handsome  boy,  gen- 
erous, warm-hearted  and  brave.  He  won  alike  the 
love  of  old  and  young.  The  boys  on  the  play  ground 
loved  him.  His  teachers  loved  him.  The  neighbors 
looked  upon  him  with  pride  and  affection.  He  was 
by  instinct  a  gentleman;  always  speaking  kind  words, 
doing  kind  deeds,  with  a  peculiar  unstudied  tact 
which  taught  him  what  was  agreeable.  Without  de- 
veloping any  precocity  of  genius,  or  any  unnatural 
devotion  to  books,  he  was  a  good  scholar;  in  body, 
in  mind,  in  affections,  a  finely-developed  boy. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age,  in  the  year  1820,  he 
entered  Bowdoin  College,  at  Brunswick,  Me  He  was 
one  of  the  most  popular  young  men  in  the  college. 
The  purity  cf  his  moral  character,  the  unvarying 
courtesy  of  his  demeanor,  his  rank  as  a  scholar,  and 


genial  nature,  rendered  him  a  universal  favorite. 
There  was  something  very  peculiarly  winning  in  his 
address,  and  it  was  evidently  not  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree studied :  it  was  the  simple  outgushing  of  his 
own  magnanimous  and  loving  nature. 

Upon  graduating,  in  the  year  1824,  Franklin  Pierce 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Judge 
Woodbury,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  of 
the  State,  and  a  man  of  great  private  worth.  The 
eminent  social  qualities  of  the  young  lawyer,  his 
father's  prominence  as  a  public  man,  and  the  brilliant 
political  career  into  which  Judge  Woodbury  was  en- 
tering, all  tended  to  entice  Mr.  Pierce  into  the  faci- 
nating  yet  perilous  path  of  political  life.  With  all 
the  ardor  of  his  nature  he  espoused  the  cause  of  Gen. 
Jackson  for  the  Presidency.  He  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  in  Hillsborough,  and  was  soon  elected 
to  represent  the  town  in  the  State  Legislature.  Here 
he  served  for  four  yeais.  The  last  two  years  he  was 
chosen  speaker  of  the  house  by  a  very  large  vote. 

In  1833,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  Congress.  Without  taking  an  active 
part  in  debates,  he  was  faithful  and  laborious  in  duty, 
and  ever  rising  in  the  estimation  of  those  with  whom 
he  was  associatad. 

In  1837,  being  then  but  thirty-three  years  of  age, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States; 
taking  his  seat  just  as  Mr.  Van  Buren  commenced 
his  administration.  He  was  the  youngest  member  in 
the  Senate.  In  the  year  1834,  he  married  Miss  Jane 
Means  Appleton,  a  lady  of  rare  beauty  and  accom- 
plishments, and  one  admirably  fitted  to  adorn  every 
station  with  which  her  husband  was  honoicd.  Of  the 


FRANKLIN  PIERCE. 


4* 


three  sons  who  were  born  to  them,  all  now  sleep  with 
their  parents  in  the  grave. 

In  the  year  1838,  Mr.  Pierce,  with  growing  fame 
and  increasing  business  as  a  lawyer,  took  up  his 
residence  in  Concord,  the  capital  of  New  Hampshire. 
President  Polk,  upon  his  accession  to  office,  appointed 
Mr.  Pierce  attorney-general  of  the  United  States;  but 
the  offer  was  declined,  in  consequence  of  numerous 
professional  engagements  at  home,  and  the  precariuos 
state  of  Mrs.  Pierce's  health.  He  also,  about  the 
same  time  declined  the  nomination  for  governor  by  the 
Democratic  party.  The  war  with  Mexico  called  Mr. 
Pierce  in  the  army.  Receiving  the  appointment  of 
brigadier-general,  he  embarked,  with  a  portion  of  his 
troops,  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  on  the  271)1  of  May,  1847. 
He  took  an  important  part  in  this  war,  proving  him- 
self a  brave  and  true  soldier. 

When  Gen.  Pierce  reached  his  home  in  his  native 
State,  he  was  received  enthusiastically  by  the  advo- 
cates of  the  Mexican  war,  and  coldly  by  his  oppo- 
nents. He  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
very  frequently  taking  an  active  part  in  political  ques- 
tions, giving  his  cordial  support  to  the  pro-slavery 
wing  of  the  Democratic  party.  The  compromise 
measures  met  cordially  with  his  approval ;  and  he 
strenuously  advocated  the  enforcement  of  the  infa- 
mous fugitive-slave  law,  which  so  shocked  the  religious 
sensibilities  of  the  North.  He  thus  became  distin- 
guished as  a  "  Northern  man  with  Southern  principles.'1 
The  strong  partisans  of  slavery  in  the  South  conse- 
quently regarded  him  as  a  man  whom  they  could 
safely  trust  in  office  to  carry  out  their  plans. 

On  the  1 2th  of  June,  1852,  the  Democratic  conven- 
tion met  in  Baltimore  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  For  four  days  they  continued  in  session, 
and  in  thirty-five  ballotings  no  one  had  obtained  a 
two-thirds  vote.  Not  a  vote  thus  far  had  been  thrown 
for  Gen.  Pierce.  Then  the  Virginia  delegation 
brought  forward  his  name.  There  were  fourteen 
more  ballotings,  during  which  Gen.  Pierce  constantly 
gained  strength,  until,  at  the  forty-ninth  ballot,  he 
received  two  hundred  and  eighty-two  votes,  and  all 
other  candidates  eleven.  Gen.  Winfield  Scott  was 
the  Whig  candidate.  Gen.  Pierce  was  chosen  with 
great  unanimity.  Only  four  States — Vermont,  Mas- 
sachusetts, Kentucky  and  Tennessee  —  cast  their 
electoral  votes  against  him  Gen.  Franklin  Pierce 
was  therefore  inaugurated  President  of  the  United 
States  on  the  4th  of  March,  1853. 


His  administration  proved  one  of  the  most  stormy  our 
country  had  ever  experienced.  The  controversy  be- 
tween slavery  and  freedom  was  then  approaching  its 
culminating  point.  It  became  evident  that  there  was 
an  "irrepressible  conflict  "  between  them,  and  that 
this  Nation  could  not  long  exist  "  half  slave  and  half 
free."  President  Pierce,  during  the  whole  of  his  ad- 
ministration, did  every  thing  he  could  to  conciliate 
the  South  ;  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  The  conflict  every 
year  grew  more  violent,  and  threats  of  the  dissolution 
of  the  Union  were  borne  to  the  North  on  every  South- 
ern breeze. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  President 
Pierce  approached  the  close  of  his  four-years'  term 
of  office.  The  North  had  become  thoroughly  alien- 
ated from  him.  The  anti-slavery  sentiment,  goaded 
by  great  outrages,  had  been  rapidly  increasing;  all 
the  intellectual  ability  and  social  worth  of  President 
Pierce  were  forgotten  in  deep  reprehension  of  his  ad- 
ministrative acts.  The  slaveholders  of  the  South,  also, 
unmindful  of  the  fidelity  with  which  he  had  advo- 
cated those  measures  of  Government  which  they  ap- 
proved, and  perhaps,  also,  feeling  that  he  had 
rendered  himself  so  unpopular  as  no  longer  to  be 
able  acceptably  to  serve  them,  ungratefully  dropped 
him,  and  nominated  James  Buchanan  to  succeed  him. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1857,  President  Pierce  re- 
tired to  his  home  in  Concord.  Of  three  children,  two 
had  died,  and  his  only  surviving  child  had  been 
killed  before  his  eyes  by  a  railroad  accident ;  and  his 
wife,  one  of  the  most  estimable  and  accomplished  of 
ladies,  was  rapidly  sinking  in  consumption.  The 
hour  of  dreadful  gloom  soon  came,  and  he  was  left 
alone  in  the  world,  without  wife  or  child. 

When  the  terrible  Rebellion  burst  forth,  which  di- 
vided our  country  into  two  parties,  and  two  only,  Mr. 
Pierce  remained  steadfast  in  the  principles  which  he 
had  always  cherished,  and  gave  his  sympathies  to 
that  pro-slavery  party  with  which  he  had  ever  been 
allied.  He  declined  to  do  anything,  either  by  voice 
or  pen,  to  strengthen  the  hand  of  the  National  Gov- 
ernment. He  continued  to  reside  in  Concord  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  October, 
1869.  He  was  one  of  the  most  genial  and  social  of 
men,  an  honored  communicant  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  one  of  the  kindest  of  neighbors.  Gen- 
erous to  a  fault,  he  contributed  liberally  for  the  al- 
leviation of  suffering  and  want,  and  many  of  his  towns- 
people were  often  gladened  by  his  material  bounty. 


1'IFTEENTH  PRESIDENT, 


75 


AMES  BUCHANAN,  the  fif- 
teenth President  of  the  United 
States,  was  born  in  a  small 
frontier  town,  at  the  foot  of  the 
eastern  ridge  of  the  Allegha- 
nies,  in  Franklin  Co.,  Penn.,on 
the  23d  of  April,  1791.  The  place 
where  the  humble  cabin  of  his 
father  stood  was  called  Stony 
Batter.  It  was  a  wild  and  ro- 
mantic spot  in  a  gorge  of  the  moun- 
tains, with  towering  summits  rising 
grandly  all  around.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland ; 
a  poor  man,  who  had  emigrated  in 
1783,  with  little  property  save  his 
Five  years  afterwards  he  married 
Elizabeth  Spear,  the  daughter  of  a  respectable  farmer, 
and,  with  his  young  bride,  plunged  into  the  wilder- 
ness, staked  his  claim,  reared  his  log-hut,  opened  a 
clearing  with  his  axe,  and  settled  down  there  to  per- 
form his  obscure  part  in  the  drama  of  life.  In  this  se- 
cluded home,  where  James  was  born,  he  remained 
for  eight  years,  enjoying  but  few  social  or  intellectual 
advantages.  When  James  was  eight  years  of  age,  his 
father  removed  to  the  village  of  Mercersburg,  where 
his  son  was  placed  at  school,  and  commenced  a 
course  of  study  in  English,  Latin  and  Greek.  His 
progress  was  rapid,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he 
entered  Dickinson  College,  at  Carlisle.  Here  he  de- 
veloped remarkable  talent,  and  took  his  stand  among 
the  first  scholars  in  the  institution.  His  application 
to  study  was  intense,  and  yet  his  native  powers  en- 


own  strong  arms. 


abled  him  to  master  the  most  abstruse  subjects  with 
facility. 

In  the  year  1809,  he  graduated  with  the  highest 
honors  of  his  class.  He  was  then  eighteen  years  of 
age;  tall  and  graceful,  vigorous  in  health,  fond  of 
athletic  sport,  an  unerring  shot,  and  enlivened  with 
an  exuberant  flow  of  animal  spirits.  He  immediately 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  city  of  Lancaster, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1812,  when  he  was 
but  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Very  rapidly  he  rose 
in  his  profession,  and  at  once  took  undisputed  stand 
with  the  ablest  lawyers  of  the  State.  When  but 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  unaided  by  counsel,  he  suc- 
cessfully defended  before  the  State  Senate  ore  of  the 
judges  of  the  State,  who  was  tried  upon  articles  of 
impeachment.  At  the  age  of  thirty  it  was  generally 
admitted  that  he  stood  at  the  head  of  the  bar;  and 
there  was  no  lawyer  in  the  State  who  had  a  more  lu- 
crative practice. 

In  1820,  he  reluctantly  consented  to  run  as  a 
candidate  for  Congress.  He  was  elected,  and  for 
ten  years  he  remained  a  member  of  the  Lower  House. 
During  the  vacations  of  Congress,  he  occasionally 
tried  some  important  case.  In  1831,  he  retired 
altogether  from  the  toils  of  his  profession,  having  ac- 
quired an  ample  fortune. 

Gen.  Jackson,  upon  his  elevation  to  the  Presidency, 
appointed  Mr.  Buchanan  minister  to  Russia.  The 
duties  of  his  mission  he  performed  with  ability,  which 
gave  satisfaction  to  all  parties.  Upon  his  return,  in 
r 833,  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  He  there  met,  as  his  associates,  Webster, 
Clay,  Wright  and  Calhoun.  He  advocated  the  meas- 
ures proposed  by  President  Jackson,  of  making  repri- 


JAMES  BUCHANAN. 


sals  against  France,  to  enforce  the  payment  of  our 
claims  against  that  country  ;  and  defended  the  course 
of  the  President  in  his  unprecedented  and  wholesale 
removal  from  office  of  those  who  were  not  the  sup- 
porters of  his  administration.  Upon  this  question  he 
was  brought  into  direct  collision  with  He:iry  Clay. 
He  also,  with  voice  and  vote,  advocated  expunging 
from  the  journal  of  the  Senate  the  vote  of  censure 
against  Gen.  Jackson  for  removing  the  deposits. 
Earnestly  he  opposed  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  urged  the  prohibition  of  the 
circulation  of  anti-slavery  documents  by  the  United 
States  mails. 

As  to  petitions  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  he  advo- 
cated that  they  should  be  respectfully  received;  and 
that  the  reply  should  be  returned,  that  Congress  had 
no  power  to  legislate  upon  the  subject.  '  Congress," 
said  he,  "  might  as  well  undertake  to  interfere  with 
slavery  under  a  foreign  government  as  in  any  of  the 
States  where  it  now  exists." 

Upon  Mr.  Polk's  accession  to  the  Presidency,  Mr. 
Buchanan  became  Secretary  of  State,  and  as  such, 
took  his  share  of  the  responsibility  in  the  conduct  of 
the  Mexican  War.  Mr.  Polk  assumed  that  crossing 
the  Nueces  by  the  American  troops  into  the  disputed 
territory  was  not  wrong,  but  for  the  Mexicans  to  cross 
the  Rio  Grande  into  that  territory  was  a  declaration 
of  war.  No  candid  man  can  read  with  pleasure  the 
account  of  the  course  our  Government  pursued  in  that 
movement 

Mr.  Buchanan  identified  himself  thoroughly  with 
the  party  devoted  to  the  perpetuation  and  extension 
of  slavery,  and  brought  all  the  energies  of  his  mind 
to  bear  against  the  Wilmot  Proviso.  He  gave  his 
cordial  approval  to  the  compromise  measures  of  1050, 
which  included  the  fugitive-slave  law.  Mr.  Pierce, 
upon  his  election  to  the  Presidency,  honored  Mr. 
Buchanan  with  the  mission  to  England. 

In  the  year  1856,  a  national  Democratic  conven- 
tion nominated  Mr.  Buchanan  for  the  Presidency.  The 
political  conflict  was  one  of  the  most  severe  in  which 
our  country  has  ever  engaged.  All  the  friends  of 
slavery  were  on  one  side;  all  the  advocates  of  its  re- 
striction and  final  abolition,  on  the  other.  Mr.  Fre- 
mont, the  candidate  of  the  enemies  of  slavery,  re- 
ceived 1 14  electoral  votes.  Mr.  Buchanan  received 
174,  and  was  elected.  The  popular  vote  stood 
1,340,618,  for  Fremont,  1,224,750  for  Buchanan.  On 
March  4th,  1857,  Mr.  Buchanan  was  inaugurated. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  far  advanced  in  life.  Only  four 
years  were  wanting  to  fill  up  his  threescore  years  and 
ten.  His  own  friends,  those  with  whom  he  had  been 
allied  in  political  principles  and  action  for  years,  were 
seeking  the  destruction  of  the  Government,  that  they 
might  rear  upon  the  ruins  of  our  free  institutions  a 
nation  whose  corner-stone  should  be  human  slavery. 
In  this  emergency,  Mr.  Buchanan  was  hopelessly  be- 
wildered He  could  not,  with  his  long-avowed  prin- 


ciples,  consistently  oppose  the  State-rights  party  in 
their  assumptions.  As  President  of  the  United  States, 
bound  by  his  oath  faithfully  to  administer  the  laws, 
he  could  not,  without  perjury  of  the  grossest  kind, 
unite  with  those  endeavoring  to  overthrow  the  repub- 
lic. He  therefore  did  nothing. 

The  opponents  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  administration 
nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  as  their  standard  bearer 
in  the  next  Presidential  canvass.  The  pro-slavery 
party  declared,  that  if  he  were  elected,  and  the  con- 
trol of  the  Government  were  thus  taken  from  their 
hands,  they  would  secede  from  the  Union,  taking 
with  them,  as  they  retired,  the  National  Capitol  at 
Washington,  and  the  lion's  share  of  the  territory  of 
the  United  States. 

Mr.  Buchanan's  sympathy  with  the  pro-slavery 
party  was  such,  that  he  had  been  willing  to  offer  them 
far  more  than  they  had  ventured  to  claim.  All  the 
South  had  professed  to  ask  of  the  North  was  non- 
intervention upon  the  subject  of  slavery.  Mr.  Bu- 
chanan had  been  ready  to  offer  them  the  active  co- 
operation of  the  Government  to  defend  and  extend 
the  institution. 

As  the  storm  increased  in  violence,  the  slaveholders 
claiming  the  right  to  secede,  and  Mr.  Buchanan  avow- 
ing that  Congress  had  no  power  to  prevent  it,  one  of 
the  most  pitiable  exhibitions  of  governmental  im- 
becility was  exhibited  the  world  has  ever  seen.  He 
declared  that  Congress  had  no  power  to  enforce  its 
laws  in  any  State  which  had  withdrawn,  or  which 
was  attempting  to  withdraw  from  the  Union.  This 
was  not  the  doctrine  of  Andrew  Jackson,  when,  with 
his  hand  upon  his  sword-hilt,  he  exclaimed.  "  The 
Union  must  and  shall  be  preserved!" 

South  Carolina  seceded  in  December,  1860;  nearly 
three  months  before  the  inauguration  of  President 
Lincoln.  Mr.  Buchanan  looked  on  in  listless  despair. 
The  rebel  flag  was  raised  in  Charleston:  Fort  Sumpter 
was  besieged ;  our  forts,  navy-yards  and  arsenals 
were  seized ;  our  depots  of  military  stores  were  plun- 
dered ;  and  our  custom-houses  and  post-offices  were 
appropriated  by  the  rebels. 

The  energy  of  the  rebels,  and  the  imbecility  of  our 
Executive,  were  alike  marvelous.  The  Nation  looked 
on  in  agony,  waiting  for  the  slow  weeks  to  glide  away, 
and  close  the  administration,  so  terrible  in  its  weak- 
ness At  length  the  long-looked-for  hour  of  deliver- 
ance came,  when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  to  receive  the 
scepter. 

The  administration  of  President  Buchanan  was 
certainly  the  most  calamitous  our  country  has  ex- 
perienced. His  best  friends  cannot  recall  it  with 
pleasure.  And  still  more  deplorable  it  is  for  his  fame, 
that  in  that  dreadful  conflict  which  rolled  its  billows 
of  flame  and  blood  over  our  whole  land,  no  word  came 
from  his  lips  to  indicate  his  wish  that  our  country's 
banner  should  triumph  over  the  flag  of  the  rebellion. 
He  died  at  his  Whealland  retreat,  June  i,  1868. 


SIXTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


<C  LINCOLN.  } 


BRAHAM  LINCOLN,  the 
sixteenth  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in 
Hardin  Co.,  Ky.,  Feb.  12, 
1809.  About  the  year  1780,  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  left  Virginia  with  his 
family  and  moved  into  the  then 
wilds  of  Kentucky.  Only  two  years 
after  this  emigration,  still  a  young 
man,  while  working  one  day  in  a 
field,  was  stealthily  approached  by 
an  Indian  and  shot  dead.  His  widow 
was  left  in  extreme  poverty  with  five 
little  children,  three  boys  and  two 
girls.  Thomas,  the  youngest  of  the 
boys,  was  four  years  of  age  at  his 
father's  death.  This  Thomas  was 
the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the 
President  of  the  United  States 
whose  name  must  henceforth  forever  be  enrolled 
with  the  most  prominent  in  the  annals  of  our  world. 
Of  course  no  record  has  been  kepi  of  the  life 
of  one  so  lowly  as  Thomas  Lincoln.  He  was  among 
the  poorest  of  the  poor.  His  home  was  a  wretched 
log-cabin ;  his  food  the  coarsest  and  the  meanest. 
Education  he  had  none ;  he  could  never  either  read 
or  write.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  do  anything  for 
himself,  he  was  compelled  to  leave  the  cabin  of  his 
starving  mother,  and  push  out  into  the  world,  a  friend- 
less, wandering  boy,  seeking  work.  He  hired  him- 
self out,  and  thus  spent  the  whole  of  his  youth  as  a 
laborer  in  the  fields  of  others. 

When  twenty-eight  years  of  age  he  built  a  log- 
cabin  of  his  own,  and  married  Nancy  Hanks,  the 
daughter  of  another  family  of  poor  Kentucky  emi- 
grants, who  had  also  come  from  Virginia.  Their 
second  child  was  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  The  mother  of  Abraham  was  a  noble 
woman,  gentle,  loving,  pensive,  created  to  adorn 
a  palace,  doomed  to  toil  and  pine,  and  die  in  a  hovel. 
"All  that  I  am,  or  hope  to  be,"  exclaims  the  grate- 
ful son  "I  owe  to  my  angel-mother.  " 

When  he  was  eight  years  of  age,  his  father  sold  his 


cabin  and  small  farm,  and  moved  to  Indiana.  Where 
two  years  later  his  mother  died. 

Abraham  soon  became  the  scribe  of  the  uneducated 
community  around  him.  He  could  not  have  had  a 
better  school  than  this  to  teach  him  to  put  thoughts 
into  words.  He  also  became  an  eager  reader.  The 
books  he  could  obtain  were  few ;  but  these  he  re;id 
and  re-read  until  they  were  almost  committed  to 
memory. 

As  the  years  rolled  on,  the  lot  of  this  lowly  family 
was  the  usual  lot  of  humanity.  There  were  joys  and 
griefs,  weddings  and  funerals.  Abraham's  sister 
Sarah,  to  whom  he  was  tenderly  attached,  was  mar- 
ried when  a  child  of  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  and 
soon  died.  The  family  was  gradually  scattered.  Mr. 
Thomas  Lincoln  sold  out  his  squatter's  claim  in  1830, 
and  emigrated  to  Macon  Co.,  111. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  then  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
With  vigorous  hands  he  aided  his  father  in  rearing 
another  log-cabin.  Abraham  worked  diligently  at  this 
until  he  saw  the  family  comfortably  settled,  and  their 
small  lot  of  enclosed  prairie  planted  with  corn,  when 
he  announced  to  his  father  his  intention  to  leave 
home,  and  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  seek  his  for- 
tune. Little  did  he  or  his  friends  imagine  how  bril- 
liant that  fortune  was  to  be.  He  saw  the  value  of 
education  and  was  intensely  earnest  to  improve  his 
mind  to  the  utmost  of  his  power.  He  saw  the  ruin 
which  ardent  spirits  were  causing,  and  became 
strictly  temperate;  refusing  to  allow  a  drop  of  intoxi- 
cating liquor  to  pass  his  lips.  And  he  had  read  in 
God's  word,  "Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the 
Lord  thy  God  in  vain;"  and  a  profane  expression  he 
was  never  heard  to  utter.  Religion  he  revered.  His 
morals  were  pure,  and  he  was  uncontaminated  by  a 
single  vice. 

Young  Abraham  worked  for  a  time  as  a  hired  laborer 
among  the  farmers.  Then  he  went  to  Springfield, 
where  he  was  employed  in  building  a  large  flat-boat 
In  this  he  took  a  herd  of  swine,  floated  them  down 
the  Sangamon  to  the  Illinois,  and  thence  by  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  New  Orleans.  Whatever  Abraham  Lin- 
coln undertook,  he  performed  so  faithfully  as  to  givr. 
great  satisfaction  to  his  employers.  In  this  advcn- 


8o 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


ture  his  employers  were  so  well  pleased,  that  upon 
his  return  they  placed  a  store  and  mill  under  his  care. 

In  1832,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  he 
enlisted  and  was  chosen  captain  of  a  company.  He 
returned  to  Sangamon  County,  and  although  only  23 
years  of  age,  was  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  but 
was  defeated.  He  soon  after  received  from  Andrew 
Jackson  the  appointment  of  Postmaster  of  New  Salem, 
His  only  post-office  was  his  hat.  All  the  letters  he 
received  he  carried  there  ready  to  deliver  to  those 
he  chanced  to  meet.  He  studied  surveying,  and  soon 
made  this  his  business.  In  1834  he  again  became  a 
candidate  for  the  Legislature,  and  was  elected  Mr. 
Stuart,  of  Springfield,  advised  him  to  study  law.  He 
walked  from  New  Salem  to  Springfield,  borrowed  of 
Mr.  Stuart  a  load  of  books,  carried  them  back  and 
began  his  legal  studies.  When  the  Legislature  as- 
sembled he  trudged  on  foot  with  his  pack  on  his  back 
one  hundred  miles  to  Vandalia,  then  the  capital.  In 
1836  he  was  re-elected  to  the  Legislature.  Here  it 
was  he  first  met  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  In  1839  he  re- 
moved to  Springfield  and  began  the  practice  of  law. 
His  success  with  the  jury  was  so  great  that  he  was 
soon  engaged  in  almost  every  noted  case  in  the  circuit. 

In  1854  the  great  discussion  began  between  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  Mr.  Douglas,  on  the  slavery  question. 
In  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  in  Illinois, 
in  1856,  he  took  an  active  part,  and  at  once  became 
one  of  the  leaders  in  that  party.  Mr.  Lincoln's 
speeches  in  opposition  to  Senator  Douglas  in  the  con- 
test in  1858  for  a  seat  in  the  Senate,  form  a  most 
notable  part  of  his  history.  The  issue  was  on  the 
Uavery  question,  and  he  took  the  broad  ground  of 
.he  Declaration  of  Independence,  that  all  men  are 
created  equal.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  defeated  in  this  con- 
test, but  won  a  far  higher  prize. 

The  great  Republican  Convention  met  at  Chicago 
on  the  1 6 th  of  June,  1860.  The  delegates  and 
strangers  who  crowded  the  city  amounted  to  twenty- 
five  thousand.  An  immense  building  called  "The 
Wigwam,"  was  reared  to  accommodate  the  Conven- 
tion. There  were  eleven  candidates  for  whom  votes 
were  thrown.  William  H.  Seward,  a  man  whose  fame 
as  a  statesman  had  long  filled  the  land,  was  the  most 
orominent.  It  was  generally  supposed  he  would  be 
the  nominee.  Abraham  Lincoln,  however,  received 
the  nomination  on  the  third  ballot.  Little  did  he  then 
dream  of  the  weary  years  of  toil  and  care,  and  the 
bloody  death,  to  which  that  nomination  doomed  him: 
and  as  little  did  he  dream  that  he  was  to  render  services 
to  his  country,  which  would  fix  upon  him  the  eyes  of 
the  whole  civilized  world,  and  which  would  give  him 
a  place  in  the  affections  of  his  countrymen,  second 
only,  if  second,  to  that  of  Washington. 

Election  day  came  and  Mr.  Lincoln  received  r8o 
electoral  votes  out  of  203  cast,  and  was,  therefore, 
constitutionally  elected  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  tirade  of  abuse  that  vas  poured  upon  this  good 


and  merciful  man,  especially  by  the  slaveholders,  was 
greater  than  upon  any  other  man  ever  elected  to  this 
high  position.  In  February,  1861,  Mr.  Lincoln  started 
for  Washington,  stopping  in  all  the  large  cities  on  his 
way  making  speeches.  The  whole  journey  was  frought 
with  much  danger.  Many  of  the  Southern  States  had 
already  seceded,  and  several  attempts  at  assassination 
were  afterwards  brought  to  light.  A  gang  in  Balti- 
more had  arranged,  upon  his  arrival  to  "get  up  a  row," 
and  in  the  confusion  to  make  sure  of  his  death  with 
revolvers  and  hand-grenades.  A  detective  unravelled 
the  plot.  A  secret  and  special  train  was  provided  to 
take  him  from  Harrisburg,  through  Baltimore,  at  an 
unexpected  hour  of  the  night.  The  train  started  at 
half-past  ten ;  and  to  prevent  ai;y  possible  communi- 
cation on  the  part  ot  the  Secessionists  with  their  Con- 
federate gang  in  Baltimore,  as  soon  as  the  train  had 
started  the  telegraph-wires  were  cut.  Mr.  Lincoln 
reached  Washington  in  safety  and  was  inaugurated, 
although  great  anxiety  was  felt  by  all  loyal  people. 

In  the  selection  of  his  cabinet  Mr.  Lincoln  gave 
to  Mr.  Seward  the  Department  of  State,  and  to  other 
prominent  opponents  before  the  convention  he  gave 
important  positions. 

During  no  other  administration  have  the  duties 
devolving  upon  the  President  been  so  manifold,  and 
the  responsibilities  so  great,  as  those  which  fell  to 
the  lot  of  President  Lincoln.  Knowing  this,  and 
feeling  his  own  weakness  and  inability  to  meet,  and  in 
his  own  strength  to  cope  with,  the  difficulties,  he 
learned  early  to  seek  Divine  wisdom  and  guidance  in 
determining  his  plans,  and  Divine  comfort  in  all  his 
trials,  bo'.h  personal  and  national.  Contrary  to  his 
own  estimate  of  himself,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  one  of  the 
most  courageous  of  men.  He  went  directly  into  the 
rebel  capital  just  as  the  retreating  foe  was  leaving, 
with  no  guard  but  a  few  sailors.  From  the  time  he 
had  left  Springfield,  in  i86r,  however,  plans  had  been 
made  for  his  assassination, and  he  at  last  fell  a  victim 
to  one  of  them.  April  T4,  1865,  he,  with  Gen.  Grant, 
was  urgently  invited  to  attend  Fords'  Theater.  It 
was  announced  that  they  would  Le  present.  Gen. 
Grant,  however,  left  the  city.  President  Lincoln,  feel- 
ing, witli  his  characteristic  kindliness  of  heart,  that 
it  would  be  a  disappointment  if  he  should  fail  them, 
very  reluctantly  consented  to  go.  While  listening  to 
the  play  an  actor  by  the  name  of  John  Wilkes  Booth 
entered  the  box  where  the  President  and  family  were 
seated,  and  fired  a  bullet  into  his  brains.  He  died  the 
next  morning  at  seven  o'clock. 

Never  before,  in  the  history  of  the  world  was  a  nation 
plunged  into  such  deep  grief  by  the  death  of  its  ruler. 
Strong  men  met  in  the  streets  and  wept  in  speechless 
anguish.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  a  nation  was 
in  tears.  His  was  a  life  which  will  fitly  become  a 
model.  His  name  as  the  savior  of  his  country  will 
live  with  that  of  Washington's,  its  father;  his  country-  , 
men  being  unable  to  decide  whi.  h  is  t'-e  greater. 


S£  Vti.\'TEENTll  PRESIDENT. 


NDREW  JOHNSON,  seven- 
teenth President  of  the  United 
States.  The  early  life  of 
Andrew  Johnson  contains  but 
the  record  of  poverty,  destitu- 
tion and  friendlessness.  He 
was  born  December  29,  1808, 
in  Raleigh,  N.  C.  His  parents, 
belonging  to  the  class  of  the 
"poor  whites  "  of  the  South,  were 
in  such  circumstances,  that  they 
could  not  confer  even  the  slight- 
est advantages  of  education  upon 
their  child.  When  Andrew  was  five 
years  of  age,  his  father  accidentally 
lost  his  life  while  herorically  endeavoring  to  save  a 
friend  from  drowning.  Until  ten  years  of  age,  Andrew 
was  a  ragged  boy  about  the  streets,  supported  by  the 
labor  of  his  mother,  who  obtained  her  living  with 
her  own  hands. 

He  then,  having  never  attended  a  school  one  day, 
and  being  unable  either  to  read  or  write,  was  ap- 
prenticed to  a  tailor  in  his  native  town.  A  gentleman 
was  in  the  habit  of  going  to  the  tailor's  shop  occasion- 
ally, and  reading  to  the  boys  at  work  there.  He  often 
read  from  the  speeches  of  distinguished  British  states- 
men. Andrew,  who  was  endowed  with  a  mind  of  more 
than  ordinary  native  ability,  became  much  interested 
in  these  speeches ;  his  ambition  was  roused,  and  he 
was  inspired  with  a  strong  desire  to  learn  to  read. 

He  accordingly  applied  himself  to  the  alphabet,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  some  of  his  fellow- workmen, 
learned  his  letters.  He  then  called  upon  the  gentle- 
man to  borrow  the  book  of  speeches.  The  owner, 


pleased  with  his  zeal,  not  only  gave  him  the  book, 
but  assisted  him  in  learning  to  combine  the  letters 
into  words.  Under  such  difficulties  he  pressed  01. 
ward  laboriously,  spending  usually  ten  or  twelve  hours 
at  work  in  the  shop,  and  then  robbing  himself  of  rest 
and  recreation  to  devote  such  time  as  he  could  to 
reading. 

He  went  to  Tennessee  in  1826,  and  located  at 
Greenville,  where  he  married  a  young  lady  who  pos 
sessed  some  education.  Under  her  instructions  he 
learned  to  write  and  cipher.  He  became  prominent 
in  the  village  debating  society,  and  a  favorite  with 
the  students  of  Greenville  College.  In  1828,  he  or- 
ganized a  working  man's  party,  which  elected  him 
alderman,  and  in  1830  elected  him  mayor,  which 
position  he  held  three  years. 

He  now  began  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  political 
affairs ;  identifying  himself  with  the  working-classes, 
to  which  he  belonged.  In  1835,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  Tennes- 
see. He  was  then  just  twenty-seven  years  of  age. 
He  became  a  very  active  member  of  the  legislature, 
gave  his  adhesion  to  the  Democratic  party,  and  in 
1840  "stumped  the  State,"  advocating  Martin  Van 
Buren's  claims  to  the  Presidency,  in  opposition  to  those 
of  Gen.  Harrison.  In  this  campaign  he  acquired  much 
readiness  as  a  speaker,  and  extended  and  increased 
his  reputation. 

In  1841,  he  was  elected  State  Senator;  in  1843,116 
was  elected  a  member  of  Congress,  and  by  successive 
elections,  held  that  important  post  for  ten  years.  In 
1853,  he  was  elected  Governor  of  Tennessee,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1855.  In  all  these  res]»nsible  posi- 
tions, he  discharged  his  duties  with  distinguished  abi; 

i» 


84 


ANDREW  JOHNSON. 


ity,  and  proved  himself  the  warm  friend  of  the  work- 
ing classes.  In  1857,  Mr.  Johnson  was  elected 
United  States  Senator. 

Years  before,  in  1845,  he  had  warmly  advocated 
the  annexation  of  Texas,  stating  however,  as  his 
reason,  that  he  thought  this  annexation  would  prob- 
ably prove  "  to  be  the  gateway  out  of  which  the  sable 
sons  of  Africa  are  to  pass  from  bondage  to  freedom, 
and  become  merged  in  a  population  congenial  to 
themselves."  In  1850,  he  also  supported  the  com- 
promise measures,  the  two  essential  features  of  which 
were,  that  the  white  people  of  the  Territories  should 
be  permitted  to  decide  for  themselves  whether  they 
would  enslave  the  colored  people  or  not,  and  that 
the  free  States  of  the  North  should  return  to  the 
South  persons  who  attempted  to  escape  from  slavery. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  never  ashamed  of  his  lowly  origin: 
on  the  contrary,  he  often  took  pride  in  avowing  that 
he  owed  his  distinction  to  his  own  exertions.  "  Sir," 
said  he  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  "  I  do  not  forget 
that  I  am  a  mechanic ;  neither  do  I  forget  that  Adam 
was  a  tailor  and  sewed  fig-leaves,  and  that  our  Sav- 
ior was  the  son  of  a  carpenter." 

In  the  Charleston-Baltimore  convention  of  iScto,  iie 
was  the  choice  of  the  Tennessee  Democrats  for  the 
Presidency.  In  r86i,  when  the  purpose  of  the  South- 
irn  Democracy  became  apparent,  he  took  a  decided 
stand  in  favor  of  the  Union,  and  held  that  "  slavery 
must  be  held  subordinate  to  the  Union  at  whatever 
cost."  He  returned  to  Tennessee,  and  repeatedly 
imperiled  his  own  life  to  protect  the  Unionists  of 
Tennesee.  Tennessee  having  seceded  from  the 
Union,  President  Lincoln,  on  March  4th,  1862,  ap- 
pointed him  Military  Governor  of  the  State,  and  he 
established  the  most  stringent  military  rule.  His 
numerous  proclamations  attracted  wide  attention.  In 

1864,  he  was  elected  Vice-President  of  the    United 
States,  and  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  April  15, 

1865,  became  President.     In  a  speech  two  days  later 
he  said,  "  The  American  people  must  be   taught,  if 
?hey  do  not  already  feel,  that  treason  is  a  crime  and 
must  be  punished ;  that   the     Government  will    not 
always  bear  with  its  enemies;  that  it   is   strong   not 
only  to  protect,  but  to   punish.     *    *    The  people 
must  understand  that  it  (treason)  is  the   blackest   of 
crimes,  and  will  surely  be  punished."    Yet  his  whole 
administration,  the  history  of  which  is  so  well  known, 
was  in  utter  inconsistency  with,  and  the  most  violent 


opposition  to.  the  principles  laid  down  in  that  speech. 

.  In  his  loose  policy  of  reconstruction  and  general 
amnesty,  he  was  opposed  by  Congress ;  and  he  char- 
acterized Congress  as  a  new  rebellion,  and  lawlessly 
defied  it,  in  everything  possible,  to  the  utmost.  In 
the  beginning  of  1868,  on  account  of  "  high  crimes 
and  misdemeanors,"  the  principal  of  which  was  the 
removal  of  Secretary  Stanton,  in  violation  of  the  Ten- 
ure of  Office  Act,  articles  of  impeachment  were  pre- 
ferred against  him,  and  the  trial  began  March  23. 

It  was  very  tedious,  continuing  for  nearly  three 
months.  A  test  article  of  the  impeachment  was  at 
length  submitted  to  the  court  for  its  action.  It  was 
certain  that  as  the  court  voted  upon  that  article  so 
would  it  vote  upon  all.  Thirty-four  voices  pronounced 
the  President  guilty.  As  a  two-thirds  vote  was  neces- 
sary to  his  condemnation,  he  was  pronounced  ac- 
quitted, notwithstanding  the  great  majority  against 
him.  The  change  of  one  vote  from  the  not  guilty 
side  would  have  sustained  the  impeachment. 

The  President,  for  the  remainder  of  his  term,  was 
but  little  regarded.  He  continued,  though  impotent!--, 
his  conflict  with  Congress.  His  own  party  did  not 
think  it  expedient  to  renominate  him  for  the  Presi- 
dency. The  Nation  rallied,  with  enthusiasm  unpar- 
alleled since  the  days  of  Washington,  around  the  name 
of  Gen.  Grant.  Andrew  Johnson  was  forgotten. 
The  bullet  of  the  assassin  introduced  him  to  the 
President's  chair.  Notwithstanding  this,  never  was 
there  presented  to  a  man  a  better  opportunity  to  im- 
mortalize his  name,  and  to  win  the  gratitude  of  a 
nation.  He  failed  utterly.  He  retired  to  his  home 
in  Greenville,  Tenn.,  taking  no  very  active  part  in 
politics  until  1875.  On  Jan.  26,  after  an  exciting 
struggle,  he  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  of  Ten- 
nessee, United  States  Senator  in  the  forty-fourth  Con- 
gress, and  took  his  seat  in  that  body,  at  the  special 
session  convened  by  President  Grant,  on  the  5th  of 
March.  On  the  27th  of  July,  1875,1)16  ex-President 
made  a  visit  to  his  daughter's  home,  near  Carter 
Station,  Tenn.  When  he  started  on  his  journey,  he  was 
apparently  in  his  usual  vigorous  health,  but  on  reach- 
ing the  residence  of  his  child  the  following  day,  was 
stricken  with  paralysis,  rendering  him  unconscious. 
He  rallied  occasionally,  but  finally  passed  away  at 
2  A.M.,  July  31,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  His  fun- 
eral was  attended  at  Geenville,  on  the  3d  of  August, 
with  every  demonstration  of  respect 


:- 


, 


EIGHTEENTH  2'RESIDENT. 


87     - 


LYSSES  S.  GRANT,  the 
eighteenth  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  on 
the  29th  of  April,  1822,  of 
Christian  parents,  in  a  humble 
home,  at  Point  Pleasant,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio.  Shortly  after 
his  father  moved  to  George- 
town, Brown  Co.,  O.  In  this  re- 
mote frontier  hamlet,  Ulysses 
received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation. At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, in  the  year  1839,  he  entered 
the  Military  Academy  at  West 
I  Point.  Here  he  was  regarded  as  a 
solid,  sensible  young  man  of  fair  abilities,  and  of 
sturdy,  honest  character.  He  took  respectable  rank 
as  a  scholar.  In  June,  1843,  he  graduated,  about  the 
middle  in  his  class,  and  was  sent  as  lieutenant  of  in- 
fantry to  one  of  the  distant  military  posts  in  the  Mis- 
souri Territory.  Two  years  he  past  in  these  dreary 
solitudes,  watching  the  vagabond  and  exasperating 
Indians. 

The  war  with  Mexico  came.  Lieut.  Grant  was 
sent  with  his  regiment  to  Corpus  Christi.  His  first 
battle  was  at  Palo  Alto.  There  was  no  chance  here 
for  the  exhibition  of  either  skill  or  heroism,  nor  at 
Resacade  la  Pal  ma,  his  second  battle.  At  the  battle 
of  Monterey,  his  third  engagement,  it  is  said  that 
he  performed  a  signal  service  of  daring  and  skillful 
horsemanship.  His  brigade  had  exhausted  its  am- 
munition. A  messenger  must  be  sent  for  more,  along 
a  route  exposed  to  the  bullets  of  the  foe.  Lieut. 
Grant,  adopting  an  expedient  learned  of  the  Indians, 
grasped  the  mane  of  his  horse,  and  hanging  upon  one 
side  of  the  aniwil,  ran  the  gauntlet  in  entire  safety. 


From  Monterey  he  was  sent,  with  the  fourth  infantry, 
to  aid  Gen.  Scott,  at  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz.  In 
preparation  for  the  march  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  he 
was  appointed  quartermaster  of  his  regiment.  At  the 
battle  of  Molino  del  Rey,  he  was  promoted  to  a 
first  lieutenancy,  and  was  brevetted  captain  at  Cha- 
pultepec. 

At  the  close  of  the  Mexican  War,  Capt.  Grant  re- 
turned with  his  regiment  to  New  York,  and  was  again 
sent  to  one  of  the  military  posts  on  the  frontier.  The 
discovery  of  gold  in  California  causing  an  immense 
tide  of  emigration  to  flow  to  the  Pacific  shores,  Capt. 
Grant  was  sent  with  a  battalion  to  Fort  Dallas,  in 
Oregon,  for  the  protection  of  the  interests  of  the  im- 
migrants. Life  was  wearisome  in  those  wilds.  Capt. 
Grant  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to  the 
States ;  and  having  married,  entered  upon  the  cultiva- 
tion of  a  small  farm  near  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  had  but 
little  skill  as  a  farmer.  Finding  his  toil  not  re- 
munerative, he  turned  to  mercantile  life,  entering  into 
theleather  business,  with  a  younger  brother,  at  Ga- 
lena, 111.  This  was  in  the  year  1860.  As  the  tidings 
of  the  rebels  firing  on  Fort  Sumpter  reached  the  ears 
of  Capt.  Grant  in  his  counting-room,  he  said, — 
"Uncle  Sam  has  educated  me  for  the  army;  though 
I  have  served  him  through  one  war,  I  do  not  feel  that 
I  have  yet  repaid  the  debt.  I  am  still  ready  to  discharge 
my  obligations.  I  shall  therefore  buckle  on  my  sword 
and  see  Uncle  Sam  through  this  war  too." 

He  went  into  the  streets,  raised  a  company  of  vol- 
unteers, and  led  them  as  their  captain  to  Springfield, 
the  capital  of  the  State,  where  their  services  were 
offered  to  Gov.  Yates.  The  Governor,  impressed  by 
the  zeal  and  straightforward  executive  ability  of  Capt. 
Grant,  gave  him  a  desk  in  his  office,  to  assist  in  the 
volunteer  organization  that  was  being  formed  in  the 
State  in  behalf  of  the  Government.  On  the  15111  of 


88 


UL  YSSES  S.  GRA  NT. 


I 


June,  1 86 1,  Capt.  Grant  received  a  commission  as 
Colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  of  Illinois  Vol- 
unteers. His  merits  as  a  West  Point  graduate,  who 
had  served  for  15  years  in  the  regular  army,  were  such 
that  he  was  soon  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General  and  was  placed  in  command  at  Cairo.  The 
rebels  raised  their  banner  at  Paducah,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Tennessee  River.  Scarcely  had  its  folds  ap- 
peared in  the  breeze  ere  Gen.  Grant  was  there.  The 
rebels  fled.  Their  banner  fell,  and  the  star  and 
stripes  were  unfurled  in  its  stead. 

He  entered  the  service  with  great  determination 
and  immediately  began  active  duty.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning, and  until  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  Richmond 
he  was  ever  pushing  the  enemy  with  great  vigor  and 
effectiveness.  At  Belmont,  a  few  days  later,  he  sur- 
prised and  routed  the  rebels,  then  at  Fort  Henry 
won  another  victory.  Then  came  the  brilliant  fight 
at  Fort  Donelson.  The  nation  was  electrified  by  the 
victory,  and  the  brave  leader  of  the  boys  in  blue  was 
immediately  made  a  Major-General,  and  the  military 
district  of  Tennessee  was  assigned  to  him. 

Like  all  great  captains,  Gen.  Grant  knew  well  how 
to  secure  the  results  of  victory.  He  immediately 
pushed  on  to  the  enemies'  lines.  Then  came  the 
terrible  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  Corinth,  and  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  where  Gen.  Pemberton  made  an 
unconditional  surrender  of  the  city  with  over  thirty 
thousand  men  and  one-hundred  and  seventy-two  can- 
non. The  fall  of  Vicksburg  was  by  far  the  most 
severe  blow  which  the  rebels  had  thus  far  encountered, 
and  opened  up  the  Mississippi  from  Cairo  to  theirulf. 

Gen.  Grant  was  next  ordered  to  co-operate  with 
Gen.  Banks  in  a  movement  upon  Texas,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  thrown  from 
his  horse,  and  received  severe  injuries,  from  which  lie 
was  laid  up  for  months.  He  then  rushed  to  the  aid 
of  Gens.  Rosecrans  and  Thomas  at  Chattanooga,  and 
by  a  wonderful  series  of  strategic  and  technical  meas- 
ures put  the  Union  Army  in  fighting  condition.  Then 
followed  the  bloody  battles  at  Chattanooga,  Lookout 
Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge,  in  which  the  rebels 
were  routed  with  great  loss.  This  won  for  him  un- 
bounded praise  in  the  North.  On  the  4th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1864,  Congress  revived  the  grade  of  lieutenant- 
general,  and  the  rank  was  conferred  on  Gen.  Grant. 
He  repaired  to  Washington  to  receive  his  credentials 
and  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  new  office. 


Gen.  Grant  decided  as  soon  as  he  took  charge  of 
the  army  to  concentrate  the  widely-dispersed  National 
troops  for  an  attack  upon  Richmond,  the  nominal 
capital  of  the  Rebellion,  and  endeavor  there  to  de- 
stroy the  rebel  armies  which  would  be  promptly  as- 
sembled from  all  quarters  for  its  defence.  The  whole 
continent  seemed  to  tremble  under  the  tramp  of  these 
majestic  armies,  rushing  to  the  decisive  battle  field. 
Steamers  were  crowded  with  troops.  Railway  trains 
were  burdened  with  closely  packed  thousands.  His 
plans  were  comprehensive  and  involved  a  series  of 
campaigns,  which  were  executed  with  remarkable  en- 
ergy and  ability,  and  were  consummated  at  the  sur- 
render of  Lee,  April  9,  1865. 

The  war  was  ended.  The  Union  was  saved.  The 
almost  unanimous  voice  of  the  Nation  declared  Gen. 
Grant  to  be  the  most  prominent  instrument  in  its  sal- 
vation. The  eminent  services  he  had  thus  rendered 
the  country  brought  him  conspicuously  forward  as  the 
Republican  candidate  for  the  Presidential  chair. 

At  the  Republican  Convention  held  at  Chicago, 
May  21,  1868,  he  was  unanimously  nominated  for  the 
Presidency,  and  at  the  autumn  election  received  a 
majority  of  the  popular  vote,  and  214  out  of  294 
electoral  votes. 

The  National  Convention  of  the  Republican  party 
which  met  at  Philadelphia  on  the  5th  of  June,  1872, 
placed  Gen.  Grant  in  nomination  for  a  second  term 
by  a  unanimous  vote.  The  selection  was  emphati- 
cally indorsed  by  the  people  five  months  later,  292 
electoral  votes  being  cast  for  him. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  his  second  term,  Gen.  Grant 
started  upon  his  famous  trip  around  the  world.  He 
visited  almost  every  country  of  the  civilized  world, 
and  was  everywhere  received  with  such  ovations 
and  demonstrations  of  respect  and  honor,  private 
as  well  as  public  and  official,  as  were  never  before 
bestowed  upon  any  citizen  of  the  United  States.  , 

He  was  the  most  prominent  candidate  before  the 
Republican  National  Convention  in  1880  for  a  re- 
nomination  for  President.  He  went  to  New  York  and 
embarked  in  the  brokerage  business  under  the  firm 
nameof  Grant  &  Ward.  The  latter  proved  a  villain, 
wrecked  Grant's  fortune,  and  for  larceny  was  sent  to 
the  penitentiary.  The  General  was  attacked  with 
cancer  in  the  throat,  but  suffered  in  his  stoic-like 
manner,  never  complaining.  He  was  re-instated  as 
General  of  the  Army  and  retired  by  Congress.  The 
cancer  soon  finished  its  deadly  work,  and  July  23, 
1885,  the  nation  went  in  mourning  over  the  death  of 
the  illustrious  General. 


• 


5". 


i, — \  i- 


NINETEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


*   — 


UTHERFORD  B.  HAYES, 
the  nineteenth  President  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  in 
Delaware,  O.,  Oct.  4,  1822,  al- 
most three  months  after  the 
death  of  his  father,  Rutherford 
Hayes.  His  ancestry  on  both 
the  paternal  and  maternal  sides, 
was  of  the  most  honorable  char- 
acter. It  can  be  traced,  it  is  said, 
as  far  back  as  1280,  when  Hayes  and 
Rutherford  were  two  Scottish  chief- 
tains, fighting  side  by  side  with 
Baliol,  William  Wallace  and  Robert 
Bruce.  Both  families  belonged  to  the 
nobility,  owned  extensive  estates, 
and  had  a  large  following.  Misfor- 
tune overtaking  the  family,  George  Hayes  left  Scot- 
land in  1680,  and  settled  in  Windsor,  Conn.  His  son 
George  was  born  in  Windsor,  and  remained  there 
during  his  life.  Daniel  Hayes,  son  of  the  latter,  mar- 
ried Sarah  Lee,  and  lived  from  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage until  his  death  in  Simsbury,  Conn.  Ezekiel, 
son  of  Daniel,  was  born  in  1724,  and  was  a  manufac- 
turer of  scythes  at  Bradford,  Conn.  Rutherford  Hayes, 
son  of  Ezekiel  and  grandfather  of  President  Hayes,  was 
born  in  New  Haven,  in  August,  T756.  He  was  a  farmer, 
blacksmith  and  tavern-keeper.  He  emigrated  to 
Vermont  at  an  unknown  date,  settling  in  Brattleboro, 
where  he  established  a  hotel.  Here  his  son  Ruth- 
erford Hayes  the  father  of  President  Hayes,  was 

4* 


born.  He  was  married,  in  September,  1813,  to  Sophia 
Birchard,  of  Wilmington,  Vt.,  whose  ancestors  emi- 
grated thither  from  Connecticut,  they  having  been 
among  the  wealthiest  and  best  famlies  of  Norwich. 
Her  ancestry  on  the  male  side  are  traced  back  to 
1635,  to  John  Birchard,  one  of  the  principal  founders 
of  Norwich.  Both  of  her  grandfathers  were  soldiers 
in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

The  father  of  President  Hayes  was  an  industrious, 
frugal  and  opened-hearted  man.  He  was  of  a  me. 
chanical  turn,  and  could  mend  a  plow,  knit  a  stock, 
ing,  or  do  almost  anything  else  that  he  choose  to 
undertake.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Church,  active 
in  all  the  benevolent  enterprises  of  the  town,  and  con- 
ducted his  business  on  Christian  principles.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  for  reasons  inexplicable 
to  his  neighbors,  he  resolved  to  emigrate  to  Ohio. 

The  journey  from  Vermont  to  Ohio  in  that  day, 
when  there  were  no  canals,  steamers,  nor  railways, 
was  a  very  serious  affair.  A  tour  of  inspection  was 
first  made,  occupying  four  months.  Mr.  Hayes  deter- 
mined to  move  to  Delaware,  where  the  family  arrived 
in  1817.  He  died  July  22,  1822,  a  victim  of  malarial 
fever,  less  than  three  months  before  the  birth  of  the 
son,  of  whom  we  now  write.  Mrs.  Hayes,  in  her  sore  be- 
reavement, found  the  support  she  so  much  needed  in 
her  brother  Sardis,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the 
household  from  the  day  of  its  departure  from  Ver~ 
mont,  and  in  an  orphan  girl  whom  she  had  adopted 
some  time  before  as  an  act  of  charity. 

Mrs.  Hayes  at  this  period  was  very  weak,  and  the 


i 


RUTHERFORD  JB.  HAYES. 


subject  of  this  sketch  was  so  feeble  at  birth  that  he 
was  not  expected  to  live  beyond  a  month  or  two  at 
most.  As  the  months  went  by  he  grew  weaker  and 
weaker,  so  that  the  neighbors  were  in  the  habit  of  in- 
quiring from  time  to  time  "  if  Mrs.  Hayes'  baby  died 
last  night."  On  one  occasion  a  neighbor,  who  was  on 
familiar  terms  with  the  family,  after  alluding  to  the 
boy's  big  head,  and  the  mother's  assiduous  care  of 
him,  said  in  a  bantering  way,  "  That's  right!  Stick  to 
him.  You  have  got  him  along  so  far,  and  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  he  would  really  come  to  something  yet." 

"  You  need  not  laugh,"  said  Mrs.  Hayes.  "  You 
vait  and  see.  You  can't  tell  but  I  shall  make  him 
President  of  the  United  States  yet."  The  boy  lived, 
in  spite  of  the  universal  predictions  of  his  speedy 
death;  and  when,  in  1825,  his  older  brother  was 
drowned,  he  became,  if  possible,  still  dearer  to  his 
mother. 

The  boy  was  seven  years  old  before  he  went  to 
school.  His  education,  however,  was  not  neglected. 
He  probably  learned  as  much  from  his  mother  and 
i  ister  as  he  would  have  done  at  school.  His  sports 
were  almost  wholly  within  doors,  his  playmates  being 
his  sister  and  her  associates.  These  circumstances 
tended,  no  doubt,  to  foster  that  gentleness  of  dispo- 
sition, and  that  delicate  consideration  for  the  feelings 
of  others,  which  are  marked  traits  of  his  character. 

His  uncle  Sardis  Birchard  took  the  deepest  interest 
in  his  education ;  and  as  the  boy's  health  had  im- 
proved, and  he  was  making  good  progress  in  his 
studies,  he  proposed  to  send  him  to  college.  His  pre- 
paration commenced  with  a  tutor  at  home;  b'.it  he 
was  afterwards  sent  for  one  year  to  a  professor  in  the 
Wesleyan  University,  in  Middletown,  Conn.  He  en- 
tered Kenyon  College  in  1838,3!  the  age  of  sixteen, 
and  was  graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  1842. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Thomas  Sparrow,  Esq., 
in  Columbus.  Finding  his  opportunities  for  study  in 
Columbus  somewhat  limited,  he  determined  to  enter 
the  Law  School  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years. 

In  1845,  after  graduating  at  the  Law  School,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  and  shortly 
afterward  went  into  practice  as  an  attorney-at-law 
with  Ralph  P.  Buckland,  of  Fremont.  Here  he  re- 
mained three  years,  acquiring  but  a  limited  practice, 
and  apparently  unambitious  of  distinction  in  his  pro- 
fession. 

In  1849  he  mjved  to  Cincinnati,  where  his  ambi- 
tion found  a  new  stimulus.  For  several  years,  how- 
ever, his  progress  was  slow.  Two  events,  occurring  at 
this  period,  had  a  powerful  influence  upon  his  subse- 
quent life.  One  of  these  was  his  marrage  with  Miss 
Lucy  Ware  Webb,  daughter  of  Dr.  James  Webb,  of 
Chilicothe;  the  other  was  his  introduction  to  the  Cin- 
cinnati Literary  Club,  a  body  embracing  among  its 
members  suck  men  as^hief  Justice  Salmon  P.  Chase, 


Gen.  John  Pope,  Gov.  Edward  F.  Noyes,  and  many 
others  hardly  less  distinguished  in  after  life.  The 
marriage  was  a  fortunate  one  in  every  respect,  as 
everybody  knows.  Not  one  of  all  the  wives  of  our 
Presidents  was  more  universally  admired,  reverenced 
and  beloved  than  was  Mrs.  Hayes,  and  no  one  did 
more  than  she  to  reflect  honor  upon  American  woman- 
hood. The  Literary  Cluu  brought  Mr.  Hayes  into 
constant  association  with  young  men  of  high  char- 
acter and  noble  aims,  and  lured  him  to  display  the 
qualities  so  long  hidden  by  his  bashfulness  and 
modesty. 

In  1856  he  was  nominated  to  the  office  of  Judge  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas;  but  he  declined  to  ac- 
cept the  nomination.  Two  years  later,  the  office  of 
city  solicitor  becoming  vacant,  the  City  Council 
elected  him  for  the  unexpired  term. 

In  1861,  when  the  Rebellion  broke  out,  he  was  at 
the  zenith  of  his  professional  life.  His  rank  at  the 
bar  was  among  the  the  first.  But  the  news  of  the 
attack  on  Fort  Sumpter  found  him  eager  to  take  up 
arms  for  the  defense  of  his  country. 

His  military  record  was  bright  and  illustrious.  In 
October,  1861,  he  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
in  August,  1862,  promoted  Colonel  of  the  791)1  Ohio 
regiment,  but  he  refused  to  leave  his  old  comrades 
and  go  among  strangers.  Subsequently,  however,  he 
was  made  Colonel  of  his  old  regiment.  At  the  battle 
of  South  Mountain  he  received  a  wound,  and  while 
faint  and  bleeding  displayed  courage  and  fortitude 
that  won  admiration  from  all. 

Col.  Hayes  was  detached  from  his  regiment,  after 
his  recovery,  to  act  as  Brigadier-General,  and  placed 
in  command  of  the  celebrated  Kanawha  division, 
and  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  in  the  battles 
of  Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek,  he  was 
promoted  Brigadier-General.  He  was  also  brevetted 
Major-General,  "forgallanl  and  distinguished  f ervices 
during  the  campaigns  of  1864,  in  West  Virginia."  In 
the  course  of  his  arduous  services,  four  horses  were 
shot  from  under  him,  and  he  was  wounded  four  times. 

In  1864,  Gen.  Hayes  was  elected  to  Congress,  from 
the  Second  Ohio  District,  which  had  long  been  Dem- 
ocratic. He  was  not  present  during  the  campaign, 
and  after  his  election  was  importuned  to  resign  his 
commission  in  the  army ;  but  he  finally  declared,  "  I 
shall  never  come  to  Washington  until  I  can  come  by 
the  way  of  Richmond."  He  was  re-elected  in  r866. 

In  1867,  Gen  Hayes  was  elected  Governor  of  Ohio, 
over  Hon.  Allen  G.  Thurman,  a  popular  Democrat. 
In  1869  was  re-elected  over  George  H.  Pendleton. 
He  was  elected  Governor  for  the  third  term  in  1875. 

In  1876  he  was  the  standard  bearer  of  the  Repub- 
lican Party  in  the  Presidential  contest,  and  after  a 
hard  long  contest  was  chosen  President,  and  was  in 
augurated  Monday,  March  5,  ^75.  He  served  his 
full  term,  not,  however,  with  satisfaction  to  his  party, 
but  his  administration  was  an  average  on.°. 


I 


TWENTIETH  PRESIDENT. 


L,M;E!  &,  i 


f 


AMES  A.  GARl''IELD,  twen- 
tieth President  of  the  United 
States,    was    born    Nov.    19, 
1831,  in  the  woods  of  Orange, 
Cuyahoga  Co.,  O      His    par- 
ents were  Abram  and    Eliza 
(Ballou)    Garfield,   both  of  New 
England  ancestry  and  from  fami- 
lies well  known  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  that  section  of  our  coun- 
try, but  had  moved  to  the  Western 
Reserve,  in  Ohio,  early  in  its  settle- 
ment. 

The  house  in  which  James  A.  was 
born  was  not  unlike  the  houses  of 
poor  Ohio  farmers  of  that  day.  It 
•,ds  about  20x30  feet,  built  of  logs,  with  the  spaces  be- 
vVveen  the  logs  filled  with  clay.  His  father  was  a 
:iard  working  farmer,  and  he  soon  had  his  fields 
cleared,  an  orchard  planted,  and  a  log  barn  built. 
f  he  household  comprised  the  father  and  mother  and 
iheir  four  children — Mehetabel,  Thomas,  Mary  and 
Barnes.  In  May,  1823,  the  father,  from  a  cold  con- 
tacted in  helping  to  put  out  a  forest  fire,  died.  At 
this  time  James  wns  about  eighteen  months  old,  and 
Thomas  about  ten  years  old.  No  one,  perhaps,  can 
tell  how  much  James  was  indebted  to  his  biother's 
ceil  and  self-sacrifice  during  the  twenty  years  suc- 
ceeding his  father's  death,  but  undoubtedly  very 
much.  He  now  lives  in  Michigan,  and  the  two  sis- 
ters live  in  Solon,  O.,  near  their  birthplace. 

The  early  educational  advantages  young  Garfield 
enjoyed  were  very  limited,  yet  he  made  the  most  of 
them.  He  labored  at  farm  work  for  others,  did  car- 
penter work,  chopped  wood,  or  did  anything  that 
would  bring  in  a  few  dollars  lo  aid  his  widowed 
mother  in  he'  struggles  to  keep  the  little  family  to- 


gether. Nor  was  Gen.  Garfield  ever  ashamed  of  his 
origin,  and  he  never  forgot  the  friends  of  his  strug- 
gling childhood,  youth  and  manhood,  neither  did  they 
ever  forget  him.  When  in  the  highest  seats  of  honor, 
the  humblest  fiiend  of  his  boyhood  was  as  kindly 
greeted  as  ever.  The  poorest  laborer  was  sure  of  the 
sympathy  of  one  who  had  known  all  the  bitterness 
of  want  and  the  sweetness  of  bread  earned  by  the 
sweat  of  the  brow.  He  was  ever  the  simple,  plain, 
modest  gentleman. 

The  highest  ambition  of  young  Garfield  until  he 
was  about  sixteen  years  old  was  to  be  a  captain  of 
a  vessel  on  Lake  Erie.  He  was  anxious  to  go  aboard 
a  vessel,  which  his  mother  strongly  opposed.  She 
finally  consented  to  his  going  to  Cleveland,  with  the 
understanding,  however,  that  he  should  try  to  obtain 
some  other  kind  of  employment.  He  walked  all  the 
way  to  Cleveland.  This  was  his  first  visit  to  the  city. 
Afier  making  many  applications  for  work,  and  trying 
to  get  aboard  a  lake  vessel,  and  not  meeting  with 
success,  he  engaged  as  a  driver  for  his  cousin,  Amos 
Letcher,  on  the  Ohio  &  Pennsylvania  Canal.  He  re- 
mained at  this  work  but  a  short  time  when  he  went 
home,  and  attended  the  seminary  at  Chester  for 
about  three  years,  when  he  entered  Hiram  and  the 
Eclectic  Institute,  teaching  a  few  terms  of  school  in 
the  meantime,  and  doing  other  work.  This  school 
wds  started  by  the  Disciples  of  Christ  in  1850,  of 
which  church  he  was  then  a  member.  He  became 
janitor  and  bell-ringer  in  order  to  help  pay  his  way: 
He  then  became  both  teacher  and  pupil.  He  soon 
"  exhausted  Hiram  "  and  needed  more  ;  hence,  in  the 
fall  of  1854,  he  entered  Williams  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1856,  taking  one  of  the  highest  hon- 
ors of  his  class.  He  afterwards  returned  to  Hiram 
College  as  its  President.  As  above  stated,  he  early 
united  with  the  Christian  or  Diciples  Church  at 
Hiram,  and  was  ever  after  a  devoted,  zealous  mem- 
ber, often  preaching  in  its  pulpit  and  places  where 
he  happened  to  be.  Dr.  Noah  Porter,  President  of 
Yale  College,  says  of  him  in  reference  to  his  religion  : 


,   i 

f 


,  ,   96 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


"  President  Garfield  was  more  than  a  man  of 
strong  moral  and  religious  convictions.  His  whole 
history,  from  boyhood  to  the  last,  shows  that  duty  to 
man  and  to  God,  and  devotion  to  Christ  and  life  and 
faith  and  spiritual  commission  were  controlling  springs 
of  his  being,  and  to  a  more  than  usual  degree.  In 
my  judgment  there  is  no  more  interesting  feature  of 
his  character  than  his  loyal  allegiance  to  the  body  of 
Christians  in  which  he  was  trained,  and  the  fervent 
sympathy  which  he  ever  showed  in  their  Christian 
communion.  Not  many  of  the  few  'wise  and  mighty 
and  noble  who  are  called '  show  a  similar  loyalty  to 
the  less  stately  and  cultured  Christian  communions 
in  which  they  have  been  reared.  Too  often  it  is  true 
that  as  they  step  upward  in  social  and  political  sig- 
nificance they  step  upward  from  one  degree  to 
another  in  some  of  the  many  types  of  fashionable 
Christianity.  President  Garfield  adhered  to  the 
church  of  his  mother,  the  church  in  which  he  was 
trained,  and  in  which  he  served  as  a  pillar  and  an 
evangelist,  and  yet  with  the  largest  and  most  unsec- 
tarian  charity  for  all  'who  love  our  Lord  in  sincerity.'" 

Mr.  Garfield  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Lucretia  Rudolph,  Nov.  n,  1858,  who  proved  herself 
worthyas  the  wifeof  one  whom  all  the  world  loved  and 
mourned.  To  them  were  born  seven  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living,  four  boys  and  one  girl. 

M  r.  Garfield  made  his  first  political  speechesini856, 
in  Hiram  and  the  neighboring  villages,  and  three 
years  later  he  began  to  speak  at  county  mass-meet- 
ings, and  became  the  favorite  speaker  wherever  he 
was.  During  this  year  he  was  elected  to  the  Ohio 
Senate.  He  also  began  to  study  law  at  Cleveland, 
and  in  1861  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  great 
Rebellion  broke  out  in  the  early  part  of  this  year, 
and  Mr.  Garfield  at  once  resolved  to  fight  as  he  had 
talked,  and  enlisted  to  defend  the  old  flag.  He  re- 
ceived his  commission  as  Lieut.-Colonel  of  the  Forty- 
second  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  Aug. 
14,  1861.  He  was  immediately  put  into  active  ser- 
vice, and  before  he  had  ever  seen  a  gun  fired  in  action, 
was  placed  in  command  of  four  regiments  of  infantry 
and  eight  companies  of  cavalry,  charged  with  the 
work  of  driving  out  of  his  native  State  the  officer 
(Humphrey  Marshall)  reputed  to  be  the  ablest  of 
those,  not  educated  to  war  whom  Kentucky  had  given 
to  the  Rebellion.  This  work  was  bravely  and  speed- 
ily accomplished,  although  against  great  odds.  Pres- 
ident Lincoln,  on  his  success  commissioned  him 
Brigadier-General,  Jan.  TO,  1862;  and  as  "he  had 
been  the  youngest  man  in  the  Ohio  Senate  two  years 
before,  so  now  he  was  the  youngest  General  in  the 
army."  He  was  with  Gen.  Buell's  army  at  Shiloh, 
in  its  operations  around  Corinth  and  its  march  through 
Alabama.  He  was  then  detailed  as  a  memberof  the 
General  Couit-Martial  for  the  trial  of  Gen.  Fitz-John 
Porter.  He  was  then  ordered  to  report  to  Gen.  Rose- 
crans,  and  was  assigned  to  the  "Chief  of  Staff." 

The  military  history  of  Gen.  Garfield  closed  with 


his  brilliant  services  at  Chickamauga,  where  he  won 
the  stars  of  the  Major-General. 

Without  an  effort  on  his  part  Gen.  Garfield  was 
elected  to  Congress  in  the  fall  of  1862  from  the 
Nineteenth  District  of  Ohio.  This  section  of  Ohio 
had  been  represented  in  Congress  for  sixty  years 
mainly  by  two  men — Elisha  Whittlesey  and  Joshua 
R.  Giddings.  It  was  not  without  a  struggle  that  he 
resigned  his  place  in  the  army.  At  the  time  he  en- 
tered Congress  he  was  the  youngest  member  in  that 
body.  There  he  remained  by  successive  re- 
elections  until  he  was  elected  President  in  1880. 
Of  his  labors  in  Congress  Senator  Hoar  says :  "  Since 
the  year  1864  you  cannot  think  of  a  question  which 
has  been  debated  in  Congress,  or  discussed  before  a 
tribunel  of  the  American  people,  in  regard  to  which 
you  will  not  find,  if  you  wish  instruction,  the  argu- 
ment on  one  side  stated,  in  almost  every  instance 
better  than  by  anybody  else,  in  some  speech  made  in 
the  House  of  Representatives  or  on  the  hustings  by 
Mr.  Garfield." 

Upon  Jan.  14,  1880,  Gen.  Garfield  was  elected  to 
the  U.  S.  Senate,  and  on  the  eighth  of  June,  of  the 
same  year,  was  nominated  as  the  candidate  of  his 
party  for  President  at  the  great  Chicago  Convention. 
He  was  elected  in  the  following  November,  and  on 
March  4,  1881,  was  inaugurated.  Probably  no  ad- 
ministration ever  opened  its  existence  under  brighter 
auspices  than  that  of  President  Gaifield,  and  every 
day  it  grew  in  favor  with  the  people,  and  by  the  first 
of  July  he  had  completed  all  the  initiatory  and  pre- 
liminary work  of  his  administration  and  was  prepar- 
ing to  leave  the  city  to  meet  his  friends  at  Williams 
College.  While  on  his  way  and  at  the  depot,  in  com- 
pany with  Secretary  Elaine,  a  man  stepped  behind 
him,  drew  a  revolver,  and  fired  directly  at  his  back. 
The  President  tottered  and  fell,  and  as  he  did  so  the 
assassin  fired  a  second  shot,  the  bullet  cutting  the 
left  coat  sleeve  of  his  victim,  but  inflicting  nofurthei 
injury.  It  has  been  very  truthfully  said  that  this  was 
"  the  shot  that  was  heard  round  the  world  "  Never 
before  in  the  history  of  the  Nation  had  anything  oc- 
curred which  so  nearly  froze  the  blood  of  the  people 
for  the  moment,  as  this  awful  deed.  He  was  smit- 
ten on  the  brightest,  gladdest  day  of  all  his  life,  and 
was  at  the  summit  of  his  power  and  hope.  For  eighty 
days,  all  during  the  hot  months  of  July  and  August, 
he  lingered  and  suffered.  He,  however,  remained 
master  of  himself  till  the  last,  and  by  his  magnificent 
bearing  was  teaching  the  country  and  the  world  the 
noblest  of  human  lessons — how  to  live  grandly  in  the 
very  clutch  of  death.  Great  in  life,  he  was  surpass- 
ingly great  in  death.  He  passed  serenely  away  Sept. 
19,  1883,  at  Elberon,  N.  J.,  on  the  very  bank  of  the 
ocean,  where  he  had  been  taken  shortly  previous.  The 
world  wept  at  his  death,  as  it  never  had  done  on  the 
death  of  any  other  man  who  had  ever  lived  upon  it. 
The  murderer  was  duly  tried,  found  guilty  and  exe- 
cuted, in  one  year  after  he  committed  the  foul  deed. 


/  «i 


TWENTY-FIRST  PRESIDENT. 


HESTER      A.      ARTHUR, 

twenty-first    Presi^m   of  the 
United   States    was    born    in 
Franklin  Courty,  Vermont,  on 
the  fifth  of  October,  1830,  and  is 
the  oldest   of  a   family    of  two 
sons  and   five   daughters.     His 
father  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  William 
Arthur,  aBaptistc'',rgyman,wht, 
emigrated  to  tb'.s  country  from 
the  county  Antrim,  Ireland,   in 
his  1 8th  year,  and  died  in  1875,  in 
Newtonville,   neai    Albany,   after  a 
long  and  successful  ministry. 

Young  Arthur  was  educated  at 
Union  College,  S<  henectady,  where 
he  excelled  in  all  his  studies.  Af- 
ter his  graduation  he  taught  school 
in  Vermont  for  two  years,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time  came  to 
New  York,  with  $500  in  his  pocket, 
and  entered  the  office  of  ex-Judge 
E.  D.  Culver  as  student.  After 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  intimate  friend  and  room-mate, 
Henry  D.  Gardiner,  with  the  intention  of  practicing 
in  the  West,  and  for  three  months  they  roamed  about 
in  the  Western  States  in  search  of  an  eligible  site, 
but  in  the  end  returned  to  New  York,  where  they 
hung  out  their  shingle,  and  entered  upon  a  success^ 
ful  career  almost  from  the  start.  General  Arthur 
soon  afterward  nvirpfd  the  daughter  of  Lieutenant 


Herndon,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  who  was  lost  at 
sea.  Congress  voted  a  gold  medal  to  his  widow  in 
recognition  of  the  bravery  he  displayed  on  that  occa- 
sion. Mrs.  Arthur  died  shortly  before  Mr.  Arthur's 
nomination  to  the  Vice  Presidency,  leaving  two 
children. 

Gen.  Arthur  obtained  considerable  legal  celebrity 
in  his  first  great  case,  the  famous  Lemmon  suit, 
brought  to  recover  possession  of  eight  slaves  who  had 
been  declared  free  by  Judge  Paine,  of  the  Superior 
Court  of  New  York  City.  It  was  in  1852  that  Jon-, 
athan  Lemmon,  of  Virginia,  went  to  New  York  with 
his  slaves,  intending  to  ship  them  to  Texas,  when 
they  were  discovered  and  freed.  The  Judge  decided 
that  they  could  not  be  held  by  the  owner  under  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Law.  A  howl  of  rage  went  up  from 
the  South,  and  the  Virginia  Legislature  authorized  the 
Attorney  General  of  that  State  to  assist  in  an  appeal. 
Wm.  M.  Evarts  and  Chester  A.  Arthur  were  employed 
to  represent  the  People,  and  they  won  their  case, 
which  then  went  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  Charles  O'Conor  here  espoused  the  cause 
of  the  slave-holders,  but  he  too  was  beaten  by  Messrs 
Evarts  and  Arthur,  and  a  long  step  was  taken  toward 
the  emancipation  of  the  black  race. 

Another  great  service  was  rendered  by  Genera] 
Arthur  in  the  same  cause  in  1856.  Lizzie  Jennings, 
a  respectable  colored  woman,  was  put  off  a  Fourth 
Avenue  car  with  violence  after  she  had  paid  her  fare. 
General  Arthur  sued  on  her  behalf,  and  secured  a 
verdict  of  $500  damages.  The  next  day  the  compa- 
ny issued  an  order  to  admit  colored  persons  to  ride 
on  their  cars,  and  the  other  car  companies  quickly 


\ 

f 


9     loo 


CHESTER  A.  ARTHUR. 


\ 


\ 


followed  their  example.  Before  that  the  Sixth  Ave- 
nue Company  ran  a  few  special  cars  for  colored  per- 
sons and  the  other  lines  refused  to  let  them  ride  at  all. 

General  Arthur  was  a  delegate  to  the  Convention 
at  Saratoga  that  founded  the  Republican  party. 
Previous  to  the  war  he  was  Judge- Advocate  of  the 
Second  Brigade  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  Gov- 
ernor Morgan,  of  that  State,  appointed  him  Engineer- 
in-Chief  of  his  staff.  In  1861,  he  was  made  Inspec- 
tor General,  and  soon  afterward  became  Quartermas- 
ter-General. In  each  of  these  offices  he  rendered 
great  service  to  the  Government  during  the  war.  At 
the  end  of  Governor  Morgan's  term  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  the  law,  forming  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Ransom,  and  then  Mr.  Phelps,  the  District  Attorney 
of  New  York,  was  added  to  the  firm.  The  legal  prac- 
tice of  this  well-known  firm  was  very  large  and  lucra- 
tive, each  of  the  gentlemen  composing  it  were  able 
lawyers,  and  possessed  a  splendid  local  reputation,  if 
not  indeed  one  of  national  extent. 

He  always  took  a  leading  part  in  State  and  city 
politics.  He  was  appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
New  York  by  President  Grant,  Nov.  21  1872,  to  suc- 
ceed Thomas  Murphy,  and  held  the  office  until  July, 
20,  1878,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Collector  Merritt. 

Mr.  Arthur  was  nominated  on  the  Presidential 
ticket,  with  Gen.  James  A.  Garfield,  at  the  famous 
National  Republican  Convention  held  at  Chicago  in 
June,  1880.  This  was  perhaps  the  greatest  political 
convention  that  ever  assembled  on  the  continent.  It 
was  composed  of  the  leading  politicians  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  all  able  men,  and  each  stood  firm  and 
fought  vigorously  and  with  signal  tenacity  for  their 
respective  candidates  that  were  before  the  conven- 
tion for  the  nomination.  Finally  Gen.  Garfield  re- 
ceived the  nomination  for  President  and  Gen.  Arthur 
for  Vice-President.  The  campaign  which  followed 
was  one  of  the  most  animated  known  in  the  history  of 
our  country.  Gen.  Hancock,  the  standard-bearer  of 
the  Democratic  party,  was  a  popular  man,  and  his 
party  made  a  valiant  fight  for  his  election. 

Finally  the  election  came  and  the  country's  choice 
•vas  Garfield  and  Arthur.  They  were  inaugurated 
March  4,  1881,  as  President  and  Vice-President. 
A  few  months  only  had  passed  ere  the  newly  chosen 
President  was  the  victim  of  the  assassin's  bullet.  Then 
came  terrible  weeks  of  suffering, — those  moments  of 
anxious  suspense,  when  the  hearts  of  all  civilized  na- 


tions  were  throbbing  in  unison,  longing  for  the  re- 
covery of  the  noble,  the  good  President.  The  remark- 
able patience  that  he  manifested  during  those  hours 
and  weeks,  and  even  months,  of  the  most  terrible  suf- 
fering man  has  often  been  called  upon  to  endure,  was 
seemingly  more  than  human.  It  was  certainly  God- 
like. During  all  this  period  of  deepest  anxiety  Mr. 
Arthur's  every  move  was  watched,  and  be  it  said  to  his 
credit  that  his  every  action  displayed  only  an  earnest 
desire  that  the  suffering  Garfield  might  recover,  to 
serve  the  remainder  of  the  term  he  had  so  auspi- 
ciously begun.  Not  a  selfish  feeling  was  manifested 
in  deed  or  look  of  this  man,  even  though  the  most 
honored  position  in  the  world  was  at  any  moment 
likely  to  fall  to  him. 

At  last  God  in  his  mercy  relieved  President  Gar- 
field  from  further  suffering,  and  the  world,  as  never 
before  in  its  history  over  the  death  of  any  other 
man,  wept  at  his  bier.  Then  it  became  the  duty  of 
the  Vice  President  to  assume  the  responsibilities  of 
the  high  office,  and  he  took  the  oath  in  New  York. 
Sept.  20,  1881.  The  position  was  an  embarrassing 
one  to  him,  made  doubly  so  from  the  facts  that  all 
eyes  were  on  him,  anxious  to  know  what  he  would  do, 
what  policy  he  would  pursue,  and  who  he  would  se- 
lect as  advisers.  The  duties  of  the  office  had  been 
greatly  neglected  during  the  President's  long  illness, 
and  many  important  measures  were  to  be  immediately 
decided  by  him ;  and  still  farther  to  embarrass  him  he 
did  not  fail  to  realize  under  what  circumstances  he 
became  President,  and  knew  the  feelings  of  many  on 
this  point.  Under  these  trying  circumstances  President 
Arthur  took  the  reins  of  the  Government  in  his  own 
hands ;  and,  as  embarrassing  as  were  the  condition  of 
affairs,  he  happily  surprised  the  nation,  acting  so 
wisely  that  but  few  criticised  his  administration. 
He  served  the  nation  well  and  faithfully,  until  the 
close  of  his  administration,  March  4,  1885,  and  was 
a  popular  candidate  before  his  party  for  a  second 
term.  His  name  was  ably  presented  before  the  con- 
vention at  Chicago,  and  was  received  with  great 
favor,  and  doubtless  but  for  the  personal  popularity 
of  one  of  the  opposing  candidates,  he  would  have 
been  selected  as  the  standard-bearer  of  his  party 
for  another  campaign.  He  retired  to  private  life  car- 
rying with  him  the  best  wishes  of  the  American  peo- 
ple, whom  he  had  served  in  a  manner  satisfactory 
to  them  and  with  credit  to  himself. 


TWENTY-SECOND  PRESIDENT. 


103 


&H^i£^^ 


TEPHEN  GROVER  CLEVE- 
LAND, the  twenty- second  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  1837,  in  the  obscure 
town  of  Caldwell,  Essex  Co., 
N.  J.,  and  in  a  little  two-and-a- 
half-story  white  house  which  is  still 
standing,  characteristically  to  mark 
the  humble  birth-place  of  one  of 
America's  great  men  in  striking  con- 
trast with  the  Old  World,  where  all 
men  high  in  office  must  be  high  in 
origin  and  born  in  the  cradle  of 
wealth.  When  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  three  years  of  age,  his 
father,  who  was  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister, with  a  large  family  and  a  small  salary,  moved, 
by  way  of  the  Hudson  River  and  Erie  Canal,  to 
Fayetteville,  in  search  of  an  increased  income  and  a 
larger  field  of  work.  Fayetteville  was  then  the  most 
straggling  of  country  villages,  about  five  miles  from 
Pompey  Hill,  where  Governor  Seymour  was  born. 

At  the  last  mentioned  place  young  Grover  com- 
menced going  to  school  in  the  "good,  old-fashioned 
way,"  and  presumably  distinguished  himself  after  the 
manner  of  all  village  boys,  in  doing  the  things  he 
ought  not  to  do.  Such  is  the  distinguishing  trait  of 
all  geniuses  and  independent  thinkers.  When  he 
arrived  at  the  age  of  14  years,  he  had  outgrown  the 
capacity  of  the  village  school  and  expressed  a  most 


emphatic  desire  to  be  sent  to  an  academy.  To  this 
his  father  decidedly  objected.  Academies  in  those 
days  cost  money;  besides,  his  father  wanted  him  to 
become  self-supporting  by  the  quickest  possible 
means,  and  this  at  that  time  in  Fayetteyille  seemed 
to  be  a  position  in  a  country  store,  where  his  father 
and  the  large  family  on  his  hands  had  considerable 
influence.  Grover  was  to  be  paid  $50  for  his  services 
the  first  year,  and  if  he  proved  trustworthy  he  was  to 
receive  $too  the  second  year.  Here  the  lad  com- 
menced his  career  as  salesman,  and  in  two  years  he 
had  earned  so  good  a  reputation  for  trustworthiness 
that  his  employers  desired  to  retain  him  for  an  in- 
definite length  of  time.  Otherwise  he  did  not  ex- 
hibit as  yet  any  particular  "  flashes  of  genius  "  or 
eccentricities  of  talent.  He  was  simply  a  good  boy. 
But  instead  of  remaining  with  this  firm  in  Fayette- 
ville, he  went  with  the  family  in  their  removal  to 
Clinton,  where  he  had  an  opportunity  of  attending  a 
high  school.  Here  he  industriously  pursued  his 
studies  until  the  family  removed  with  him  to  a  point 
on  Black  River  known  as  the  "  Holland  Patent,"  a 
village  of  500  or  600  people,  15  miles  north  of  Utica, 
N.  Y.  At  this  place  his  father  died,  after  preaching 
but  three  Sundays.  This  event  broke  up  the  family, 
and  Grover  set  out  for  New  York  City  to  accept,  at  a 
small  salary,  the  position  of  "  under-teacher  "  in  an 
asylum  for  the  blind.  He  taught  faithfully  for  two 
years,  and  although  he  obtained  a  good  reputation  in 
this  capacity,  he  concluded  that  teaching  was  not  his 


t 


,     104 


S.   GROVER   CLEVELAND. 


calling  for  life,  and,  reversing  the  traditional  order, 
ne  left  the  city  to  seek  his  fortune,  instead  of  going 
to  a  city.  He  first  thought  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  as 
there  was  some  charm  in  that  name  for  him;  but 
before  proceeding  to  that  place  he  went  to  Buffalo  to 
isk  the  advice  of  his  uncle,  Lewis  F.  Allan,  a  noted 
stock-breeder  of  that  place.  The  latter  did  not 
cpeak  enthusiastically.  "  What  is  it  you  want  to  do, 
my  boy?"  he  asked.  "Well,  sir,  I  want  to  study 
law,"  was  the  reply.  "  Good  gracious !  "  remarked 
Ac  old  gentleman ;  "  do  you,  indeed  ?  What  ever  put 
that  into  your  head?  How  much  money  have  you 
got?"  "Well,  sir,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  haven't  got 

an*." 

After  a  long  consultation,  his  uncle  offered  him  a 
place  temporarily  as  assistant  herd-keeper,  at  $50  a 
year,  while  lie  could  "  look  around."  One  day  soon 
afterward  he  boldly  walked  into  the  office  of  Rogers, 
Bowen  &  Rogers,  of  Buffalo,  and  told  them  what  he 
wanted.  A  number  of  young  men  were  already  en- 
gaged in  the  office,  but  Grover's  persistency  won,  and 
ne  was  finally  permitted  to  come  as  an  office  boy  and 
have  the  use  of  the  law  library,  for  the  nominal  sum 
of  $3  or  $4  a  week.  Out  of  this  he  had  to  pay  for 
his  board  and  washing.  The  walk  to  and  from  his 
uncle's  was  a  long  and  rugged  one;  and,  although 
the  first  winter  was  a  memorably  severe  one,  his 
shoes  were  out  of  repair  and  his  overcoat — he  had 
none — yet  he  was  nevertheless  prompt  and  regular. 
On  the  first  day  of  his  service  here,  his  senior  em- 
ployer threw  down  a  copy  of  Blackstone  before  him 
with  a  bang  that  made  the  dust  fly,  saying  "That's 
where  they  all  begin."  A  titter  ran  around  the  little 
circle  of  clerks  and  students,  as  they  thought  that 
was  enough  to  scare  young  Grover  out  of  his  plans  ; 
but  in  due  time  he  mastered  that  cumbersome  volume. 
Then,  as  ever  afterward,  however,  Mr.  Cleveland 
exhibited  a  talent  for  executiveness  rather  than  for 
chasing  principles  through  all  their  metaphysical 
possibilities.  "  Let  us  quit  talking  and  go  and  do 
t,"  was  practically  lib  motto. 

The  first  public  office  to  which  Mr.  Cleveland  was 
eiected  was  that  of  Sheriff  of  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in 
which  Buffalo  is  situated;  and  in  such  capacity  it  fell 
to  his  duty  to  inflict  capital  punishment  upon  two 
criminals.  In  1881  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the 
City  of  Buffalo,  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  with  es- 
'  pecial  reference  to  the  bringing  about  certain  reforms 


in  the  administration  of  the  municipal  affairs  of  that 
city.  In  this  office,  as  well  as  that  of  Sheriff,  his 
performance  of  duty  has  generally  been  considered 
fair,  with  possibly  a  few  exceptions  which  were  fer- 
reted out  and  magnified  during  the  last  Presidential 
campaign.  As  a  specimen  of  his  plain  language  in 
a  veto  message,  we  quote  from  one  vetoing  an  iniqui- 
tous street-cleaning  contract:  "This  is  a  time  fot 
plain  speech,  and  my  objection  to  your  action  shall 
be  plainly  stated.  I  regard  it  as  the  culmination  of 
a  mos  bare-faced,  impudent  and  shameless  scheme 
to  betray  the  interests  of  the  people  and  to  worse 
than  squander  the  people's  money."  The  New  York 
Sun  afterward  very  highly  commended  Mr.  Cleve- 
land's administration  as  Mayor  of  Buffalo,  and  there- 
upon recommended  him  for  Governor  of  the  Empire 
State.  To  the  latter  office  he  was  elected  in  1882, 
and  his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  State  was 
generally  satisfactory.  The  mistakes  he  made,  if 
any,  were  made  very  public  throughout  the  nation 
after  he  was  nominated  for  President  of  the  United 
States.  For  this  high  office  he  was  nominated  July 
n,  1884,  by  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at 
Chicago,  when  other  competitors  were  Thomas  F. 
Bayard,  Roswell  P.  Flower,  Thomas  A.  Hendricks, 
Benjamin  F.  Butler,  Allen  G.  Thurman,  etc.;  and  he 
was  elected  by  the  people,  by  a  majority  of  about  a 
thousand,  over  the  brilliant  and  long-tried  Repub- 
lican statesman,  James  G.  Blaine.  President  Cleve- 
land resigned  his  office  as  Governor  of  New  York  in 
January,  1885,  in  order  to  prepare  for  his  duties  as 
the  Chief  Executive  of  the  United  States,  in  which 
capacity  his  term  commenced  at  noon  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1885.  For  his -Cabinet  officers  he  selected 
the  following  gentlemen:  For  Secretary  of  State, 
Thomas  F.  Bayard,  of  Delaware ;  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  Daniel  Manning,  of  New  York  ;  Secretary 
of  War,  William  C.  Endicott,  of  Massachusetts ; 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  William  C.  Whitney,  of  New 
York;  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  of 
Mississippi ;  Postmaster-General,  William  F.  Vilas, 
of  Wisconsin ;  Attorney-General,  A.  H.  Garland,  of 
Arkansas. 

The  silver  question  precipitated  a  controversy  be- 
tween those  who  were  in  favor  of  the  continuance  of 
silver  coinage  and  those  who  were  opposed,  Mr. 
Cleveland  answering  for  the  latter,  even  before  his 
inauguration. 
— •*»• 


TWENTY-THIRD  PRESIDENT. 


107 


ENJAMIN  HARRISON,  the 
twenty-third  President,  is 
the  descendant  of  one  of  the 
historical  families  of  this 
country.  The  head  of  the 
family  was  a  Major  General 
Harrison,  one  of  Oliver 
Cromwell's  trusted  follow- 


ers and  fighters.  In  the  zenith  of  Crom- 
well's power  it  became  the  duty  of  this 
Harrison  to  participate  in  the  trial  of 
Charles  I,  and  afterward  to  sign  the 
death  warrant  of  the  king.  He  subse- 
quently paid  for  this  with  his  life,  being 
hung  Oct.  13,  16GO.  His  descendants 
came  to  America,  and  the  next  of  the 
family  that  appears  in  history  is  Benja- 
rrin  Harrison,  of  Virginia,  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
nfter  whom  he  was  nametl.  Benjamin  Harrison 
was  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  during 
the  years  1774-5-C,  and  was  one  of  the  original 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He 
was  three  times  elected  Governor  of  Virginia. 
Gen  William  Henry  Harrison,  the  son  of  the 


distinguished  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  after  a  suc- 
cessful career  as  a  soldier  during  the  War  of  1812, 
and  with -a  clean  record  as  Governor  of  the  North- 
western Territory,  was  elected  President  of  the 
United  States  in  1840.  His  career  was  cut  short 
by  death  within  one  month  after  his  inauguration. 
President  Harrison  was  born  at  North  Bend, 
Hamilton  Co.,  Ohio,  Aug.  SO,  1833.  His  life  up  to 
the  time  of  his  graduation  by  the  Miami  University, 
at  Oxford,  Ohio,  was  the  uneventful  one  of  a  coun- 
try lad  of  a  family  of  small  means.  His  father  was 
able  to  give  him  a  good  education,  and  nothing 
more.  He  became  engaged  while  at  college  to  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  Scott,  Principal  of  a  female  schoo! 
at  Oxford.  After  graduating  he  determined  to  en- 
ter upon  the  study  of  the  law.  He  went  to  Gin 
cinnati  and  then  read  law  for  two  years.  At  tht 
expiration  of  that  time  young  Harrison  received  th"; 
only  inheritance  of  his  life;  his  aunt  dying  left  him 
a  lot  valued  at  $800.  He  regarded  this  legacy  aa  t 
fortune,  and  decided  to  get  married  at  once,  tak3 
this  money  and  go  to  some  Eastern  town  an *  be- 
gin the  practice  of  law.  He  sold  his  lot,  and  with 
the  money  in  his  pocket,  he  started  out  wita  his 
young  wife  to  fight  for  a  place  in  the  world.  Ke 


J 

t 


108 


BENJAMIN  HARRISON. 


decided  to  go  to  Indianapolis,  which  was  even  at 
that  time  a  town  of  promise.  He  met  with  slight 
encouragement  at  first,  making  scarcely  anything 
the  first  year.  He  worked  diligently,  applying  him- 
self closely  to  his  calling,  built  up  an  extensive 
practice  and  took  a  leading  rank  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession. He  is  the  father  of  two  children. 

In  1860  Mr.  Harrison  was  nominated  for  the 
position  of  Supreme  Court  Reporter,  and  then  be- 
gan his  experience  as  a  stump  speaker.  He  can- 
vassed the  State  thoroughly,  and  was  elected  by  a 
handsome  majority.  In  1862  he  raised  the  17th 
Indiana  Infantry,  and  was  chosen  its  Colonel.  His 
regiment  was  composed  of  the  rawest  of  material, 
but  Col.  Harrison  employed  all  his  time  at  first 
mastering  military  tactics  and  drilling  his  men, 
when  he  therefore  came  to  move  toward  the  East 
with  Sherman  his  regiment  was  one  of  the  best 
drilled  and  organized  in  the  army.  At  Resaca  he 
especially  distinguished  himself,  and  for  his  bravery 
at  Peachtree  Creek  he  was  made  a  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral, Gen.  Hooker  speaking  of  him  in  the  most 
complimentary  terms. 

During  the  absence  of  Gen.  Harrison  in  the  field 
the  Supreme  Court  declared  the  office  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  Reporter  vacant,  and  another  person 
was  elected  to  the  position.  From  the  time  of  leav- 
ing Indiana  with  his  regiment  until  the  fall  of  1864 
he  had  taken  no  leave  of  absence,  but  having  been 
nominated  that  year  for  the  same  office,  he  got  a 
thirty-day  leave  of  absence,  and  during  that  time 
made  a  brilliant  canvass  of  the  State,  and  was  elected 
for  another  terra.  He  then  started  to  rejoin  Sher- 
man, but  on  the  way  was  stricken  down  with  scarlet 
fever,  and  after  a  most  trying  siege  made  his  way 
to  the  front  in  time  to  participate  in  the  closing 
incidents  of  the  war. 

In  1868  Gen.  Harrison  declined  c,  re-election  as 
reporter,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law.  In  1876 
he  was  a  candidate  for  Governor.  Although  de- 
feated, the  brilliant  campaign  he  made  won  for  him 
a  National  reputation,  and  he  was  much  sought,  es- 
pecially in  the  East,  to  make  speeches.  In  1880, 
as  usual,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  campaign, 
and  was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate.  Here 
he  served  six  years,  and  was  known  as  one  of  the 
ablest  men,  best  lawyers  and  strongest  debaters  in 


that  body.  With  the  expiration  of  his  Senatorial 
term  he  returned  to  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
becoming  the  head  of  one  of  the  strongest  firms  in 
the  State. 

The  political  campaign  of  1888  was  one  of  the 
most  memorable  in  the  history  of  our  country.  The 
convention  which  assembled  in  Chicago  in  June  and 
named  Mr.  Harrison  as  the  chief  standard  bearer 
of  the  Republican  party,  was  great  in  every  partic- 
ular, and  on  this  account,  and  the  attitude  it  as- 
sumed upon  the  vital  questions  of  the  day,  chief 
among  which  was  the  tariff,  awoke  a  deep  interest 
in  the  campaign  throughout  the  Nation.  Shortly 
after  the  nomination  delegations  began  to  visit  Mr. 
Harrison  at  Indianapolis,  his  home.  This  move- 
ment became  popular,  and  from  all  sections  of  the 
country  societies,  clubs  and  delegations  journeyed 
thither  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  distinguished 
statesman.  The  popularity  of  these  was  greatly 
increased  on  account  of  the  remarkable  speeches 
made  by  Mr.  Harrison.  He  spoke  daily  all  .through 
the  summer  and  autumn  to  these  visiting  delega- 
tions, and  so  varied,  masterly  and  eloquent  were 
his  speeches  that  they  at  once  placed  him  in  the 
foremost  rank  of  American  orators  and  statesmen. 

On  account  of  his  eloquence  as  a  speaker  and  his 
power  as  a  debater,  he  was  called  upon  at  an  un- 
commonly early  age  to  take  part  in  the  discussion 
of  the  great  questions  that  then  began  t  j  agitate 
the  country.  He  was  an  uncompromising  ant: 
slavery  man,  and  was  matched  against  some  of  'i'^e 
most  eminent  Democratic  speakers  of  his  State. 
No  man  who  felt  the  touch  of  his  blade  desired  to 
be  pitted  with  him  again.  With  all  his  eloquence 
as  an  orator  he  never  spoke  for  oratorical  effect, 
but  his  words  always  went  like  bullets  to  the  mark 
He  is  purely  American  in  his  ideas  and  is  a  spier 
did  type  of  the  American  statesman.  Gifted  wit;L 
quick  perception,  a  logical  mind  and  a  ready  tongue, 
he  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  impromptu 
speakers  in  the  Nation.  Many  of  these  speeches 
sparkled  with  the  rarest  of  eloquence  and  contained 
arguments  of  greatest  weight.  Many  of  his  terse 
statements  have  alread3r  become  aphorisms.  Origi- 
nal in  thought,  precise  in  logic,  terse  in  statement, 
yet  withal  faultless  in  eloquence,  he  is  recognized  as 
the  sound  statesman  and  brilliant  orator  of  the  day 


» It "» 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


HADRACH  BOND,  the  first 
Governor  of  Illinois  after  its 
organization  as  a  State,  serving 
from  1818  to  1822,  was  born  in 
Frederick  County,  Maryland, 
in  the  year  1773,  and  was 
raised  a  farmer  on  his  father's 
plantation,  receiving  only  a  plain 
English  education.  He  emigrated 
to  this  State  in  1794,  when  it  was  a 
part  of  the  "Northwest  Territory," 
continuing  in  the  vocation  in  which 
he  had  been  brought  up  in  his  native 
State,  in  the  "  New  Design,"  near 
Eagle  Creek,  in  what  is  now  Monroe 
County.  He  served  several  terms  as 
a  member  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  Indiana  Territory,  after  it  was  organized  as  such, 
and  in  1812-14  he  was  a  Delegate  to  the  Twelfth 
and  Thirteenth  Congresses,  taking  his  seat  Dec.  3, 
1812,  and  serving  until  Oct.  3,  1814.  These  were 
the  times,  the  reader  will  recollect,  when  this  Gov- 
ernment had  its  last  struggle  with  Great  Britain. 
The  year  1812  is  also  noted  in  the  history  of  this 
State  as  that  in  which  the  first  Territorial  Legislature 
was  held.  It  convened  at  Kaskaskia,  Nov.  25,  and 
adjourned  Dec.  26,  following. 

While  serving  as  Delegate  to  Congress,  Mr.  Bond 
was  instrumental  in  procuring  the  right  of  pre-emp- 
tion on  the  public  domain.  On  the  expiration  of  his 
term  at  Washington  he  was  appointed  Receiver  of 
Public  Moneys  at  Kaskaskia,  then  the  capital  of  the 
Territory.  In  company  with  John  G.  Comyges, 


Thomas  H.  Harris,  Charles  Slade,  Michael  Jones, 
Warren  Brown,  Edward  Humphries  and  Charles  W 
Hunter,  he  became  a  proprietor  of  the  site  of  the 
initial  city  of  Cairo,  which  they  hoped,  from  its  favor- 
able location  at  the  junction  of  the  two  greai 
rivers  near  the  center  of  the  Great  West,  would 
rapidly  develop  into  a  metropolis.  To  aid  the  enter- 
prise, they  obtained  a  special  charter  from  the  Legis- 
lature, incorporating  both  the  City  and  the  Bank  of 
Cairo. 

In  1818  Mr.  Bond  was  elected  the  first  Governor 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  being  inaugurated  Oct.  6 
that  year,  which  was  several  weeks  before  Illinois 
was  actually  admitted.  The  facts  are  these:  In 
January,  1818,  the  Territorial  Legislature  sent  a  peti- 
tion to  Congress  for  the  admission  of  Illinois  as  a 
State,  Nathaniel  Pope  being  then  Delegate.  The 
petition  was  granted,  fixing  the  northern  line  of  the 
State  on  the  latitude  of  the  southern  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan;  but  the  bill  was  afterward  so  amend- 
ed as  to  extend  this  line  to  its  present  latitude.  (In 
July  a  convention  was  called  at  Kaskaskia  to  draft  a 
constitution,  which,  however,  was  not  submitted  to 
the  people.  By  its  provisions,  supreme  judges,  pros 
editing  attorneys,  county  and  circuit  judges,  record- 
ers and  justices  of  the  peace  were  all  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Governor  or  elected  by  the  Legislature.  This 
constitution  was  accepted  by  Congress  Dec.  30.  At 
that  time  Illinois  comprised  but  eleven  counties, 
namely,  Randolph,  Madison,  Gallatin,  Johnson, 
Pope,  Jackson,  Crawford,  Bond,  Union,  Washington 
and  Franklin,  the  northern  portion  of  the  State  be- 
ing mainly  in  Madison  County.  Thus  it  appears 
that  Mr.  Bond  was  honored  by  the  naming  of  a 


.* 


119 


SHADRACH  BOND. 


4 


county  before  he  was  elected  Governor.  The  present 
county  of  Bond  is  of  small  limitations,  about  60  to  80 
miles  south  of  Springfield.  For  Lieutenant  Governor 
the  people  chose  Pierre  Menard,  a  prominent  and 
worthy  Frenchman,  after  whom  a  county  in  this  State 
is  named.  In  this  election  there  were  no  opposition 
candidates,  as  the  popularity  of  these  men  had  made 
their  promotion  to  the  chief  offices  of  the  Si.ate,  even 
before  the  constitution  was  drafted,  a  foregone  con- 
clusion. 

The  principal  points  that  excited  the  people  in 
reference  to  political  issues  at  this  period  were  local 
or  "internal  improvements,"  as  they  were  called, 
State  banks,  location  of  the  capital,  slavery  and  the 
personal  characteristics  of  the  proposed  candidates. 
Mr.  Bond  represented  the  "  Convention  party,"  for 
introducing  slavery  into  the  State,  supported  by  Elias 
Ke  it  Kane,  his  Secretary  of  State,  and  John  Mc- 
Lean, while  Nathaniel  Pope  and  John  P.  Cook  led 
the  anti-slavery  element.  The  people,  however,  did 
not  become  very  much  excited  over  this  issue  until 
1820,  when  the  f.im  HIS  Missouri  Compromise  was 
adopted  by  Congress,  limiting  slavery  to  the  south 
of  th  ^  parallel  of  36°  30'  except  in  Missouri.  While 
this  measure  settled  the  great  slavery  controversy, 
so  far  as  the  average  public  sentiment  was  tempor- 
arily concerned,  until  1854,  when  it  was  repealed 
under  the  leadership  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the  issue 
as  considered  locally  in  this  State  was  not  decided 
until  1824,  after  a  most  furious  campaign.  (See 
sketch  of  Gov.  Coles.)  The  ticket  of  1818  was  a 
com  promise  one,  Bond  representing  (moderately)  the 
pro-slavery  sentiment  and  Menard  the  anti-slavery. 

An  awkward  element  in  the  State  government 
under  Gov.  Bond's  administration,  was  the  imperfec- 
tion of  the  State  constitution.  The  Convention 
wished  to  have  Elijah  C.  Berry  for  the  first  Auditor 
of  Public  Accounts,  but,  as  it  was  believed  that  the 
new  Governor  would  not  appoint  him  to  the  office, 
the  Convention  declared  in  a  schedule  that  "  an 
auditor  of  public  accounts,  an  attorney  general  and 
such  other  officers  of  the  State  as  may  be  necessary, 
may  be  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly."  The 
Constitution,  as  it  stood,  vested  a  very  large  appoint- 
ing power  in  the  Governor;  but  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  one  man  into  office,  a  total  change  was  made, 
and  the  power  vested  in  the  Legislature.  Of  this 
provision  the  Legislature  took  advantage,  and  de 


clared  that  State's  attorneys,  canal  commissioners, 
bank  directors,  etc.,  were  all  "  officers  of  the  State  " 
and  must  therefore  be  appointed  by  itself  independ- 
ently of  the  Governor. 

During  Gov.  Bond's  administration  a  general  law 
was  passed  for  the  incorporation  of  academies  and 
towns,  and  one  authorizing  lotteries.  The  session  of 
1822  authorized  the  Governor  to  appoint  commis- 
sioners, to  act  in  conjunction  with  like  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  State  of  Indiana,  to  report  on  the 
practicability  and  expediency  of  improving  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Wabash  River ;  also  inland  navigation 
generally.  Many  improvements  were  recommended, 
some  of  which  have  been  feebly  worked  at  even  till 
the  present  day,  those  along  the  Wabash  being  of  no 
value.  Also,  during  Gov.  Bond's  term  of  office,  the 
capital  of  the  State  was  removed  from  Kaskaskia  to 
Vandalia.  In  1820  a  law  was  passed  by  Congress 
authorizing  this  State  to  open  a  canal  through  the 
public  lands.  The  State  appointed  commissioners 
lo  explore  the  route  and  prepare  the  necessary  sur- 
veys and  estimates,  preparatory  to  its  execution; 
but,  being  unable  out  of  its  own  resources  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  the  undertaking,  it  was  abandoned 
until  some  time  after  Congress  made  the  grant  of 
land  for  the  purpose  of  its  construction. 

On  the  whole,  Gov.  Bond's  administration  was 
fairly  good,  not  being  open  to  severe  criticism  from 
any  party.  In  1824,  two  years  after  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  office,  he  was  brought  out  as  a  candi- 
date for  Congress  against  the  formidable  John  P. 
Cook,  but  received  only  4,374  votes  to  7,460  for  the 
latter.  Gov.  Bond  was  no  orator,  but  had  made 
many  fast  friends  by  a  judicious  bestowment  of  his 
gubernatorial  patronage,  and  these  worked  zealously 
for  him  in  the  campaign. 

In  1827  ex-Gov.  Bond  was  appointed  by  the  Leg- 
islature, with  Wm.  P.  McKee  and  Dr.  Gershom 
Jayne,  as  Commissioners  to  locate  a  site  for  a  peni- 
tentiary on  the  Mississippi  at  or  near  Alton. 

Mr.  Bond  was  of  a  benevolent  and  convivial  dis- 
position, a  man  of  shrewd  observation  and  clear  ap- 
preciation of  events.  His  person  was  erect,  stand- 
ing six  feet  in  height,  and  after  middle  life  became 
portly,  weighing  200  pounds.  His  features  were 
strongly  masculine,  complexion  dark,  hair  jet  and 
eyes  hazel ;  was  a  favorite  with  the  ladies.  He  died 
April  1 1,  1830,  in  peace  and  contentment. 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


4 

"5    ' 


j££>war&  Coles. 


DWARD  COLES,  second 
Governor  of  Illinois,  1823- 
6,  was  born  Dec.  15,  1786, 
in  Albemarle  Co.,  Va.,  on 
the  old  family  estate  called 
"Enniscorthy,"  on  the 
Green  Mountain.  His  fath- 
er, John  Coles,  was  a  Colonel  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Having  been  fit- 
ted for  college  by  private  tutors,  he 
was  sent  to  Hampden  Sidney,  where 
he  remained  until  the  autumn  of  1805, 
when  lie  was  removed  to  William  and 
Mary  College,  at  Williamsburg,  Va. 
This  college  he  left  in  the  summer  of 
1807,  a  short  time  before  the  final  and  graduating 
examination.  Among  his  classmates  were  Lieut. 
Gen.  Scott,  President  John  Tyler,  Wm.  S.  Archer, 
United  Slates  Senator  from  Virginia,  and  Justice 
Baldwin,  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  The 
President  of  the  latter  college,  Bishop  Madison,  was 
a  cousin  of  President  James  Madison,  and  that  cir- 
cumstance was  the  occasion  of  Mr.  Coles  becoming 
personally  acquainted  with  the  President  and  re- 
ceiving a  position  as  his  private  secretary,  1809-15. 
The  family  of  Coles  was  a  prominent  one  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  their  mansion  was  the  seat  of  the  old- 
fashioned  Virginian  hospitality.  It  was  visited  by 
such  notables  as  Patrick  Henry,  Jefferson,  Madison, 
Monroe,  the  Randolphs,  Tazewell,  Wirt,  etc.  At  the 
age  of  23,  young  Coles  found  himself  heir  to  a  plant- 
ation and  a  considerable  number  of  slaves.  Ever 
since  his  earlier  college  days  his  attention  had  been 
drawn  to  the  question  of  slavery.  He  read  every- 


thing on  the  subject  that  came  in  his  way,  and 
listened  to  lectures  on  the  rights  of  man.  The  more 
he  reflected  upon  the  subject,  the  more  impossible 
was  it  for  him  to  reconcile  the  immortal  declaration 
"that  all  men  are  born  free  and  equal  "  with  the 
practice  of  slave-holding.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to 
free  his  slaves  the  first  opportunity,  and  even  remove 
his  residence  to  a  free  State.  One  reason  which  de- 
termined him  to  accept  the  appointment  as  private 
secretary  to  Mr.  Madison  was  because  he  believed 
that  through  the  acquaintances  he  could  make  at 
Washington  he  could  better  determine  in  what  part 
of  the  non-slaveholding  portion  of  the  Union  he  would 
prefer  to  settle. 

The  relations  between  Mr.  Coles  and  President 
Madison,  as  well  as  Jefferson  and  other  distinguished 
men,  were  of  a  very  friendly  character,  arising  from 
the  similarity  of  their  views  on  the  question  of  slavery 
and  their  sympathy  for  each  other  in  holding  doc- 
trines so  much  at  variance  with  the  prevailing  senti- 
ment in  their  own  State. 

In  1857,  he  resigned  his  secretaryship  and  spent  a 
portion  of  the  following  autumn  in  exploring  the 
Northwest  Territory,  for  the  purpose  of  finding  a  lo- 
cation and  purchasing  lands  on  which  to  settle  his 
negroes.  He  traveled  with  a  horse  and  buggy,  with 
an  extra  man  and  horse  for  emergencies,  through 
many  parts  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
determining  finally  to  settle  in  Illinois.  At  this  time, 
however,  a  misunderstanding  arose  between  our 
Government  and  Russia,  and  Mr.  Coles  was  selected 
to  repair  to  St.  Petersburg  on  a  special  mission,  bear- 
ing important  papers  concerning  the  matter  at  issue. 
The  result  was  a  conviction  of  the  Emperor  (Alex- 


116 


EDWARD  COLES. 


.4 


ander)  of  the  error  committed  by  his  minister  at 
Washington,  and  the  consequent  withdrawal  of  the 
the  latter  from  the  post.  On  his  return,  Mr.  Coles 
visited  other  parts  of  Europe,  especially  Paris,  where 
he  was  introduced  to  Gen.  Lafayette. 

In  the  spring  of  1819,  he  removed  with  all  his 
negroes  from  Virginia  to  Edwardsville,  111.,  with  the 
intention  of  giving  them  their  liberty.  He  did  not 
make  known  to  them  his  intention  until  one  beautiful 
monning  in  April,  as  they  were  descending  the  Ohio 
River.  He  lashed  all  the  boats  together  and  called 
all  the  negroes  on  deck  and  made  them  a  short  ad- 
dress, concluding  his  remarks  by  so  expressing  him- 
self that  by  a  turn  of  a  sentence  he  proclaimed  in 
the  shortest  and  fullest  manner  that  they  were  no 
longer  slaves,  but  free  as  he  was  and  were  at  liberty 
to  proceed  with  him  or  go  ashore  at  their  pleas- 
ure. A  description  of  the  effect  upon  the  negroes  is 
best  desctibed  in  his  own  language  : 

"The  effect  upon  them  was  electrical.  They  stared 
at  me  and  then  at  each  other,  as  if  doubting  the  ac- 
curacy or  reality  of  what  they  heard.  In  breathless 
silence  they  stood  before  me,  unable  to  utter  a  word, 
but  with  countenances  beaming  with  expression  which 
no  words  could  convey,  and  which  no  language 
can  describe.  As  they  began  to  see  the  truth  of 
what  they  had  heard,  and  realize  their  situation,  there 
came  on  a  kind  of  hysterical,  giggling  laugh.  After 
a  pause  of  intense  and  unutterable  emotion,  bathed 
in  tears,  and  with  tremulous  voices,  they  gave  vent  to 
iheir  gratitude  and  implored  the  blessing  of  God 
on  me." 

Before  landing  he  gave  them  a  general  certificate 
of  freedom,  and  afterward  conformed  more  particu- 
larly with  the  law  of  this  State  requiring  that  each 
individual  should  have  a  certificate.  This  act  of 
Mr.  Coles,  all  the  more  noble  and  heroic  considering 
the  overwhelming  pro-slavery  influences  surrounding 
him,  has  challenged  the  admiration  of  every  philan- 
thropist of  modern  times. 

March  5,  1819,  President  Monroe  ap|x>inted  Mr. 
Coles  Registrar  of  the  Land  Office  at  Edwardsvil:e, 
at  that  time  one  of  the  principal  land  offices  in  the 
State.  While  acting  in  this  capacity  and  gaining 
many  friends  by  his  politeness  and  general  intelli- 
gence, the  greatest  struggle  that  ever  occurred  in 
Illinois  on  the  slavery  ques'ion  culminated  in  the 
furious  contest  characterizing  the  campaigns  and 
elections  of  1822-4.  In  the  summer  of  1823,  when  a 
new  Governor  was  to  be  elected  to  succeed  Mr. 
liond,  the  pro-slavery  element  divided  into  factions, 
pulling  forward  for  the  executive  office  Joseph 
Phillips,  Chief  Justice  of  the  State,  Thomas  C. 
Browne  and  Gen.  James  R.  Moore,  of  the  State  Mil- 
i'.ia.  The  anti-slavery  element  united  upon.  Mr. 
Coles,  and,  after  one  of  the  most  bitter  campaigns, 
succeeded  in  electing  him  as  Governor.  His  plural- 
ity over  Judge  Phillips  was  only  59  in  a  total  vote  of 


over  8,000.  The  Lieutenant  Governor  was  elected 
by  the  slavery  men.  Mr.  Coles' inauguration  speech 
was  marked  by  calmness,  deliberation  and  such  a 
wise  expression  of  appropriate  suggeslions  as  lo 
elicit  Ihe  sanclion  of  all  judicious  politicians.  But 
he  compromised  not  with  evil.  In  his  message  to 
the  Legislature,  the  seat  of  Government  being  then 
at  Vandalia,  he  strongly  urged  the  abrogation  of  the 
modified  form  of  slavery  which  then  existed  in  this 
State,  contrary  to  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  His  posi- 
tion on  this  subject  seems  the  more  remarkable,  when 
it  is  considered  that  he  was  a  minority  Governor,  the 
population  of  Illinois  being  at  that  time  almost  ex- 
clusively from  slave-holding  States  and  by  a  large 
majority  in  favor  of  the  perpetuation  of  that  old  relic 
of  barbarism.  The  Legislature  ilself  was,  of  course, 
a  reflex  of  the  popular  sentiment,  and  a  majority  of 
them  were  led  on  by  fiery  men  in  denunciations  of 
the  conscientious  Governor,  and  in  curses  loud  and 
deep  upon  him  and  all  his  friends.  Some  of  Ihe 
public  men,  indeed,  went  so  far  as  to  head  a  sort  of 
mob,  or  "  shiveree  "  party,  who  visited  the  residence 
of  the  Governor  and  others  at  Vandalia  and  yelled 
and  groaned  and  spat  fire. 

The  Constitution,  not  establishing  or  permitting 
slavery  in  this  State,  was  thought  therefore  to  be 
defective  by  the  slavery  politicians,  and  they  desired 
a  State  Convention  to  be  elected,  to  devise  and  sub- 
mit a  new  Constilution ;  and  the  dominant  politics 
of  the  day  was  "Convention"  and  "anti-Conven- 
tion." Both  parties  issued  addresses  to  the  people, 
Gov.  Coles  himself  being  the  author  of  the  address 
published  by  the  latter  party.  This  address  revealed 
the  schemes  of  the  conspirators  in  a  masterly  man- 
ner. It  is  difficult  for  us  at  this  distant  day  to  esti- 
mate the  critical  and  exlremely  delicale  situation  in 
which  Ihe  Governor  was  placed  at  that  time. 

Our  hero  maintained  himself  honorably  and  with 
supreme  dignity  throughout  his  administration,  and 
in  his  honor  a  county  in  this  State  is  named.  He 
was  truly  a  great  man,  and  those  who  lived  in 
this  State  during  his  sojourn  here,  like  those  who 
live  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  were  too  near  to  see 
and  recognize  the  grealness  that  overshadowed  them. 

Mr.  Coles  was  married  Nov.  28,  1833,  by  Bishop 
De  Lancey,  to  Miss  Sally  Logan  Roberts,  a  daughter 
of  Hugh  Roberts,  a  descendant  of  Welsh  ancestry, 
who  cam i  to  this  country  with  Wm.  Penn  in  1682. 

After  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  Gov. 
Coles  continued  his  residence  in  Edwaidsville,  sup- 
erintending his  farm  in  the  vicinity.  He  was  fond 
of  agriculture,  and  was  the  founder  of  the  first  agri- 
cultural society  in  the  State.  On  account  of  ill 
health,  however,  and  having  no  family  to  tie  him 
down,  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in  Eastern  cities. 
About  1832  he  changed  his  residence  to  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  died  July  7,  1868,  and  is  buried  at 
Woodland,  near  that  city. 


- 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


119      i  , 


INI  AN  EDVVARDS,Goveinor 
from  1827  to  1830,  was  a  son 
of  Benjamin  Edwards,  and 
was  bom  in  Montgomery 
County,  Maryland,  in  March, 
?  1775.  His  domestic  train- 
ing was  well  fitted  to  give 
his  mind  strength,  firmness  and 
honorable  principles,  and  a  good 
foundation  was  laid  for  the  elevated 
character  to  which  he  afterwards 
attained.  His  parents  were  Bap- 
tists, and  very  strict  in  their  moral 
piinciples.  His  education  in  eaily 
youth  was  in  company  with  and 
partly  under  the  tuition  of  Hon.  Win. 
Wirt,  whom  his  father  patronized; 
and  who  was  more  than  two  years 
older.  An  intimacy  was  thus 
formed  between  them  which  was  lasting  for  life.  He 
was  further  educated  at  Dickinson  College,  at  Car 
lisle,  Pa.  He  next  commenced  the  study  of  law,  but 
before  completing  his  course  he  moved  to  Nelson 
County,  Ky.,  to  open  a  farm  for  his  father  and  to 
purchase  homes  and  locate  lands  for  his  brothers  and 
sisters.  Here  he  fell  in  the  company  of  dissolute 
companions,  and  for  several  years  led  the  life  of  a 
spendthrift.  He  was,  however,  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  Kentucky  as  the  Representative  of  Nelson 
c-'ounty  before  he  was  2  i  years  of  age,  and  was  re- 
elected  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote. 


In  1798  he  was  licensed  to  practice  law,  and  the 
following  year  was  admitted  to  the  Courts  of  Tennes- 
see. About  this  time  he  left  Nelson  County  for 
Russellville,  in  Logan  County,  broke  away  from  his 
dissolute  companions,  commenced  a  reformation  and 
devoted  himself  to  severe  and  laborious  study.  He 
then  began  to  rise  rapidly  in  his  profession.,  and  soon 
became  an  eminent  lawyer,  and  inside  of  four  years 
he  filled  in  succession  the  offices  of  Presiding  Judge 
of  the  General  Court,  Circuit  Judge,  fourth  Judge  of 
the  Court  of  Appeals  and  Chief  Justice  of  the  State, 
— all  before  he  was  32  years  of  age!  In  addition,  in 
1802,  he  received  a  commission  as  Major  of  a  battal- 
ion of  Kentucky  militia,  and  in  1804  was  chosen  a 
Presidential  Elector,  on  the  Jefferson  and  Clinton 
ticket.  In  1806  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress, 
but  withdrew  on  being  promoted  to  the  Court  of 
Appeals. 

Illinois  was  organized  as  a  separate  Territory  in 
the  spring  of  1809,  when  Mr.  Edwards,  then  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  in  Kentucky,  received 
from  President  Madison  the  appointment  as  Gover- 
nor of  the  new  Territory,  his  commission  bearing  date 
April  24,  1809.  Edwards  arrived  at  Kaskaskia  in 
June,  and  on  the  i  ith  of  that  month  took  the  oath  of 
office.  At  the  same  time  he  was  ap|x>inted  Superin- 
tendent of  the  United  States  Saline,  this  Government 
interest  then  developing  into  considerable  proportion 3 
in  Southern  Illinois.  Although  during  the  first  three 
years  of  his  administration  he  had  the  power  to  make 
new  counties  and  appoint  all  the  officers,  yet  he  always 
allowed  the  people  of  each  county,  by  an  informal 


t 


I2O 


NINIAM  ED  WARDS. 


vote,  to  select  their  own  officers,  both  civil  and  mili- 
tary. The  noted  John  J.  Crittenden,  afterward 
United  States  Senator  from  Kentucky,  was  appointed 
by  Gev.  Edwards  to  the  office  of  Attorney  General  of 
the  Territory,  which  office  was  accepted  for  a  short 
time  only. 

The  Indians  in  1810  committing  sundry  depreda- 
tions in  the  Territory,  crossing  the  Mississippi  from 
the  Territory  of  Louisiana,  a  long  correspondence  fol- 
lowed between  the  respective  Governors  concerning 
the  remedies,  which  ended  in  a  council  with  the  sav- 
ages at  Peoria  in  1812,  and  a  fresh  interpretation  of 
the  treaties.  Peoria  was  depopulated  by  these  de- 
predations, and  was  not  re-settled  for  many  .years 
afterward. 

As  Gov.  Edwards'  term  of  office  expired  by  law  in 
1812,  he  was  re-appointed  for  another  term  of  three 
years,  and  again  in  1815  for  a  third  term,  serving 
until  the  organization  of  the  State  in  the  fall  of  1818 
and  the  inauguration  of  Gov.  Bond.  At  this  time 
ex-Gov.  Edwards  was  sent  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  his  colleague  being  Jesse  B.  Thomas.  As 
Senator,  Mr.  Edwards  took  a  conspicuous  part,  and 
acquitted  himself  honorably  in  all  the  measures  that 
came  up  in  that  body,  being  well  posted,  an  able  de- 
bater and  a  conscientious  statesman.  He  thought 
.eriously  of  resigning  this  situation  in  1821,  but  was 
persuaded  by  his  old  friend,  Wm.  Wirt,  and  others  to 
continue  in  office,  which  he  did  to  the  end  of  the 
term. 

He  was  then  appointed  Minister  to  Mexico  by 
President  Monroe.  About  this  time,  it  appears  that 
Mr.  Edwards  saw  suspicious  signs  in  the  conduct  of 
Wm.  H.  Crawford,  Secretary  of  the  United  States 
Treasury,  and  an  ambitious  candidate  for  the  Presi- 
dency, and  being  implicated  by  the  latter  in  some  of 
his  statements,  he  resigned  his  Mexican  mission  in 
order  fully  to  investigate  the  charges.  The  result 
was  the  exculpation  of  Mr.  Edwards. 

Pro-slavery  regulations,  often  termed  "Black  Laws," 
disgraced  the  statute  books  of  both  the  Territory  and 
.he  State  of  Illinois  during  the  whole  of  his  career  in 
.his  commonwealth,  and  Mr.  Edwards  always  main- 
tained the  doctrines  of  freedom,  and  was  an  important 
.•xtor  in  the  great  struggle  which  ended  in  a  victory 
f.or  his  parfy  in  1824. 

In  1826  7  the  Winnebago  and  other  Indians  com- 
mitted sorre  depredations  in  the  northern  part  of  the 


State,  and  the  white  settlers,  who  desired  the  hinds 
and  wished  to  exasperate  the  savages  into  an  evacu- 
ation of  the  country,  magnified  the  misdemeanors  of 
the  aborigines  and  thereby  produced  a  hostility  be- 
tween the  races  so  great  as  to  precipitate  a  little  war, 
known  in  history  as  the  "  Winnebago  War."  A  few 
chases  and  skirmishes  were  had,  when  Gen.  Atkinson 
succeeded  in  capturing  Red  Bird,  the  Indian  chief, 
and  putting  him  to  death,  thus  ending  the  contest,  a? 
least  until  the  troubles  commenced  which  ended  in 
the  "  Black  Hawk  War  "  of  1832.  In  the  interpre- 
tation of  treaties  and  execution  of  their  provisions 
Gov.  Edwards  had  much  vexatious  work  to  do.  The 
Indians  kept  themselves  generally  within  the  juris- 
diction of  Michigan  Territory,  and  its  Governor, 
Lewis  Cass,  was  at  a  point  so  remote  that  ready  cor- 
respondence with  him  was  difficult  or  impossible. 
Gov.  Edwards'  administration,  however,  in  regard  to 
the  protection  of  the  Illinois  frontier,  seems  to  have 
been  very  efficient  and  satisfactory. 

For  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  after  his  re- 
moval to  Illinois,  Gov.  Edwards  resided  upon  his 
farm  near  Kaskaskia,  which  he  had  well  stocked  with 
horses,  cattle  and  sheep  from  Kentucky,  also  with 
fruit-trees,  grape-vines  and  shrubbery.  He  estab- 
lished saw  and  grist-mills,  and  engaged  extensively 
in  mercantile  business,  having  no  less  than  eight  or  ten 
stores  in  this  State  and  Missouri.  Notwithstanding 
the  arduous  duties  of  his  office,  he  nearly  always  pur- 
chased the  goods  himself  with  which  to  supply  the 
stores.  Although  not  a  regular  practitioner  of  medi- 
cine, he  studied  the  healing  art  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent, and  took  great  pleasure  in  prescribing  for,  and 
taking  care  of,  the  sick,  generally  without  charge. 
He  was  also  liberal  to  the  poor,  several  widows  and 
ministers  of  the  gospel  becoming  indebted  to  him 
even  for  their  homes. 

He  married  Miss  Elvira  Lane,  of  Maryland,  in 
1803,  and  they  became  the  affectionate  parents  of 
several  children,  one  of  whom,  especially,  is  weK 
known  to  the  people  of  the  "  Prairie  State,"  namely. 
Ninian  Wirt  Edwards,  once  the  Superintendent  c< 
Public  Instruction  and  still  a  resident  of  Springfield 
Gov.  Edwards  resided  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Kas- 
kaskia from  1809  to  1818;  in  Edwardsville  (named 
after  him)  from  that  time  to  1824;  and  from  the  lat- 
ter date  at  Belleville,  St.  Clair  County,  until  his 
death,  July  20,  1833,  of  Asiatic  cholera.  Edwards 
County  is  also  named  in  his  honor. 


GO  VERNGRS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


->*  •£• 


:OHN  REYNOLDS, Governor  1831- 
4,  was  born  in  Montgomery  Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  Feb.  26,  1788. 
His  father,  Robert  Reynolds  and 
his  mother,  nee  Margaret  Moore, 
were  both  natives  of  Ireland,  from 
which  country  they  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  in  1785,  land- 
ing at  Philadelphia.  The  senior 
Reynolds  entertained  an  undying 
hostility  to  the  British  Govern- 
ment. When  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  about  six  months  old, 
his  parents  emigrated  with  him  to 
Tennessee,  where  many  of  their 
relatives  had  already  located,  at  the  base  of  the 
Copper  Ridge  Mountain,  about  14  miles  northeast  of 
the  present  city  of  Knoxville.  There  they  were  ex- 
nosed  to  Indian  depredations,  and  were  much  molest- 
ed by  them.  In  1794  they  moved  into  the  interior 
of  the  State.  They  were  poor,  and  brought  up  their 
children  to  habits  of  manual  industry. 

In  1800  the  family  removed  to  Kaskaskia,  111.,  with 
eight  horses  and  two  wagons,  encountering  many 
Hardships  on  the  way.  Here  young  Reynolds  passed 
the  most  of  his  childhood,  while  his  character  began 
to  develop,  the  most  prominent  traits  of  which  were 
ambition  and  energy.  He  also  adopted  the  principle 
and  practice  of  total  abstinence  from  intoxicating 
liquors.  In  1807  the  family  made  another  removal, 


this  time  to  the  "  Goshen  Settlement,"  at  the  foot  of 
the  Mississippi  bluffs  three  or  four  miles  southwest 
of  Edwardsville. 

On  arriving  at  his  zoth  year,  Mr.  Reynolds,  seeing 
that  he  must  look  about  for  his  own  livelihood  and 
not  yet  having  determined  what  calling  to  pursue, 
concluded  first  to  attend  college,  and  he  accordingly 
went  to  such  an  institution  of  learning,  near  Knox- 
ville, Tenn.,  where  he  had  relatives.  Imagine  his 
diffidence,  when,  after  passing  the  first  20  years  of 
his  life  without  ever  having  seen  a  carpet,  a  papered 
wall  or  a  Windsor  chair,  and  never  having  lived  in  a 
shingle-roofed  house,  he  suddenly  ushered  himsell' 
into  the  society  of  the  wealthy  in  the  vicinity  of 
Knoxville!  He  attended  college  nearly  two  years, 
going  through  the  principal  Latin  authors;  but  it 
seems  that  he,  like  the  rest  of  the  world  in  modern 
times,  had  but  very  little  use  for  his  Latin  in  after 
life.  He  always  failed,  indeed,  to  exhibit  any  good 
degree  of  literary  discipline.  He  commenced  the 
study  of  law  in  Knoxville,  but  a  pulmonary  trouble 
came  on  and  compelled  him  to  change  his  mode 
of  life.  Accordingly  he  returned  home  and  re 
cuperated,  and  in  1812  resumed  his  college  and 
law  studies  at  Knoxville.  In  the  fall  of  1812  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Kaskaskia.  About  this  time 
he  also  learned  the  French  language,  which  he 
practiced  with  pleasure  in  conversation  with  his 
family  for  many  years.  He  regarded  this  •  language 
as  being  superior  to  all  others  for  social  intercourse. 


I 


,       124 


JOHN  REYNOLDS. 


From  his  services  in  the  West,  in  the  war  of  1812, 
he  obtained  the  sobriquet  of  the  "  Old  Ranger."  He 
was  Orderly  Sergeant,  then  Judge  Advocate. 

Mr.  Reynolds  opened  his  first  law  office  in  the 
winter  and  spring  of  1814,  in  the  French  village  of 
Cahokia,  then  the  capital  of  St.  Clair  County. 

In  the  fall  of  1818  he  was  elected  an  Associate 
Justice  upon  the  Supreme  Bench  by  the  General 
Assembly.  In  1825  he  entered  more  earnestly  than 
ever  into  the  practice  of  law,  and  the  very  next  year 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  where  he 
acted  independently  of  all  cliques  and  private  inter- 
ests. In  1828  the  Whigs  and  Democrats  were  for 
the  first  time  distinctively  organized  as  such  in  Illi- 
nois, and  the  usual  party  bitterness  grew  up  and 
raged  on  all  sides,  while  Mr.  Reynolds  preserved  a 
iudicial  calmness  and  moderation.  The  real  animus 
of  the  campaign  was  "  Jackson  "  and  "  anti-Jackson," 
*he  former  party  carrying  the  State. 

In  August,  1830,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  elected  Gov- 
.rnor,  amid  great  excitement.  Installed  in  office,  he 
did  all  within  his  power  to  advance  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation, internal  improvements,  the  Illinois  &  Mich- 
igan Canal,  the  harbor  at  Chicago,  settling  the  coun- 
try, etc.;  also  reccmmended  the  winding  up  of  the 
State  Bank,  as  its  affairs  had  become  dangerously 
complicated.  In  his  national  politics,  he  was  a 
moderate  supporter  of  General  Jackson.  But  the 
most  celebrated  event  of  his  gubernatorial  admin- 
istration was  the  Black  Hawk  War,  which  occurred 
in  1832.  He  called  out  the  militia  and  prosecuted 
the  contest  with  commendable  diligence,  appearing 
in  person  on  the  battle-grounds  during  the  most 
critical  periods.  He  was  recognized  by  the  President 
as  Major-General,  and  authorized  by  him  to  make 
treaties  with  the  Indians.  By  the  assistance  of  the 
general  Government  the  war  was  terminated  without 
much  bloodshed,  but  after  many  serious  fights.  This 
war,  as  well  as  everything  else,  was  materially  re- 
tarded by  the  occurrence  of  Asiatic  cholera  in  the 
West.  This  was  its  first  appearance  here,  and  was 
the  next  event  in  prominence  during  Gov.  Reynolds' 
term. 

South  Carolina  nullification  coming  up  at  this  time, 
t  was  heartily  condemned  by  both  President  Jackson 
c.nd  Gov.  Reynolds,  who  took  precisely  the  same 
grounds  as  the  Unionists  in  the  last  war. 

On  the  termination  of  his  gubernatorial  term  in 
.834,  Gov.  Reynolds  was  elected  a  Member  of  Con- 
gress, still  considering  himself  a  backwoodsman,  as 
'  e  had  scarcely  been  outside  of  the  Slate  since  he 
became  of  age,  and  had  spent  nearly  all  his  youthful 
iays  in  the  wildest  region  of  the  frontier.  His  first 
move  in  Congress  was  to  adopt  a  resolution  that  in 
all  elections  made  by  the  House  for  officers  the  votes 
should  be  given  viva  t'oce,  each  member  in  his  place 
naming  aloud  the  person  for  whom  he  votes.  This 
created  considerable  heated  discussion,  but  was  es- 


sentially  adopted,  and  remained  the  controlling  prin- 
ciple for  many  years.  The  ex  Governor  was  scarcely 
absent  from  his  seat  a  single  day,  during  eight  ses- 
sions of  Congress,  covering  a  period  of  seven  years, 
and  he  never  vacillated  in  a  party  vote;  but  he  failed 
to  get  the  Democratic  party  to  foster  his  "  National 
Road"  scheme.  He  says,  in  "My  Own  Times"  (a 
large  autobiography  he  published),  that  it  was  only 
by  rigid  economy  that  he  avoided  insolvency  while  in 
Washington.  During  his  sojourn  in  that  city  he  was 
married,  to  a  lady  of  the  place. 

In  1837,  while  out  of  Congress,  and  in  company 
with  a  few  others,  he  built  the  first  railroad  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  namely,  one  about  six  miles  long, 
leading  from  his  coal  mine  in  the  Mississippi  bluff  to 
the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  St.  Louis.  Having  not 
the  means  to  purchase  a  locomotive,  they  operated  it 
by  horse-power.  The  next  spring,  however,  the  com- 
pany sold  out,  at  great  sacrifice. 

In  1839  the  ex-Governor  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Canal  Commissioners,  and  authorized  to  borrow 
money  to  prosecute  the  enterprise.  Accord1' ugly,  he 
repaired  to  Philadelphia  and  succeeding  in  obtaining 
a  million  dollars,  which,  however,  was  only  a  fourth 
of  what  was  wanted.  The  same  year  he  and  his 
wife  made  at  our  of  Europe.  This  year,  also,  Mr. 
Reynolds  had  the  rather  awkward  little  responsibility 
of  introducing  to  President  Van  Buren  the  noted 
Mormon  Prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  as  a  "  Latter-Day 
Saint!" 

In  1846  Gov.  Reynolds  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  from  St.  Clair  County,  more  particu- 
larly for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  feasible  charter 
for  a  macadamized  road  from  Belleville  to  St.  Louis, 
a  distance  of  nearly  14  miles.  This  was  immediately 
built,  and  was  the  first  road  of  the  kind  in  the  State. 
He  was  again  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1852,  when 
he  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House.  In  r86o,  aged 
and  infirm,  he  attended  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  at  Charleston,  S.  C  ,  as  an  anti-Douglas 
Delegate,  where  he  received  more  attention  from  the 
Southern  Delegates  than  any  other  member.  He 
supported  Breckenridge  for  the  Presidency.  After 
the  October  elections  foreshadowed  the  success  of 
Lincoln,  he  published  an  address  urging  the  Demo- 
crats to  rally  to  the  support  of  Douglas.  Immedi- 
ately preceding  and  during  the  late  war,  his  corre- 
spondence evinced  a  clear  sympathy  for  the  Southern 
secession,  and  about  the  first  of  March,  1861,  he 
urged  upon  the  Buchanan  officials  the  seizure  of  the 
treasure  and  arms  in  the  custom-house  and  arsenal 
at  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Reynolds  was  a  rather  talkative 
man,  and  apt  in  all  the  Western  phrases  and  catch- 
words that  ever  gained  currency,  besides  many  cun- 
ning and  odd  ones  of  his  own  manufacture. 

He  was  married  twice,  but  had  no  children.  He 
died  in  Belleville,  in  May,  1865,  just  after  the  close 
of  the  war. 


I 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


127    < 


1LLIAM  LEE  U.  EWING, 
Governor  of  Illinois  Nov.  3 
to  17,  1834,  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  probably 
of  Scotch  ancestry.  He  had 
-  a  fine  education,  was  a  gentle- 
man of  polished  manners  and 
refined  sentiment.  In  1830  John  Rey- 
nolds was  elected  Governor  of  the  State, 
and  Zadok  Casey  Lieutenant  Governor, 
and  for  the  principal  events  that  followed, 
and  the  characteristics  of  the  times,  see 
sketch  of  Gov.  Reynolds.  The  first  we 
see  in  history  concerning  Mr.  Ewing,  in- 
forms us  that  he  was  a  Receiver  of  Public 
Mor.eys  at  Vandalia  soon  after  the  organization  of 
Uii.,  State,  and  that  the  public  moneys  in  his  hands 
v.'tie  deposited  in  various  banks,  as  they  are  usually 
'•Mlii  /resent  day.  In  1823  the  State  Bank  was 
ubbeJ,  by  which  disaster  Mr.  Ewing  lost  a  thousand- 
dollar  deposit. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  a  commission  as 
(  olonel  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  in  emergencies 
he  acted  also  as  Major.  In  the  summer  of  1832, 
»;hen  'i  ".'as  rumored  among  the  whites  that  Black 
Hawk  ar.d  liis  men  had  encamped  somewhere  on 
Rock  River,  Gen.  Henry  was  sent  on  a  tour  of 
reconnoisance,  and  with  orders  to  drive  the  Indians 
from  the  State.  After  some  opposition  from  his 
rubordinate  officers,  Henry  resolved  to  proceed  up 
Rock  River  in  search  of  the  enemy.  On  the  igth  of 
July,  early  in  the  morning,  five  baggage  wagons, 


camp  equipage  and  all  heavy  and  cumbersome  arti- 
cles were  piled  up  and  left,  so  that  the  army  might 
make  speedy  and  forced  marches.  For  some  miles 
the  travel  was  exceedingly  bad,  crossing  swamps 
and  the  worst  thickets;  but  the  large,  fresh  trail 
gave  life  and  animation  to  the  Americans.  Gen. 
Dodge  and  Col.  Ewing  were  both  acting  as  Majors, 
and  composed  the  "  spy  corps  "  or  vanguard  of  the 
army.  It  is  supposed  the  army  marched  nearly  50 
miles  this  day,  and  the  Indian  trail  they  followed 
became  fresher,  and  was  strewed  with  much  property 
and  trinkets  of  the  red-skins  that  they  had  lost  or 
thrown  away  to  hasten  their  march.  During  the 
following  night  there  was  a  terrific  thunder-storm,  and 
the  soldiery,  with  all  their  appurtenances,  were  thor- 
oughly drenched. 

On  approaching  nearer  the  Indians  the  next  day. 
Gen.  Dodge  and  Major  Ewing,  each  commanding  a 
battalion  of  men,  were  placed  in  front  to  bring  on  the 
battle,  but  the  savages  were  not  overtaken  this  day 
Forced  marches  were  continued  until  they  reached. 
Wisconsin  River,  where  a  veritable  battle  ensued, 
resulting  in  the  death  of  about  68  of  Black  Hawk's 
men.  The  next  day  they  continued  the  chase,  and 
as  soon  as  he  discovered  the  trail  of  the  Indians 
leading  toward  the  Mississippi,  Maj.  Ewing  formed 
his  battalion  in  order  of  battle  and  awaited  the  order 
of  Gen.  Henry.  The  latter  soon  appeared  on  the 
ground  and  ordered  a  charge,  which  directly  resulted 
in  chasing  the  red  warriors  across  the  great  river. 
Maj.  Ewing  and  his  command  proved  particularly 
efficient  in  war,  as  it  seems  they  were  the  chief  actors 
in  driving  the  main  body  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  in- 


128 


WILLIAM  L.  D.  EWING. 


eluding  Black  Hawk  himself,  across  the  Mississippi, 
while  Gen.  Atkinson,  commander-in-chief  of  the  ex- 
pedition, with  a  body  of  the  army,  was  hunting  for 
them  in  another  direction. 

In  the  above  affair  Maj.  Ewing  is  often  referred  to 
as  a  "General,"  which  title  he  had  derived  from  his 
connection  with  the  militia. 

It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  (1832) 
that  Lieutenant  Governor  Casey  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress and  Gen.  Ewing,  who  had  been  elected  to  the 
Senate,  was  chosen  to  preside  over  that  body.  At 
the  August  election  of  1834,  Gov.  Reynolds  was  also 
elected  to  Congress,  more  than  a  year  ahead  of  the 
time  at  which  he  could  actually  take  his  seat,  as  was 
then  the  law.  His  predecessor,  Chailes  Slade,  had 
just  died  of  Asiatic  cholera,  soon  after  the  elec- 
tion, and  Gov.  Reynolds  was  chosen  to  serve  out  his 
unexpired  term.  Accordingly  he  set  out  for  Wash- 
ington in  November  of  that  year  to  take  his  seat  in 
Congress,  and  Gen.  Ewing,  by  virtue  of  his  office  as 
President  of  the  Senate,  became  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  his  term  covering  only  a  period  of 
15  days,  namely,  from  the  3d  to  the  iyth  days,  in- 
clusive, of  November.  On  the  171)1  the  Legislature 
met,  and  Gov.  Ewing  transmitted  to  that  body  his 
message,  giving  a  statement  of  the  condition  of  the 
affairs  of  the  State  at  that  time,  and  urging  a  contin- 
uance of  the  policy  adopted  by  his  predecessor;  and 
on  the  same  day  Governor  elect  Joseph  Duncan 
was  sworn  into  office,  thus  relieving  Mr.  Ewing  from 


the  responsible  situation.  This  is  the  only  time  that 
such  a  juncture  has  happened  in  the  history  of  Illi- 
nois. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  1835,  Gen.  Ewing  was 
elected  a  United  States  Senator  to  serve  out  the 
unexpired  term  of  Elias  Kent  Kane,  deceased.  The 
latter  gentleman  was  a  very  prominent  figure  in  the 
early  politics  of  Illinois,  and  a  county  in  this  State  is 
named  in  his  honor.  The  election  of  Gen.  Ewing  to 
the  Senate  was  a  protracted  struggle.  His  competi- 
tors were  James  Semple,  who  afterwards  held  several 
important  offices  in  this  State,  and  Richard  M. 
Young,  afterward  a  United  States  Senator  and  a 
Supreme  Judge  and  a  man  of  vast  influence.  On 
the  first  ballot  Mr.  Semple  had  25  votes,  Young  19 
and  Ewing  18.  On  the  eighth  ballot  Young  was 
dropped ;  the  ninth  and  tenth  stood  a  tie ;  but  on 
the  1 2th  Ewing  received  40,  to  Semple  37,  and  was 
accordingly  declared  elected.  In  1837  Mr.  Ewing 
received  some  votes  for  a  continuance  of  his  term  in 
Congress,  when  Mr.  Young,  just  referred  to,  was 
elected.  In  1842  Mr.  Ewing  was  elected  State 
Auditor  on  the  ticket  with  Gov.  Ford. 

Gen.  Ewing  was  a  gentleman  of  culture,  a  lawyer 
by  profession,  and  was  much  in  public  life.  In  IK::  son 
he  was  above  medium  height  and  of  heavy  build, 
with  auburn  hair,  blue  eyes,  large-sized  head  and 
short  face.  He  was  genial,  social,  friendly  and 
affable,  with  fair  talent,  though  of  no  high  degree  of 
originality.  He  died  March  25,  1846. 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


dr 


OSEPH  DUNCAN,  Governor 
1834-8,  was  born  at  Paris, 
Ky.,  Feb.  23,  1794.  At  the 
tender  age  of  19  years  he  en- 
listed  in  the  war  against  Great 
Britain, .  and  as  a  soldier  he 
s  acquitted  himself  with  credit.  He 
was  an  Ensign  under  the  daunt- 
less Croghan  at  Lower  Sandusky, 
i  or  Fort  Stephenson.  In  Illinois 
he  first  appeared  in  a  public  capa- 
city as  Major-General  of  the  Militia, 
a  position  which  his  military  fame 
had  procured  him.  Subsequently 
he  became  a  State  Senator  from 
Jackson  County,  and  is  honorably 
mentioned  for  introducing  the  first  bill  providing  for 
a  free-school  system.  In  1826,  when  the  redoubt- 
able John  P.  Cook,  who  had  previously  beaten  such 
men  as  John  McLean,  Elias  Kent  Kane  and  ex- 
Gov.  Bond,  came  up  for  the  fourth  time  for  Congress, 
Mr.  Duncan  was  brought  forward  against  him  by  his 
friends,  greatly  to  the  surprise  of  all  the  politicians. 
\s  yet  he  was  but  little  known  in  the  Stale.  He  was 
an  original  Jackson  man  at  that  time,  being  attached 
to  his  political  fortune  in  admiration  of  the  glory  of 
his  militaiy  achievements.  His  chances  of  success 
n gainst  Cook  were  generally  regarded  as  hopeless, 
but  he  entered  upon  the  campaign  undaunted.  His 
speeches,  though  short  and  devoid  of  ornament,  were 
full  of  good  sense.  He  made  a  diligent  canvass  of 
the  State,  Mr.  Cook  being  hindered  by  the  condition  of 
his  health.  The  most  that  was  expected  of  Mr. 
Duncan,  under  the  circumstances,  was  that  he  would 


obtain  a  respectable  vote,  but  without  defeating  Mr. 
Cook.  The  result  of  the  campaign,  however,  was  a 
source  of  surprise  and  amazement  to  both  friends 
and  foes,  as  Mr.  Duncan  came  out  641  votes  ahead! 
He  received  6,32r  votes,  and  Mr.  Cook  5,680.  Un- 
til this  denouement,  the  violence  of  party  feeling 
smoldering  in  the  breasts  of  the  people  on  account 
of  the  defeat  of  Jackson,  was  not  duly  appreciated. 
Aside  from  the  great  convention  struggle  of  1824,  no 
other  than  mere  local  and  personal  considerations 
had  ever  before  controlled  an  election  in  Illinois. 

From  the  above  date  Mr.  Duncan  retained  his 
seat  in  Congress  until  his  election  as  Governor  in 
August,  1834,  The  first  and  bloodless  year  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Rey- 
nolds to  the  position  of  Brigadier-General  of  the 
volunteers,  and  he  conducted  his  brigade  to  Rock 
Island.  But  he  was  absent  from  the  State,  in  Wash- 
ington, during  the  gubernatorial  campaign,  and  did 
not  personally  participate  in  it,  but  addressed  circu- 
lars to  his  constituents.  His  election  was,  indeed, 
attributed  to  the  circumstance  of  his  absence,  be- 
cause his  estrangement  from  Jackson,  formerly  his 
political  idol,  and  also  from  the  Democracy,  largely 
in  ascendency  in  the  State,  was  complete ;  but  while 
his  defection  was  well  known  to  his  Whig  friends, 
and  even  to  the  leading  Jackson  men  of  this  State, 
the  latter  were  unable  to  carry  conviction  of  that  fact 
to  the  masses,  as  mail  and  newspaper  facilities  at 
that  day  were  far  inferior  to  those  of  the  present 
time.  Of  course  the  Governor  was  much  abused 
afterward  by  the  fossilized  Jackson  men  who  re- 
garded party  ties  and  affiliations  as  above  all 
other  issues  that  could  arise;  but  he  was  doubtless 


132 


JOSEPH  DUNCAN. 


T 


sincere  in  his  opposition  to  the  old  hero,  as  the  latter 
;;ad  vetoed  several  important  western  measures 
which  were  dear  to  Mr.  Duncan.  In  his  inaugural 
message  he  threw  off  the  mask  and  took  a  bold  stand 
.igainst  the  course  of  the  President.  The  measures 
f.e  recommended  in  his  message,  however,  were  so 
desirable  that  the  Legislature,  although  by  a  large 
majority  consisting  of  Jackson  men,  could  not  refrain 
from  endorsing  them.  These  measures  related 
juainly  to  banks  and  internal  improvements. 

It  was  while  Mr.  Duncan  was  Governor  that  the 
people  of  Illinois  went  whirling  on  with  bank  and  in- 
ternal impiovement  schemes  that  well  nigh  bank- 
'upted  the  State.  The  hard  limes  of  1837  came  on, 
and  the  disasters  that  attended  the  inauguration  of 
:hese  plans  and  the  operation  of  the  banks  were  mu- 
tually charged  upon  the  two  political  parties.  Had 
any  one  man  autocratic  power  to  introduce  and 
carry  on  any  one  of  these  measures,  he  would  proba- 
bly have  succeeded  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public; 
Lut  as  many  jealous  men  had  hold  of  the  same  plow 
Handle,  no  success  followed  and  each  blamed  the  other 
for  the  failure.  In  this  great  vortex  Gov.  Duncan 
was  carried  along,  suffering  the  like  derogation  of 
character  with  his  fellow  citizens. 

At  the  height  of  the  excitement  the  Legislature 
"provided  for"  railroads  from  Galena  to  Cairo,  Alton 
to  Shawneetown,  Alton  to  Mount  Carmel,  Alton  to  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  State  in  the  direction  of 
Terre  Haute,  Quincy  via  Sjwingficld  to  the  Wabash, 
Blooir.ington  to  Pekin,  and  Peoria  to  Warsaw, — in  all 
about  1,300  miles  of  road.  It  also  provided  for  the 
improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the  Kaskaskia, 
Illinois,  Great  and  Little  Wabash  and  Rock  Rivers  ; 
also  as  a  placebo,  $200,000  in  money  were  to  be  dis- 
tributed to  the  various  counties  wherein  no  improve- 
ments were  ordered  to  be  made  as  above.  The 
estimate  for  the  expenses  for  all  these  projects  was 
.laced  at  a  little  over  $10,000,000,  which  was  not 
more  inan  half  enough !  That  would  now  be  equal  to 
paddling  upon  the  State  a  debt  of  $225,000,000  !  It 
wss  sufficient  to  bankrupt  the  State  several  times 
over,  even  counting  all  the  possible  benefits. 

One  of  the  most  exciting  events  that  ever  occuired 
in  this  fair  State  was  the  murder  of  Elijah  P.  Love- 
by  in  the  fall  of  1837,  at  Alton,  during  Mr.  Duncan's 
icrm  as  Governor.  Lovejoy  was  an  "  Abolitionist," 
editing  the  Observer  at  that  place,  and  the  pro- 
slavery  slums  there  formed  themselves  into  a  mob, 


and  after  destroying  successively  three  presses  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Lovejoy,  surrounded  the  warehouse 
where  the  fourth  press  was  stored  away,  endeavoring 
to  destroy  it,  and  where  Lovejoy  and  his  friends 
were  entrenching  themselves,  and  shot  and  killed  the 
brave  reformer! 

About  this  time,  also,  the  question  of  removing  the 
State  capital  again  came  up,  as  the  20  years'  limit  for 
its  existence  at  Vandalia  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
There  was,  of  course,  considerable  excitement  over 
the  matter,  the  two  main  points  competing  for  it  be- 
ing Springfield  and  Peoria.  The  jealousy  of  the  lat- 
ter place  is  not  even  yet,  45  years  afterward,  fully 
allayed. 

Gov.  Duncan's  term  expired  in  1838.  In  1842 
he  was  again  proposed  as  a  candidate  for  the  Execu- 
tive chair,  this  time  by  the  Whig  party,  against  Adam 
W.  Snyder,  of  St.  Clair  County,  the  nominee  of  the 
Democrats.  Charles  W.  Hunter  was  a  third  candi- 
date for  the  same  position.  Mr.  Snyder,  however,  died 
before  the  campaign  had  advanced  very  far,  and  his 
party  substituted  Thomas  Ford,  who  was  elected, 
receiving  46,901  votes,  to  38,584  for  Duncan,  and 
909  for  Hunter.  The  cause  of  Democratic  success 
at  this  time  is  mainly  attributed  to  the  temporary 
support  of  the  Mormons  which  they  enjoyed,  and  the 
want  of  any  knowledge,  on  the  part  of  the  masses, 
that  Mr.  Ford  was  opposed  to  any  given  policy  en- 
tertained in  the  respective  localities. 

Gov.  Duncan  was  a  man  of  rather  limited  educa- 
tion, but  with  naturally  fine  abilities  he  profited 
greatly  by  his  various  public  services,  and  gathered 
a  store  of  knowledge  regarding  public  affairs  which 
served  him  a  ready  purpose.  He  possessed  a  clear 
judgment,  decision,  confidence  in  himself  and  moral 
courage  to  carry  out  his  convictions  of  right.  In  his 
deportment  he  was  well  adapted  to  gain  the  admira- 
tion of  the  people.  His  intercourse  with  them  was 
both  affable  and  dignified.  His  portrait  at  the  Gov- 
ernor's mansion,  from  which  the  accompanying  was 
made,  represents  him  as  having  a  swarthy  complex- 
ion, high  cheek  bones,  broad  forehead,  piercing  black 
eyes  and  straight  black  hair. 

He  was  a  liberal  patron  of  the  Illinois  College  at 
Jacksonville,  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Trustees,  and 
died,  after  a  short  illness,  Jan.  15,  1844,  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  leaving  a  wife 
but  no  children.  Two  children,  born  to  them,  had 
died  in  infancy. 


t 
o 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


'35 


HOMAS  CARLIN,  the  sixth 
Governor  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  serving  from  1838 
to  1842,  was  also  a  Ken- 
tuckian,  being  born  near 
Frankfort,  that  State,  July 
18,  1789,  of  Irish  paternity. 
The  opportunities  for  an  education 
being  very  meager  in  his  native 
place,  he,  on  approaching  years  of 
jud«ment  and  maturity,  applied 
himself  to  those  branches  of  learn- 
ing that  seemed  most  important, 
and  thus  became  a  self-made  man  ; 
and  his  tiste  for  reading  and 
study  remained  with  him  through 
life.  In  1803  his  father  removed 
10  Missouri,  then  a  part  of  "  New  Spain,"  where  he 
died  in  1810. 

In  1812  young  Carlin  came  to  Illinois  and  partici- 
pated in  all  the  "ranging"  service  incident  to  the 
war  of  that  period,  proving  himself  a  soldier  of  un- 
daunted bravery.  In  1814  he  married  Rebecca 
Huilt,  and  lived  for  four  years  on  the  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
sc.,vi,  where  he  followed  farming,  and  then  removed 
to  Greene  County.  He  located  the  town  site  of  Car- 
roi'ton,  in  that  county,  and  in  1825  made  a  liberal 
donation  of  land  for  county  building  purposes.  He 
was  the  first  Sheriff  of  that  county  after  its  separate 
organization,  and  afterward  was  twice  elected,  as  a 
Jackson  Democrat,  to  the  Illinois  Senate.  In  the 
Black  Hawk  War  he  commanded  a  spy  battalion,  a 
po.it  of  considerable  danger.  In  1834  he  was  ap- 
l>ointed  by  President  Jackson  to  the  position  of 
Receiver  of  Public  Moneys,  and  to  fulfill  the  office 


more  conveniently  he  removed  to  the  city  of  Quincy. 

While,  in  1838,  the  unwieldy  internal  improvement 
system  of  the  State  was  in  full  operation,  with  all  its 
expensive  machinery,  amidst  bank  suspensions 
throughout  the  United  States,  a  great  stringency  in 
the  money  market  everywhere,  and  Illinois  bonds 
forced  to  sale  at  a  heavy  discount,  and  the  "  hardest 
limes  "existing  that  the  people  of  the  Prairie  State 
ever  saw,  the  general  election  of  State  officers  was 
approaching.  Discreet  men  who  had  cherished  the 
hope  of  a  speedy  subsidence  of  the  public  infatua- 
tion, met  with  disappointment.  -A  Governor  and 
Legislature  were  to  be  elected,  and  these  were  now 
looked  forward  to  for  a  repeal  of  the  ruinous  State 
policy.  But  the  grand  scheme  had  not  yet  lost  its 
dazzling  influence  upon  the  minds  of  the  people. 
Time  and  experience  had  not  yet  fully  demonstrated 
its  utter  absurdity.  Hence  the  question  of  arresting 
its  career  of  profligate  expenditures  did  not  become 
a  leading  one  with  the  dominant  party  during  the 
campiign,  and  most  of  the  old  members  of  the  Leg- 
islature were  returned  at  this  election. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  Democrats,  in  State 
Convention  assembled,  nominated  Mr.  Carlin  for  the 
office  of  Governor,  and  S.  H.  Anderson  for  Lieuten- 
ant Governor,  while  the  Whigs  nominated  Cyrus  Ed- 
wards, brother  of  Ninian  Edwards,  formerly  Governor, 
and  W.  H.  Davidson.  Edwards  came  out  strongly 
for  a  continuance  of  the  State  policy,  while  Carlin 
remained  non-committal.  This  was  the  first  time 
that  the  two  main  political  parties  in  this  State  were 
unembarrassed  by  any  third  parly  in  the  field.  The 
result  of  the  election  was:  Carlin,  35,573;  Ander- 
son, 30,335  ;  Edwards,  29,629 ;  and  Davidson,  28,- 

715- 

Upon  the  meeting  of  the  subsequent   Legislature 

(1839),  the  retiring  Governor  CDuncan')  in    his  mes- 


THOMAS  CARLIN. 


t 


sage  spoke  in  emphatic  terms  of  the  impolicy  of  the 
internal  improvement  system,  presaging  the  evils 
threatened,  and  uiged  that  body  to  do  their  utmost 
to  correct  the  great  error;  yet,  on  the  contrary,  the 
Legislature  not  only  decided  to  continue  the  policy 
but  also  added  to  its  burden  by  voting  more  appro- 
priations and  ordering  more  improvements.  Although 
the  money  market  was  still  stringent,  a  further  loan 
of  $4,000,000  was  ordered  for  the  Illinois  &  Mich- 
igan Canal  alone.  Ch'cago  at  that  time  began  to 
loom  up  and  promise  to  be  an  important  city,  even 
the  great  emporium  of  the  West,  as  it  has  since  in- 
deed came  to  be.  Ex-Gov.  Reynolds,  an  incompe- 
tent financier,  was  commissioned  to  effect  the  loan, 
and  accordingly  hastened  to  the  East  on  this  respons- 
ible errand,  and  negotiated  the  loans,  at  considera- 
ble sacrifice  to  the  State.  Besides  this  embarrassment 
to  Carlin's  administration,  the  Legislature  also  de- 
clared that  he  had  no  authority  to  appoint  a  Secretary 
of  State  until  a  vacancy  existed,  and  A.  P.  Field,  a 
Whig,  who  had  already  held  the  post  by  appointment 
through  three  administrations,  was  determined  to 
keep  the  place  a  while  longer,  in  spite  of  Gov.  Car- 
lin's preferences.  The  course  of  the  Legislature  in 
this  regard,  however,  was  finally  sustained  by  the 
Supreme  Court,  in  a  quo  warranty  case  brought  up 
before  it  by  John  A.  McClernand,  whom  the  Gov- 
ernor had  nominated  for  the  office.  Thereupon  that 
dignified  body  was  denounced  as  a  "Whig  Court!'' 
endeavoring  to  establish  the  principle  of  life-tenure 
of  office. 

A  new  law  was  adopted  re-organizing  the  Judici- 
ary, and  under  it  five  additional  Supreme  Judges 
were  elected  by  the  Legislature,  namely,  Thomas 
Ford  (afterward  Governor),  Sidney  Breese,  Walter  B. 
Scates,  Samuel  H.  Treat  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas — 
all  Democrats. 

It  was  during  Cov.  Carlin's  administration  that  the 
noisy  campaign  of  "Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too  "  oc- 
curred, resulting  in  a  Whig  victory.  This,  however, 
did  not  affect  Illinois  politics  very  seriously. 

Another  prominent  event  in  the  West  during  Gov. 
Carlin's  term  of  office  was  the  excitement  caused  by 
the  Mormons  and  their  removal  from  Independence, 
Mo.,  to  Nauvoo,  111.,  in  1840.  At  the  same  time 
they  began  to  figure  somewhat  in  State  politics.  On 
account  of  their  believing — as  they  thought,  accord- 
ing to  the  New  Testament — that  they  should  have 


"  all  things  common,"  and  that  consequently  "  all 
the  earth  "  and  all  that  is  upon  it  were  the"  Lord's  " 
and  therefore  the  property  of  his  "  saints,"  they 
were  suspected,  and  correctly,  too,  of  committing 
many  of  the  deeds  of  larceny,  robbery,  etc.,  that 
were  so  rife  throughout  this  country  in  those  days. 
Hence  a  feeling  of  violence  grew  up  between  the 
Mormons  and  "anti-Mormons."  In  the  State  of 
Missouri  the  Mormons  always  supported  the  Dem- 
ocracy until  they  were  driven  out  by  the  Democratic 
govermnent,  when  they  turned  their  support  to  the 
Whigs.  They  were  becoming  numerous,  and  in  the 
Legislature  of  i84o-r,  therefore,  it  became  a  matter 
of  great  interest  with  both  parties  to  conciliate  these 
people.  Through  the  agency  of  one  John  C.  Ben- 
nett, a  scamp,  the  Mormons  succeeded  in  rushing 
through  the  Legislature  (both  parties  not  daring  to 
oppose)  a  charter  for  the  city  of  Nauvoo  which  vir- 
tually erected  a  hierarchy  co-ordinate  with  the  Fed- 
eral Government  itself.  In  the  fall  of  1841  the 
Governor  of  Missouri  made  a  demand  upon  Gov. 
Carlin  for  the  body  of  Joe  Smith,  the  Mormon  leader, 
as  a  fugitive  from  justice.  Gov.  Carlin  issued  the 
writ,  but  for  some  reason  it  was  returned  unserved. 
It  was  again  issued  in  1842,  and  Smith  was  arrested, 
but  was  either  rescued  by  his  followers  or  discharged 
by  the  municipal  court  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus. 

In  December,  i84r,  the  Democratic  Convention 
nominated  Adam  W.  Snyder,  of  Belleville,  for  Gov- 
ernor. As  he  had  been,  as  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, rather  friendly  to  the  Mormons,  the  latter 
naturally  turned  their  support  to  the  Democratic 
party.  The  next  spring  the  Whigs  nominated  Ex- 
Gov.  Duncan  for  the  same  office.  In  the  meantime 
the  Mormons  began  to  grow  more  odious  to  the 
masses  of  the  people,  and  the  comparative  prospects 
of  the  respective  parties  for  success  became  very 
problematical.  Mr.  Snyder  died  in  May,  and 
Thomas  Ford,  a  Supreme  Judge,  was  substituted  as 
a  candidate,  and  was  elected. 

At  the  close  of  his  gubernatorial  term,  Mr.  Carlin 
removed  back  to  his  old  home  at  Carrollton,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  as  before  his  ele- 
vation to  office,  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1849 
he  served  out  the  unexpired  term  of  J.  D.  Fry  in  the 
Illinois  House  of  Representatives,  and  died  Feb.  4, 
1852,31  his  residence  at  Carrollton,  leaving  a  wife 
and  seven  children. 


•- 


&ww<^ 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


JHOMAS  FORD,  Governor 
from  1842  to  1846,  and  au- 
thor of  a  very  interesting 
history  of  Illinois,  was  born 
at  Uniontown,  Pa.,  in  the 
year  1 800.  His  mother,  after 
the  death  of  her  first  hus- 
band (Mr.  Forquer),  married  Rob- 
ert Ford,  who  was  killed  in  1802, 
by  the  Indians  in  the  mountains 
of  Pennsylvania.  She  was  conse- 
quently left  in  indigent  circum- 
stances, with  a  large  family,  mostly 
girls.  With  a  view  to  better  her 
condition,  she,  in  1804,  removed  to 
Missouri,  where  it  had  been  cus- 
tomary by  the  Spanish  Govern- 
ment to  give  land  to  actual  settlers;  but  upon  her 
arrival  at  St.  Louis  she  found  the  country  ceded  to 
the  United  States,  and  the  liberal  policy  toward  set- 
tlers changed  by  the  new  ownership.  After  some 
sickness  to  herself  and  family,  she  finally  removed  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  some  three  miles  south  of  Water- 
loo, but  the  following  year  moved  nearer  the  Missis- 
sippi bluffs.  Here  young  Ford  received  his  first 


schooling,  under  the  instructions  of  a  Mr.  Humphrey, 
for  which  he  had  to  walk  three  miles.  His  mother, 
though  lacking  a  thorough  education,  was  a  woman 
of  superior  mental  endowments,  joined  to  energy 
and  determination  of  character.  She  inculcated  in 
her  children  those  high-toned  principles  which  dis- 
tinguished her  sons  in  public  life.  She  exercised  a 
rigid  economy  to  provide  her  children  an  education ; 
but  George  Forquer,  her  oldest  son  (six  years  older 
than  Thomas  Ford),  at  an  early  age  had  to  quit 
school  to  aid  by  his  labor  in  the  support  of  the  family. 
He  afterward  became  an  eminent  man  in  Illinois 
affairs,  and  but  for  his  early  death  would  probably 
have  been  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate. 

Young  Ford,  with  somewhat  better  opportunities, 
received  a  better  education,  though  limited  to  the 
curriculum  of  the  common  school  of  those  pioneer 
times.  His  mind  gave  early  promise  of  superior  en- 
dowments, with  an  inclination  for  mathematics.  His 
proficiency  attracted  the  attention  of  Hon.  Daniel  P. 
Cook,  who  became  his  efficient  patron  and  friend. 
The  latter  gentleman  was 'an  eminent  Illinois  states- 
man who,  as  a  Member  of  Congress,  obtained  a  grant 
of  300,000  acres  of  land  to  aid  in  completing  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  and  after  whom  the 
county  of  Cook  was  named.  Through  the  advice  of 


£4° 


THOMAS  FORD. 


this  gentleman,  Mr.  Ford  turned  his  attention  to  the 
study  of  law;  but  Forquer,  then  merchandising,  re- 
garding his  education  defective,  sent  him  to  Transyl- 
vania University,  where,  however,  he  remained  but 
one  term,  owing  to  Forquer's  failure  in  business.  On 
his  return  he  alternated  his  law  reading  with  teach- 
ing school  for  support. 

In  1829  Gov.  Edwards  appointed  him  Prosecuting 
Attorney,  and  in  1831  he  was  re-appointed  by  Gov. 
Reynolds,  and  after  that  he  was  four  times  elected  a 
Judge  by  the  Legislature,  without  opposition,  twice  a 
Circuit  Judge,  once  a  Judge  of  Chicago,  and  as  As- 
sociate Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  when,  in  1841, 
the  latter  tribunal  was  re-organized  by  the  addition 
of  five  Judges,  all  Democrats.  Ford  was  assigned  to 
the  Ninth  Judicial  Circuit,  and  while  in  this  capacity 
he  was  holding  Court  in  Ogle  County  he  received  a 
notice  of  his  nomination  by  the  Democratic  Conven- 
tion for  the  office  of  Governor.  He  immediately  re- 
signed his  place  and  entered  upon  the  canvass.  In 
August,  1842,  he  was  elected,  and  on  the  8th  of  De- 
cember following  he  was  inaugurated. 

All  the  offices  which  he  had  held  were  unsolicited 
by  him.  He  received  them  upon  the  true  Jefferson- 
ian  principle, — Never  to  ask  and  never  to  refuse 
office.  Both  as  a  lawyer  and  as  a  Judge  he  stood 
deservedly  high,  but  his  cast  of  intellect  fitted  him 
rather  for  a  writer  U|xm  law  than  a  practicing  advo- 
cate in  the  courts.  In  the  latter  capacity  he  was  void 
of  the  moving  power  of  eloquence,  so  necessary  to 
success  with  juries.  As  a  Judge  his  opinions  were 
Tound,  lucid  and  able  expositions  of  the  law.  In 
practice,  he  was  a  stranger  to  the  tact,  skill  and  in- 
sinuating address  of  the  politician,  but  he  saw  through 
the  arts  of  demagogues  as  well  as  any  man.  He  was 
plain  in  his  demeanor,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  at 
one  time  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office, 
during  a  session  of  the  Legislature,  he  was  taken  by 
a  stranger  to  be  a  seeker  for  the  position  of  door- 
keeper, and  was  waited  upon  at  his  hotel  near  mid- 
night by  a  knot  of  small  office-seekers  with  the  view 
of  effecting  a  "  combination  !  " 

Mr.  Ford  had  not  the  "  brass  "  of  the  ordinary 
politician,  nor  that  impetuosity  which  characterizes  a 
l>olitical  leader.  He  cared  little  for  money,  and 
hardly  enough  for  a  decent  support.  In  person  he 
was  of  small  stature,  slender,  of  dark  complexion, 
with  black  hair,  sharp  features,  deep-set  eyes,  a 
pointed,  aquiline  nose  having  a  decided  twist  to  one 
side,  and  a  small  mouth. 

The  three  most  important  events  in  Gov.  Ford's 
administration  were  the  establishment  of  the  high 
financial  credit  of  the  State,  the  "  Mormon  War  "and 
the  Mexican  War. 

In  the  first  of  these  the  Governor  proved  himself 
to  be  eir;inently  wise.  On  coining  into  office  he  found 
the  State  badly  paralyzed  by  the  ruinous  effects  of 
the  notorious  "internal  improvement"  schemes  of 


the  preceding  decade,  with  scarcely  anything  to 
show  by  way  of  "improvement."  The  enterprise 
that  seemed  to  be  getting  ahead  more  than  all  the 
rest  was  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  As  this 
promised  to  be  the  most  important  thoroughfare, 
feasible  to  the  people,  it  was  well  under  headway  in 
its  construction.  Therefore  the  State  policy  was 
almost  concentrated  upon  it,  in  order  to  rush  it  on  t« 
completion.  The  bonded  indebtedness  of  the  State 
was  growing  so  large  as  to  frighten  the  people,  and 
they  were  about  ready  to  entertain  a  proposition  for 
repudiation.  But  the  Governor  had  the  foresight  to 
recommend  such  measures  as  would  maintain  the 
public  credit,  for  which  every  citizen  to-day  feels 
thankful. 

But  perhaps  the  Governor  is  remembered  more  for 
his  connection  with  the  Mormon  troubles  than  for 
anything  else;  for  it  was  during  his  term  of  office 
that  the  *'  Latter-Day  Saints  "  became  so  strong  at 
Nauvoo,  built  their  temple  there,  increased  their  num- 
bers throughout  the  country,  committed  misdemean- 
ors, taught  dangerous  doctrines,  suffered  the  loss  of 
theirleader,  Jo  Smith,  by  a  violent  death,  were  driven 
out  of  Nauvoo  to  the  far  West,  etc.  Having  been  a 
Judge  for  so  many  years  previously,  Mr.  Ford  of 
course  was  non-committal  concerning  Mormon  affairs, 
and  was  therefore  claimed  by  both  parties  and  also 
accused  by  each  of  sympathizing  too  greatly  with  the 
other  side.  Mormonism  claiming  to  be  a  system  of 
religion,  the  Governor  no  doubt  was  "  between  two 
fires,"  and  felt  compelled  to  touch  the  matter  rather 
"  gingerly,"  and  doubtless  felt  greatly  relieved  when 
that  pestilential  people  left  the  State.  Such  compli- 
cated matters,  especially  when  religion  is  mixed  up 
with  them,  expose  every  person  participating  in 
them  to  criticism  from  all  parties. 

The  Mexican  War  was  begun  in  the  spring  of 
1845,  and  was  continued  into  the  gubernatorial  term 
of  Mr.  Ford's  successor.  The  Governor's  connection 
with  this  war,  however,  was  not  conspicuous,  as  it 
was  only  administrative,  commissioning  officers,  etc. 

Ford's  "  History  of  Illinois  "  is  a  very  readable  and 
entertaining  work,  of  450  small  octavo  pages,  and  is 
destined  to  increase  in  value  with  the  lapse  of  time. 
It  exhibits  a  natural  flow  of  compact  and  forcible 
thought,  never  failing  to  convey  the  nicest  sense.  In 
tracing  with  his  trenchant  pen  the  devious  operations 
of  the  professional  politician,  in  which  he  is  inimit- 
able, his  account  is  open,  perhaps,  to  the  objection 
that  all  his  contemporaries  are  treated  as  mere  place- 
seekers,  while  many  of  them  have  since  been  judged 
by  the  people  to  be  worthy  statesmen.  His  writings 
seem  slightly  open  to  the  criticism  that  they  exhibit 
a  litile  splenetic  partiality  against  those  of  his  con- 
temporaries who  were  prominent  during  his  term  of 
office  as  Governor. 

Tlie  death  of  Gov.  Ford  took  place  at  Peoria,  111., 
Nov.  2,  1850. 


GOVERNORS  OF  JLLINOIS. 


'43 


Augustus  c.  French, 


AUGUSTUS  C.  FRENCH, 
Governor  of  Illinois  from 
1846  to  1852,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Hill,  in  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire, 
Aug.  2,  1808.  He  was  a 
descendant  in  the  fourth 
generation  ol  Nathaniel 
French,  who  emigrated  from  England 
in  1687  and  settled  in  Saybury,  Mass. 
In  early  life  young  French  lost  his 
father,  but  continued  to  receive  in- 
struction from  an  exemplary  and 
Christian  mother  until  he  was  19  years 
old,  when  she  also  died,  confiding  to 
his  care  and  trust  four  younger  broth- 
ers and  one  sister.  He  discharged  his  trust  with 
parental  devotion.  His  education  in  early  life  was 
such  mainly  as  a  common  school  afforded.  For  a 
brief  period  he  attended  Dartmouth  College,  but 
from  pecuniary  causes  and  the  care  of  his  brothers 
and  sister,  he  did  not  graduate.  He  subsequently 
read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1831,  and 
shortly  afterward  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  first  at 
Albion,  Edwards  County,  where  he  established  him- 
self in  the  practice  of  law.  The  following  year  he 
removed  to  Paris,  Edgar  County.  Here  he  attained 
eminence  in  his  profession,  and  entered  public  life 
by  representing  that  county  in  the  Legislature.  A 
strong  attachment  sprang  up  between  him  and  Ste- 
phen A.  Douglas. 

In  1839,  Mr.  French  was  appointed  Receiver  of 
the  United  States  Land  Office  at  Palestine,  Craw- 
ford County,  at  which  place  he  was  a  resident  when 


•» 


elevated  to  the  gubernatorial  chair.  In  1844  he  was 
a  Presidential  Elector,  and  as  such  he  voted  for 
James  K.  Polk. 

The  Democratic  State  Convention  of  1846,  meet- 
ing at  Springfield  Feb.  10,  nominated  Mr.  French 
for  Governor.  Other  Democratic  candidates  were 
Lyman  Trumbull,  lohn  Calhoun  (subsequently  of 
Lecompton  Constitution  notoriety),  Walter  B.  Scales. 
Richard  M.  Young  and  A.  W.  Cavarly, — an  array  of 
very  able  and  prominent  names.  Trumbull  was  per- 
haps defeated  in  the  Convention  by  the  rumor  that 
he  was  opposed  to  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal, 
as  he  had  been  a.  year  previously.  For  Lieutenant 
Governor  J.  B.  Wells  was  chosen,  while  other  candi- 
dates were  Lewis  Ross,  Wm.  McMurlry,  Newton 
Cloud,  J.  B.  Hamilton  and  W.  W.  Thompson.  The 
resolutions  declared  strongly  against  the  resuscita- 
tion of  the  old  State  Banks. 

The  Whigs,  who  were  in  a  hopeless  minority,  held 
their  convention  June  8,  at  Peoria,  and  selected 
Thomas  M.  Kilpatrick,  of  Scott  County,  for  Governor, 
and  Gen.  Nathaniel  G.  Wilcox,  of  Schuyler,  for 
Lieutenant  Governor. 

In  the  campaign  the  latter  exposed  Mr.  French's 
record  and  connection  with  the  passage  of  the  in- 
ternal improvement  system,  urging  it  against  his 
election ;  but  in  the  meantime  the  war  with  Mexico 
broke  out,  regarding  which  the  Whig  record  was  un- 
popular in  this  State.  The  war  was  the  absorbing 
and  dominating  question  of  the  period,  sweeping 
every  other  political  issue  in  its  course.  The  elec- 
tion in  August  gave  Mr.  French  58,700  votes,  and 
Kilpatrick  only  36,775.  Richard  Eells,  Abolitionist 
candidate  for  the  same  office,  received  5,152  votes, 


144 


AUGUSTUS  C.  FRENCH. 


By  the  new  Constitution  of  1848,  a  new  election  for 
State  officers  was  ordered  in  November  of  that  year, 
before  Gov.  French's  term  was  half  out,  and  he  was 
re-elected  for  the  term  of  four  years.  He  was  there- 
fore the  incumbent  for  six  consecutive  years,  the 
only  Governor  of  this  State  who  has  ever  served  in 
that  capacity  so  long  at  one  time.  As  there  was  no 
organized  opposition  to  his  election,  he  received  67,- 
453  votes,  to  5,639  for  Pierre  Menard  (son  of  the 
first  Lieutenant  Governor),  4,748  for  Charles  V. 
Dyer,  3,834  for  W.  L.  D.  Morrison,  and  1,361  for 
James  I,.  D.  Morrison.  But  Wm.  McMurtry,  of 
Knox  County,  was  elected  Lieutenant  Governor,  in 
place  of  Joseph  B.  Wells,  who  was  before  elected 
and  did  not  run  again. 

Governor  French  was  inaugurated  into  office  dur- 
ing the  progress  of  the  Mexican  War,  which  closed 
during  the  summer  of  1847,  although  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo  was  not  made  until  Feb.  2, 
1848.  The  policy  of  Gov.  French's  party  was  com- 
mitted to  that  war,  but  in  connection  with  that  affair 
he  was,  of  course,  only  an  administrative  officer. 
During  his  term  of  office,  Feb.  19,  1847,  the  Legisla- 
ture, by  special  permission  of  Congress,  declared  that 
all  Government  lands  sold  to  settlers  should  be  im- 
mediately subject  to  State  taxation;  before  this  they 
were  exempt  for  five  years  after  sale.  By  this  ar- 
rangement the  revenue  was  materially  increased. 
About  the  same  time,  the  distribution  of  Government 
land  warrants  among  the  Mexican  soldiers  as  bounty 
threw  upon  the  market  a  great  quantity  of  good 
lands,  and  this  enhanced  the  settlement  of  the  State. 
The  same  Legislature  authorized,  with  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Governor,  the  sale  of  the  Northern 
Cross  Railroad  (from  Springfield  to  Meredosia,  the 
first  in  the  State  and  now  a  section  of  the  Wabash, 
St.  Louis  &  Pacific)  It  sold  for  $100,000  in  bonds, 
although  it  had  cost  the  State  not  less  than  a  million. 
The  salt  wells  and  canal  lands  in  the  Saline  reserve 
in  Gallatin  County,  granted  by  the  general  Govern- 
ment to  the  State,  were  also  authorized  by  the 
Governor  to  be  sold,  to  apply  on  the  State  debt.  In 
1850,  for  the  first  time  since  1839,  the  accruing  State 
revenue,  exclusive  of  specific  appropriations,  was 
sufficient  ty  meet  the  current  demands  upon  the 
treasury.  The  aggregate  taxable  property  of  the 
State  at  this  time  was  over  $100,000,000,  and  the 
population  85  1,470. 


In  1849  the  Legislature  adopted  the  township  or- 
ganization law,  which,  however,  proved  defective, 
and  was  properly  amended  in  1851.  At  its  session 
in  the  latter  year,  the  General  Assembly  also  passed 
a  law  to  exempt  homesteads  from  sale  on  executions 
This  beneficent  measure  had  been  repeatedly  urged 
upon  that  body  by  Gov.  French. 

In  1850  some  business  men  in  St.  Louis  com- 
menced to  build  a  dike  opposite  the  lower  part  of 
their  city  on  the  Illinois  side,  to  keep  the  Mississippi 
in  its  channel  near  St.  Louis,  instead  of  breaking 
away  from  them  as  it  sometimes  threatened  to  do. 
This  they  undertook  without  permission  from  the 
Legislature  or  Executive  authority  of  this  State  ;  and 
as  many  of  the  inhabitants  there  complained  that 
the  scheme  would  inundate  and  ruin  much  valuable 
land,  there  was  a  slight  conflict  of  jurisdictions,  re- 
sulting in  favor  of  the  St.  Louis  project;  and  since 
then  a  good  site  has  existed  there  for  a  city  (East  St. 
Louis),  and  now  a  score  of  railroads  center  there. 

It  was  in  September,  1850,  that  Congress  granted 
to  this  State  nearly  3,000,000  acres  of  land  in  aid  of 
the  completion  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
which  constituted  the  most  important  epoch  in  the 
railroad — we  might  say  internal  improvement — his- 
tory of  the  State.  The  road  was  rushed  on  to  com- 
pletion, which  accelerated  the  settlement  of  the  in- 
terior of  the  State  by  a  good  class  of  industrious  citi- 
zens, and  by  the  charter  a  good  income  to  the  State 
Treasury  is  paid  in  from  the  earnings  of  the  road. 

In  1851  the  Legislature  passed  a  law  authorizing 
free  stock  banks,  which  was  the  source  of  much  leg- 
islative discussion  for  a  number  of  years. 

But  we  have  not  space  further  to  particularize 
concerning  legislation.  Gov.  French's  administra- 
tion was  not  marked  by  any  feature  to  be  criticised, 
while  the  country  was  settling  up  as  never  before. 

In  stature,  Gov.  French  was  of  medium  height, 
squarely  built,  light  complexioned,  with  ruddy  face 
and  pleasant  countenance.  In  manners  he  was 
plain  and  agreeable.  By  nature  he  was  somewhat 
diffident,  but  he  was  often  very  outs]x>ken  in  his  con- 
victions of  duty.  In  public  speech  he  was  not  an 
orator,  but  was  chaste,  earnest  and  persuasive.  In 
business  he  was  accurate  and  methodical,  and  in  his 
administration  he  kept  up  the  credit  of  the  State. 

He  died  in  1865,  at  his  home  in  Lebanon,  St 
Clair  Co.,  111. 


GO  VERNOKS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


J-.OEL  A.  MATTESON,  Governor 
1853-6,  was  born  Aug.  8,  1808, 
in  Jefferson  County,  New  York, 
to  which  place  his  father  had  re- 
moved from  Vermont  three  years 
before.  His  father  was  a  farmer 
in  fair  circumstances,  but  a  com- 
mon English  education  was  all 
that  his  only  son  received.  Young 
Joel  first  tempted  fortune  as  a 
small  tradesman  in  Prescott, 
Canada,  before  he  was  of  age. 
He  returned  from  that  place  to 
his  home,  entered  an  academy, 
taught  school,  visited  the  prin- 
cipal Eastern  cities,  improved  a  farm  his  father  had 
given  him,  made  a  tour  in  the  South,  worked  there 
in  building  railroads,  experienced  a  slorm  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  visited  the  gold  diggings  of  Northern 
Georgia,  and  returned  via  Nashville  to  St.  Louis  and 
through  Illinois  to  his  father's  home,  when  he  mar- 
ried. In  1833,  having  sold  his  farm,  he  removed, 
with  his  wife  and  one  child,  to  Illinois,  and  entered 
a  claim  on  Government  land  near  the  head  of  An 
Sable  River,  in  what  is  now  Kendall  County.  At 
that  time  there  were  not  more  than  two  neighbors 
within  a  range  of  ten  miles  of  his  place,  and  only 
three  or  four  houses  between  him  and  Chicago.  He 
opened  a  large  farm.  His  family  was  boarded  12 


miles  away  while  he  erected  a  house  on  his  claim, 
sleeping,  during  this  time,  under  a  rude  pole  shed. 
Here  his  life  was  once  placed  in  imminent  peril  by 
a  huge  prairie  rattlesnake  sharing  his  bed. 

In  1835  he  bought  largely  at  the  Government  land 
sales.  During  the  speculative  real-estate  mania  which 
broke  out  in  Chicago  in  1836  and  spread  over  the  State, 
he  sold  his  lands  under  the  inflation  of  that  period 
and  removed  to  Joliet.  In  1838  he  became  a  heavy 
contractor  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  Upon 
the  completion  of  his  job  in  1841,  when  hard  times 
prevailed,  business  at  a  stand,  contracts  paid  in  State 
scrip;  when  all  the  public  works  except  the  canal 
were  abandoned,  the  State  offered  for  sale  700  tons 
of  railroad  iron,  which  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Mat- 
teson  at  a  bargain.  This  he  accepted,  shipped  and 
sold  at  Detroit,  realizing  a  very  handsome  profit, 
enough  to  pay  off  all  his  canal  debts  and  leave  him  a 
surplus  of  several  thousand  dollars.  His  enterprise 
next  prompted  him  to  start  a  woolen  mill  at  Joliet, 
in  which  he  prospered,  and  which,  after  successive 
enlargements,  became  an  enormous  establishment. 

In  1842  he  was  first  elected  a  State  Senator,  but, 
by  a  bungling  apportionment,  John  Pearson,  a  Senator 
holding  over,  was  found  to  be  in  the  same  district, 
and  decided  to  be  entitled  to  represent  it.  Mat- 
teson's  seat  was  declared  vacant.  Pearson,  however, 
with  a  nobleness  difficult  to  appreciate  in  this  day  of 


r48 


JOEL  A.  MATTE  SON. 


greed  for  office,  unwilling  to  represent  his  district 
under  the  circumstances,  immediately  resigned  his 
unexpired  term  of  two  years.  A  bill  was  passed  in  a 
few  hours  ordering  a  new  election,  and  in  ten  days' 
time  Mr.  Matteson  was  returned  re-elected  and  took 
his  seat  as  Senator.  From  his  well-known  capacity 
as  a  business  man,  he  was  made  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Finance,  a  position  he  held  during 
this  half  and  two  full  succeeding  Senatorial  terms, 
discharging  its  important  duties  with  ability  and  faith- 
fulness. Besides  his  extensive  woolen-mill  interest, 
when  work  was  resumed  on  the  canal  under  the  new 
loan  of  $r, 600,000  he  again  became  a  heavy  con- 
tractor, and  also  subsequently  operated  largely  in 
building  railroads.  Thus  he  showed  himself  a  most 
energetic  and  thorough  business  man. 

He  was  nominated  for  Governor  by  the  Demo- 
cratic State  Convention  which  met  at  Springfield 
April  20,  1852.  Other  candidates  before  the  Con- 
vention were  D.  L.  Gregg  and  F.  C.  Sherman,  of 
Cook ;  John  Dement,  of  Lee  ;  Thomas  L.  Harris,  of 
Menard;  Lewis  W.  Ross,  of  Fulton ;  and  D.  P.  Bush, 
of  Pike.  Gustavus  Koerner,  of  St.  Clair,  was  nom- 
inated for  Lieutenant  Governor.  For  the  same  offices 
the  Whigs  nominated  Edwin  B.  Webb  and  Dexter  A. 
Knowlton.  Mr.  Matteson  received  80,645  votes  at 
the  election,  while  Mr.  Webb  received  64,408.  Mat- 
teson's  forte  was  not  on  the  stump;  he  had  not  cul- 
tivated the  art  of  oily  flattery,  or  the  faculty  of  being 
all  things  to  all  men.  His  intellectual  qualities  took 
rather  the  direction  of  efficient  executive  ability.  His 
turn  consisted  not  so  much  in  the  adroit  manage- 
ment of  party,  or  the  powerful  advocacy  of  great  gov- 
ernmental principles,  as  in  those  more  solid  and 
enduring  operations  which  cause  the  physical  devel- 
opment and  advancement  of  a  State, — of  commerce 
and  business  enterprise,  into  which  he  labored  with 
success  to  lead  the  people.  As  a  politician  he  was 
just  and  liberal  in  his  views,  and  both  in  official  and 
private  life  he  then  stood  untainted  and  free  from 
blemish.  As  a  man,  in  active  benevolence,  social 
rirl  ues  and  all  the  amiable  qualities  of  neighbor  or 
ciiizen,  he  had  few  superiors.  His  messages  present 
a  perspicuous  array  of  facts  as  to  the  condition  of  the 
State,  and  are  often  couched  in  forcible  and  elegant 
diction. 

The  greatest  excitement  during  his  term  of  office 
was  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  by  Con- 


gress,  under  the  leadership  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  in 
1854,  when  the  bill  was  passed  organizing  the  Terri- 
tory of  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  A  large  portion  of 
the  Whig  party  of  the  North,  through  their  bitter  op- 
position to  the  Democratic  party,  naturally  drifted 
into  the  doctrine  of  anti-slavery,  and  thus  led  to  what 
was  temporarily  called  the  "  Anti-Nebraska  "  party, 
while  the  followers  of  Douglas  were  known  as  "  Ne- 
braska or  Douglas  Democrats."  It  was  during  this 
embryo  stage  of  the  Republican  party  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  brought  forward  as  the  "Anti-Nebraska" 
candidate  for  the  United  States  Senatorship,  while 
Gen.  James  Shields,  the  incumbent,  was  re-nom- 
inated by  the  Democrats.  But  after  a  few  ballotings 
in  the  Legislature  (1855),  these  men  were  dropped, 
and  Lyman  Trumbull,  an  Anti-Nebraska  Democrat, 
was  brought  up  by  the  former,  and  Mr.  Matteson, 
then  Governor,  by  the  latter.  On  the  nth  ballot 
Mr.  Trumbull  obtained  one  majority,  and  was  ac- 
cordingly declared  elected.  Before  Gov.  Matteson's 
term  expired,  the  Republicans  were  fully  organized 
as  a  national  party,  and  in  1856  put  into  the  field  a 
full  national  and  State  ticket,  carrying  the  State,  but 
not  the  nation. 

The  Legislature  of  1855  passed  two  very  import- 
ant measures, — the  present  free-school  system  and  a 
submission  of  the  Maine  liquor  law  to  a  vote  of  the 
people.  The  latter  was  defeated  by  a  small  majority 
of  the  popular  vote. 

During  the  four  years  of  Gov.  Matteson's  admin- 
istration the  taxable  wealth  of  the  State  was  about 
trebled,  from  $137,818,079  to  $349,951,272;  the  pub- 
lic debt  was  reduced  from  $17,398,985  to  $12,843,- 
144;  taxation  was  at  the  same  time  reduced,  and  the 
State  resumed  paying  ^pterest  on  its  debt  in  New 
York  as  fast  as  it  fell  due;  railroads  were  increased 
in  their  mileage  from  something  less  than  400  to 
about  3,000 ;  and  the  population  of  Chicago  was 
nearly  doubled,  and  its  commerce  more  than  quad- 
rupled. 

Before  closing  this  account,  we  regret  that  we  have 
to  say  that  Mr.  Matteson,  in  all  other  respects  an 
upright  man  and  a  good  Governor,  was  implicated 
in  a  false  re-issue  of  redeemed  canal  scrip,  amount- 
ing to  $224,182.66.  By  a  suit  in  the  Sangamon  Cir- 
cuit Court  the  State  recovered  the  principal  and  all 
the  interest  excepting  $27,500. 

He   died  in    the  winter  of  1872-3,  at  Chicago. 


GO  VKRNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ILLIAM  H.  BISSELL,  Gov- 
^  ernor  1857-60,  was  born 
April  25,  1811,  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  near 
Painted  Post,  Yates  County. 
His  parents  were  obscure, 
honest,  God-fearing  people, 
«  ho  reared  their  children  under  the  daily 
example  of  industry  and  frugality,  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  that  class  of  -Eastern 
society.  Mr.  Bissell  received  a  respecta- 
ile  but  not  thorough  academical  education. 
By  assiduous  application  he  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  medicine,  and  in  his  early 
manhood  came  West  and  located  in  Mon- 
roe County,  this  State,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  that  profession.  But  he  was  not  enam- 
ored of  his  calling:  he  was  swayed  by  a  broader 
ambition,  to  such  an  extent  that  the  mysteries  of  the 
healing  art  and  its  arduous  duties  failed  to  yield  him 
further  any  charms.  In  a  few  years  he  discovered 
his  choice  of  a  profession  to  be  a  mistake,  and  when 
he  approached  the  age  of  30  he  sought  to  begin 
anew.  Dr.  Bissell,  no  doubt  unexpectedly  to  him- 
self, discovered  a  singular  facility  and  charm  of 
speech,  the  exercise  of  which  acquired  for  him  a 
ready  local  notoriety.  It  soon  came  to  be  under- 


stood  that  he  desired  to  abandon  his  profession  and 
take  up  that  of  the  law.  During  terms  of  Court  he 
would  spend  his  time  at  the  county  seat  among  the 
members  of  the  Bar,  who  extended  to  him  a  ready 
welcome. 

It  was  not  strange,  therefore,  that  he  should  drift 
into  public  life.  In  1840  he  was  elected  as  a  Dem- 
ocrat to  the  Legislature  from  Monroe  County,  and 
was  an  efficient  member  of  that  body.  On  his  re- 
turn home  he  qualified  himself  for  admission  to  the 
Bar  and  speedily  rose  to  the  front  rank  as  an  advo- 
cate. His  powers  of  oratory  were  captivating.  With  a 
pure  diction,  charming  and  inimitable  gestures, 
clearness  of  statement,  and  a  remarkable  vein  of  sly 
humor,  his  efforts  before  a  jury  told  with  irresistible 
effect.  He  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  Prosecut- 
ing Attorney  for  the  Circuit  in  which  he  lived,  and 
in  that  position  he  fully  discharged  his  duty  to  the 
State,  gained  the  esteem  of  the  Bar,  and  seldom 
failed  to  convict  the  offender  of  the  law. 

In  stature  he  was  somewhat  tall  and  slender,  and 
with  a  straight,  military  bearing,  he  presented  a  dis- 
tinguished appearance.  His  complexion  was  dark, 
his  head  well  poised,  though  not  large,  his  address 
pleasant  and  manner  winning.  Ho  was  exemplary 
in  his  habits,  a  devoted  husband  and  kind  parent. 
He  was  twice  married,  the  first  time  to  Miss  Tames, 


-    ,      152 


WILLIAM  H  BISSELL. 


^   ' 

i 


of  Monroe  County,  by  whom  he  had  two  children, 
both  daughters.  She  died  soon  after  the  year  1840, 
and  Mr.  B.  married  for  his  second  wife  a  daughter 
of  Elias  K.  Kane,  previously  a  United  States  Senator 
from  this  State.  She  survived  him  but  a  short  time, 
and  died  without  issue. 

When  the  war  with  Mexico  was  declared  in  1 846, 
Mr.  Bissell  enlisted  and  was  elected  Colonel  of  his 
regiment,  over  Hon.  Don  Morrison,  by  an  almost 
unanimous  vote, — 807  to  6.  Considering  the  limited 
opportunities  he  had  had,  he  evinced  a  high  order  of 
military  talent.  On  the  bloody  field  of  Buena  Vista 
he  acquitted  himself  with  intrepid  and  distinguished 
ability,  contributing  with  his  regiment,  the  Second 
Illinois,  in  no  small  degree  toward  saving  the  waver- 
ing fortunes  of  our  arms  during  that  long  and  fiercely 
contested  battle. 

After  his  return  home,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he 
was  elected  to  Congress,  his  opponents  being  the 
Hons.  P.  B.  Fouke  and  Joseph  Gillespie.  He  served 
two  terms  in' Congress.  He  was  an  ardent  politician. 
During  the  great  contest  of  1850  he  voted  in  favor 
of  the  adjustment  measures;  but  in  1854  he  opposed 
the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  act  and 
therefore  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  of  Douglas,  and 
thus  became  identified  with  the  nascent  Republican 
party. 

During  his  first  Congressional  term,  while  the 
Southern  members  were  following  their  old  practice 
of  intimidating  the  North  by  bullying  language, 
and  claiming  most  of  the  credit  for  victories  in  the 
Mexican  War,  and  Jefferson  Davis  claiming  for  the 
Mississippi  troops  all  the  credit  for  success  at  Buena 
Vista,  Mr.  Bissell  bravely  defended  the  Northern 
troops ;  whereupon  Davis  challenged  Bissell  to  a  duel, 
which  was  accepted.  This  matter  was  brought  up 
against  Bissell  when  he  was  candidate  for  Governor 
and  during  his  term  of  office,  as  the  Constitution  of 
this  State  forbade  any  duelist  from  holding  a  State 
office. 

In  1856,  when  the  Republican  party  first  put  forth 
a  candidate,  John  C.  Fremont,  for  President  of  the 
United  States,  the  same  party  nominated  Mr.  Bissell 
for  Governor  of  Illinois,  and  John  Wood,  of  Quincy, 
for  Lieutenant  Governor,  while  the  Democrats  nomi- 
nated Hon.  W.  A.  Richardson,  of  Adams  County, 
for  Governor,  and  Col.  R.  J.  Hamilton,  of  Cook 
County,  for  Lieutenant  Governor.  The  result  of  the 


election  was  a  plurality  of  4,729  votes  over  Richard- 
son. The  American,  or  Know-Nothing,  party  had  a 
ticket  in  the  field.  The  Legislature  was  nearly  bal- 
anced, but  was  politically  opposed  to  the  Governor, 
His  message  to  the  Legislature  was  short  and  rather 
ordinary,  and  was  criticised  for  expressing  the  sup- 
posed obligations  of  the  people  to  the  incorporators 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  and  for  re- 
opening the  slavery  question  by  allusions  to  the 
Kansas  troubles.  Late  in  the  session  an  apportion- 
ment bill,  based  upon  the  State  census  of  1855,  was 
passed,  amid  much  partisan  strife.  The  Governor 
at  first  signed  the  bill  and  then  vetoed  it.  A  furious 
debate  followed,  and  the  question  whether  the  Gov- 
ernor had  the  authority  to  recall  a  signature  was 
referred  to  the  Courts,  that  of  last  resort  deciding  in 
favor  of  the  Governor.  Two  years  afterward  another 
outrageous  attempt  was  made  for  a  re-apportionment 
and  to  gerrymander  the  State,  but  the  Legislature 
failed  to  pass  the  bill  over  the  veto  of  the  Governor. 

It  was  during  Gov.  Bissell's  administration  that 
the  notorious  canal  scrip  fraud  was  brought  to  light, 
implicating  ex-Gov.  Matteson  and  other  prominent 
State  officials.  The  principal  and  interest,  aggregat- 
ing $255,500,  was  all  recovered  by  the  State  except- 
ing $27,500.  (See  sketch  of  Gov.  Matteson.) 

In  1859  an  attempt  was  discovered  to  fraudu- 
lently refund  the  Macalister  and  Stebbins  bonds  and 
thus  rob  the  State  Treasury  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
million  dollars.  The  State  Government  was-  impli- 
cated in  this  affair,  and  to  this  day  remains  unex- 
plained or  unatoned  for.  For  the  above,  and  other 
matters  previously  mentioned,  Gov.  Bissell  has  been 
severely  criticised,  and  he  has  also  been  most  shame- 
fully libelled  and  slandered. 

On  account  of  exposure  in  the  army,  the  remote 
cause  of  a  nervous  form  of  disease  gained  entrance 
into  his  system  and  eventually  developed  paraplegia, 
affecting  his  lower  extremities,  which,  while  it  left 
his  body  in  comparative  health,  deprived  him  of  loco- 
motion except  by  the  aid  of  crutches.  While  he  was 
generally  hopeful  of  ultimate  recovery,  this  myste- 
rious disease  pursued  him,  without  once  relaxing  its 
stealthy  hold,  to  the  close  of  his  life,  March  18, 
1860,  over  nine  months  before  the  expiration  of  his 
gubernatorial  term,  at  the  early  age  of  48  years.  He 
died  in  the  faith  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  of 
which  he  hart  been  a  member  since  1854. 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


'55 


§-:OHN  WOOD,  Governor  1860-1,  and 
the  first  settler  of  Quincy,  111., 
was  botn  in  the  town  of  Sempro- 
nius  (now  Moravia),  Cayuga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Dec.  20,  1798.  He  was 
the  second  child  and  only  son  of 
Dr.  Daniel  Wood.  His  mother, 
nee  Catherine  Crause,  was  of 
German  parentage,  and  died 
while  he  was  an  infant.  Dr. 
Wood  was  a  learned  and  skillful 
physician,  of  classical  attain- 
ments and  proficient  in  several 
modern  languages,  who,  after 
serving  throughout  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  as  a  Surgeon,  settled  on  the  land  granted 
him  by  the  Government,  and  resided  there  a  re- 
spected and  leading  influence  in  his  section  until  his 
death,  at  the  ripe  age  of  92  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  impelled  by  the  spirit 
of  Western  adventure  then  pervading  everywhere, 
left  his  home,  Nov.  2,  1818,  and  passed  the  succeed- 
ing winter  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  following  sum- 
mer he  pushed  on  to  Illinois,  landing  at  Shawneetown. 
and  spent  the  fall  and  following  winter  in  Calhoun 
County.  In  1820,  in  company  with  Willard  Keyes, 
he  settled  in  Pike  County,  about  30  miles  southeast 
of  Quincy,  where  for  the  next  two  years  he  pursued 
farming.  In  1821  he  visited  "the  Bluffs"  (as  the 
present  site  of  Quincy  was  called,  then  uninhabited) 
and,  pleased  with  its  prospects,  soon  after  purchased 
a  quarter-section  of  land  near  by,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing fall  (1822)  erected  near  the  river  a  small  cabin, 


i8  x  20  feet,  the  first  building  in  Quincy,  of  whir.li 
he  then  became  the  first  and  for  some  months  the 
only  occupant. 

About  this  time  he  visited  his  old  friends  in  Pikt; 
County,  chief  of  whom  was  William  Ross,  the  lead- 
ing man  in  building  up  the  village  of  Atlas,  of  that 
county,  which  was  thought  then  to  be  the  jwssible 
commencement  of  a  city.  One  day  they  and  others 
were  traveling  together  over  the  country  between  the 
two  points  named,  making  observations  on  the  com- 
parative merits  of  the  respective  localities.  On  ap- 
proaching the  Mississippi  near  Mr.  Wood's  place, 
the  latter  told  his  companions  to  follow  him  and  he 
would  show  them  where  he  was  going  to  build  a  city. 
They  went  about  a  mile  off  the  main  trail,  to  a  high, 
point,  from  which  the  view  in  every  direction  was 
most  magnificent,  as  it  had  been  for  ages  and  as  yet 
untouched  by  the  hand  of  man.  Before  them  swept 
by  the  majestic  Father  of  Waters,  yet  unburdened  by 
navigation.  After  Mr.  Wood  had  expatiated  at 
length  on  the  advantages  of  the  situation,  Mr.  Ross 
replied,  "But  it's  too  near  Atlas  ever  to  amount  to 
anything!" 

Atlas  is  still  a  cultivated  farm,  and  Quincy  is  ;x 
city  of  over  30,000  population. 

In  1824  Mr.  Wood  gave  a  newspaper  notice, 
as  the  law  then  prescribed,  of  his  intention  to  apply 
to  the  General  Assembly  for  the  formation  of  a  new 
county.  This  was  done  the  following  winter,  resul!  - 
ing  in  the  establishment  of  the  present  Adams 
County.  During  the  next  summer  Qftincy  was  se- 
lected as  the  county  seat,  it  and  the  vicinity  then 
containing  but  four  adult  male  residents  and  half 


f 


-  ,    '5° 


JOHN  WOOD. 


that  number  of  females.  Sinoe  that  period  Mr. 
Wood  resided  at  the  place  of  his  early  adoption  un- 
til his  death,  and  far  more  than  any  other  man  was 
he  identified  with  every  measure  of  its  progress  and 
history,  and  almost  continuously  kept  in  public  posi- 
tions. 

He  was  one  of  the  early  town  Trustees,  and  after 
the  place  became  a  city  he  was  often  a  member  of 
the  City  Council,  many  times  elected  Mayor,  in  the 
face  of  a  constant  large  opposition  political  majority. 
In  1850  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate.  In  1856, 
on  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  he  was 
chosen  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  State,  on  the 
ticket  with  Wm.  H.  Bissell  for  Governor,  and  on  the 
death  of  the  latter,  March  18,  1860,  he  succeeded  to 
the  Chief  Executive  chair,  which  he  occupied  until 
Gov.  Yates  was  inaugurated  nearly  ten  months  after- 
ward. 

Nothing  very  marked  characterized  the  adminis- 
tration of  Gov.  Wood.  The  great  anti-slavery  cam- 
paign of  1860,  resulting  in  the  election  of  the  honest 
Illinoisan,  Abraham  Lincoln,  to  the  Presidency  of  the 
United  States,  occurred  during  the  short  period 
while  Mr.  Wood  was  Governor,  and  the  excitement 
and  issues  of  that  struggle  dominated  over  every 
other  consideration, — indeed,  supplanted  them  in  a 
great  measure.  The  people  of  Illinois,  during  all 
that  time,  were  passing  the  comparatively  petty  strifes 
under  Bissell's  administration  to  the  overwhelming 
^isue  of  preserving  the  whole  nation  from  destruction. 

In  1861  ex-Gov.  Wood  was  one  of  the  five  Dele- 
gates from  Illinois  to  the  "  Peace  Convention  "  at 
Washington,  and  in  April  of  the  same  year,  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  he  was  appointed 


Quartermaster-General  of  the  State,  which  position 
he  held  throughout  the  war.  In  1864  he  took  com- 
mand as  Colonel  of  the  I37th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  with 
whom  he  served  until  the  period  of  enlistment  ex- 
pired. 

Politically,  Gov.  Wood  was  always  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  Whig  and  Republican  parties.  Few 
men  have  in  personal  experience  comprehended  so 
many  surprising  and  advancing  local  changes  as 
vested  in  the  more  than  half  century  recollections  of 
Gov.  Wood.  Sixty-four  years  ago  a  solitary  settler 
on  the  "Bluffs,"  with  no  family,  and  no  neighbor 
within  a  score  of  miles,  the  world  of  civilization  away 
behind  him,  and  the  strolling  red-man  almost  his 
only  visitant,  he  lived  to  see  growing  around  him, 
and  under  his  auspices  and  aid,  overspreading  the 
wild  hills  and  scraggy  forest  a  teaming  city,  second 
only  in  size  in  the  State,  and  surpassed  nowhere  "in 
beauty,  prosperity  and  promise ;  whose  people  recog- 
nize as  with  a  single  voice  the  proverbial  honor  and 
liberality  that  attach  to  the  name  and  lengthened 
life  of  their  pioneer  settler,  "the  old  Governor." 

Gov.  Wood  was  twice  married, — first  in  January, 
1826,  to  Ann  M.  Streeter,  daughter  of  Joshua  Streeter, 
formerly  of  Salem,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  They  had 
eight  children.  Mrs.  W.  died  Oct.  8,  1863,  and  in 
June,  1865,  Gov.  Wood  married  Mrs.  Mary  A.,  widow 
of  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Holmes.  Gov.  Wood  died  June  4, 
1880,  at  his  residence  in  Quincy.  Four  of  his  eight 
children  are  now  living,  namely:  Ann  E.,  wife  of 
Gen.  John  Tillson;  Daniel  C.,  who  married  Mary  J. 
Abernethy;  John,  Jr.,  who  married  Josephine  Skinner, 
and  Joshua  S.,  who  married  Annie  Bradley.  The 
last  mentioned  now  resides  at  Atchison,  Kansas,  and 
all  the  rest  are  still  at  Quincy. 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


'59       , 


ilCHARD  YATES,  the  "War 
Governor,"  1861-4,  was  born 
Jan.  1 8,  1818,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio  River,  at  Warsaw, 
Gallatin  Co.,  Ky.  His  father 
moved  in  1831  to  Illinois,  andf 
after  stopping  for  a  time  in 
Springfield,  settled  at  Island 
Grove,  Sangamon  County.  Here, 
after  attending  school,  Richard  joined 
the  family.  Subsequently  he  entered 
Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville, 
where,  in  1837,  he  graduated  with 
first  honors.  He  chose  for  his  pro- 
fession the  law,  the  Hon.  J.  J.  Har- 
din  being  his  instructor.  After  ad- 
mission to  the  Bar  he  soon  rose  to  distinction  as  an 
advocate. 

Gifted  with  a  fluent  and  ready  oratory,  he  soon 
appeared  in  the  political  hustings,  and,  being  a 
passionate  admirer  of  the  great  Whig  leader  of  the 
West.  Henry  Clay,  he  joined  his  political  fortunes  to 
'..he  party  of  his  idol.  In  1 840  he  engaged  with  great 
r,rdor  in  the  exciting  "  hard  cider "  campaign  for 
tfarrison.  Two  years  later  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  from  Morgan  County,  a  Democratic 
stronghold.  He  served  three  or  four  terms  in  the 
Legislature,  and  such  was  the  fascination  of  his  ora- 
•rr>ry  that  by  1850  his  large  Congressional  District, 
extending  from  Morgan  and  Sangamon  Counties 
i  orth  to  include  LaSalle,  unanimously  tendered  him 
tne  Whig  nomination  for  Congress.  His  Democratic 
opponent  was  Maj.  Thomas  L.  Harris,  a  very  pop- 
•jlar  man  who  had  won  distinction  at  the  battle  of 
Cerro  Gordo,  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  who  had 
ocaten  Hon.  Stephen  T.  Logan  for  the  same  position, 


two  years  before,  by  a  large  majority.  Yates  was 
elected.  Two  years  later  he  was  re-elected,  over 
John  Calhoun. 

It  was  during  Yates  second  term  in  Congress  that 
the  great  question  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise was  agitated,  and  the  bars  laid  down  for  re- 
opening the  dreaded  anti-slavery  question.  He  took 
strong  grounds  against  the  repeal,  and  thus  became 
identified  with  the  rising  Republican  party.  Conse- 
quently he  fell  into  the  minority  in  his  district,  which 
was  pro-slavery.  Even  then,  in  a  third  contest,  he 
fell  behind  Major  Harris  only  200  votes,  after  the 
district  had  two  years  before  given  Pierce  2,000 
majority  for  President. 

The  Republican  State  Convention  of  1860  met  at 
Decatur  May  9,  and  nominated  for  the  office  of  Gov- 
ernor Mr.  Yates,  in  preference  to  Hon.  Norman  B. 
Judd,  of  Chicago,  and  Leonard  Swett,  of  Blooming- 
ton,  two  of  the  ablest  men  of  the  State,  who  were 
also  candidates  before  the  Convention.  Francis  A. 
Hoffman,  of  DuPage  County,  was  nominated  for 
Lieutenant  Governor.  This  was  the  year  when  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  a  candidate  for  President,  a  period  re- 
membered as  characterized  by  the  great  whirlpool 
which  precipitated  the  bloody  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
The  Douglas  Democrats  nominated  J.  C.  Allen  of 
Crawford  County,  for  Governor,  and  Lewis  W.  Ross, 
of  Fulton  County,  for  Lieutenant  Governor.  The 
Breckenridge  Democrats  and  the  Bell-Everett  party 
had  also  full  tickets  in  the  field.  After  a  most  fear- 
ful campaign,  the  result  of  the  election  gave  Mr. 
Yates  172,196  votes,  and  Mr.  Allen  159,253.  Mr. 
Yates  received  over  a  thousand  more  votes  than  did 
Mr.  Lincoln  himself. 

Gov.  Yates  occupied  the  chair  of  State  during  the 


,  ,        i6o 


RICHARD    YATES. 


T 


most  critical  period  of  our  country's  history.  In  the 
fate  of  the  nation  was  involved  that  of  each  State. 
The  life  struggle  of  the  former  derived  its  sustenance 
from  the  loyalty  of  the  latter;  and  Gov.  Yates 
seemed  to  realize  the  situation,  and  proved  himself 
both  loyal  and  wise  in  upholding  the  Government. 
He  had  a  deep  hold  upon  the  affections  of  the 
people,  won  by  his  moving  eloquence  and  genial 
manners.  Erect  and  symmetrical  in  person,  of  pre- 
possessing appearance,  with  a  winning  address  and  a 
magnetic  power,  few  men  possessed  more  of  the  ele- 
ments of  popularity.  His  oratory  was  scholarly  and 
captivating,  his  hearers  hardly  knowing  why  they 
were  transported.  He  was  social  and  convivial.  In 
the  latter  respect  he  was  ultimately  carried  too  far. 

The  very  creditable  military  efforts  of  this  State 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  in  putting  into  the 
field  the  enormous  number  of  about  200,000  soldiers, 
were  ever  promptly  and  ably  seconded  by  his  excel- 
lency ;  and  the  was  ambitious  to  deserve  the  title  of 
"the  soldier's  friend."  Immediately  after  the  battleof 
Shiloh  he  repaired  to  the  field  of  carnage  to  look 
after  the  wounded,  and  his  appeals  for  aid  were 
promptly  responded  to  by  the  people.  His  procla- 
mations calling  for  volunteers  were  impassionate 
appeals,  urging  upon  the  people  the  duties  and  re- 
quirements of  patriotism ;  and  his  special  message 
in  1863  to  the  Democratic  Legislature  of  this  State 
pleading  for  material  aid  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  of  Illinois  regiments,  breathes  a  deep  fervor 
of  noble  sentiment  and  feeling  rarely  equaled  in 
beauty  or  felicity  of  expression.  Generally  his  mes- 
sages on  political  end  civil  affairs  were  able  and  com- 
prehensive. During  his  administration,  however, 
there  were  no  civil  events  of  an  engrossing  character, 
although  two  years  of  his  time  were  replete  with 
partisan  quarrels  of  great  bitterness.  Military  ar- 
rests, Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  riot  in  Fulton 
County,  attempted  suppression  of  the  Chicago  Times 
and  the  usurping  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1862,  were  the  thief  local  topics  that  were  exciting 
during  the  Governor's  term.  This  Convention  assem- 
bled Jan.  7,  and  at  once  took  the  high  position  that 
'he  law  calling  it  was  no  longer  binding,  and  that  it 
ad  supreme  power;  that  it  represented  a  virtual 
assemblage  of  the  whole  people  of  the  State,  and  was 
sovereign  in  the  exercise  of  all  power  necessary  to 
effect  a  peaceable  revolution  of  the  State  Government 


and  to  the  re-establishmenlof  one  for  the  "happiness, 
prosperity  and  freedom  of  the  citizens,"  limited  only 
by  the  Federal  Constitution.  Notwithstanding  the 
law  calling  the  Convention  required  its  members  to 
take  an  oath  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  State 
as  well  as  that  of  the  general  Government,  they 
utterly  refused  to  take  such  oath.  They  also  as- 
sumed legislative  powers  and  passed  several  import- 
ant "laws!"  Interfering  with  the  (then)  present 
executive  duties,  Gov.  Yates  was  provoked  to  tell 
them  plainly  that  "  he  did  not  acknowledge  the  right 
of  the  Convention  to  instruct  him  in  the  performance 
of  his  duty." 

In  1863  the  Governor  astonished  the  Democrats 
by  "  proroguing  "  their  Legislature.  This  body,  after 
a  recess,  met  June  2,  that  year,  and  soon  began  to 
waste  time  upon  various  partisan  resolutions ;  and, 
while  the  two  houses  were  disagreeing  u[x>n  the 
question  of  adjourning  sine  die,  the  Governor,  having 
the  authority  in  such  cases,  surprised  them  all  by 
adjourning  them  "  to  the  Saturday  next  preceding  the 
first  Monday  in  January,  1865  !  "  This  led  to  great 
excitement  and  confusion,  and  to  a  reference  of  the 
Governor's  act  to  the  Supreme  Court,  who  decided  in 
his  favor.  Then  it  was  the  Court's  turn  to  receive 
abuse  for  weeks  and  months  afterward. 

During  the  autumn  of  1864  a  conspiracy  was  de- 
tected at  Chicago  which  had  for  its  object  the  liber- 
ation of  the  prisoners  of  war  at  Camp  Douglas,  the 
burning  of  the  city  and  the  inauguration  of  rebellion 
in  the  North.  Gen.  Sweet,  who  had  charge  of  the 
camp  at  the  time,  first  had  his  suspicions  of  danger 
aroused  by  a  number  of  enigmatically  worded  letters 
which  passed  through  the  Camp  postoffice.  A  de- 
tective afterward  discovered  that  the  rebel  Gen. 
Marmaduke  was  in  the  city,  under  an  assumed 
name,  and  he,  with  other  rebel  officers — Grenfell, 
Morgan,  Cantrell,  Buckner  Morris,  and  Charles 
Walsh — was  arrested,  most  of  whom  were  convicted 
by  a  court-martial  at  Cincinnati  and  sentenced  to 
imprisonment, — Grenfell  to  be  hung.  The  sentence 
of  the  latter  was  afterward  commuted  to  imprison- 
ment for  life,  and  all  the  others,  after  nine  months' 
imprisonment,  were  pardoned. 

In  March,  1873,  Gov.  Yates  was  appointed  a  Gov- 
ernment Director  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  in 
which  office  he  continued  until  his  decease,  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  on  the  271)1  of  November  following. 


•t 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


'63    > 


Rwhard  JT.  Ogles 


-8— 


ICHARD  J.  OGLESBY,  Gov- 
ernor 1865-8,  and  re-elected 
in  1872  and  1884,  was  born 
July  25,  1824,  in  Oldham  Co., 
Ky., — the  State  which  might 
:ou  be  considered  the  "  mother  of 
Illinois  Gjvernors."  Bereft  of 
his  parents  at  the  tender  age 
of  eight  years,  his  early  education 
was  neglected.  When  12  years  of 
age,  and  after  he  had  worked  a  year 
and  a  half  at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
he  removed  with  an  uncle,  Willis 
Oglesby,  into  whose  care  he  had 
been  committed,  to  Decatur,  this 
State,  where  he  continued  his  ap- 
prenticeship as  a  mechanic,  working  six  months  for 
Hon.  E.  O.  Smith. 

In  1844  he  commenced  studying  law  at  Spring- 
field, with  Judge  Silas  Robbins,  and  read  with  him 
one  year.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1845,  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  at 
Sullivan,  the  county  seat  of  Moultrie  County. 

The  next  year  the  war  with  Mexico  was  com- 
menced, and  in  June,  1846,  Mr.  Oglesby  volunteered, 
ws  elected  First  Lieutenant  of  Co.  C,  Fourth  Illinois 
Raiment  of  Volunteers,  and  participated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Vera  Cruz  and  Cerro  Gordo. 

On  his  return  he  sought  to  perfect  his  law  studies 
by  attending  a.  course  of  lectures  at  Louisville,  but 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  California  "gold  fever  "in 
1849,  'le  crossed  the  plains  and  mountains  to  the 
new  Eldorado,  driving  a  six-mule  team,  with  a  com- 


pany  of  eight  men,  Henry  Prather  being  the  leader. 

In  1852  he  returned  home  to  Macon  County,  and 
was  placed  that  year  by  the  Whig  party  on  the  ticket 
of  Presidential  Electors.  In  1856  he  visited  Europe, 
Asia  and  Africa,  being  absent  20  months.  On  his 
return  home  he  resuvned  the  practice  of  law,  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Gallagher,  Wait  &  Oglesby. 
In  1858  he  was  the  Republican  no.uinee  for  the 
Lower  House  of  Congress,  but  was  defeated  by  the 
Hon.  James  C.  Robinson,  Democrat.  In  1860  he 
was  elected  to  the  Illinois  State  Senate ;  and  on  the 
evening  the  returns  of  this  election  were  coming  in, 
Mr.  Oglesby  had  a  fisticuff"  encounter  with  "  Cerro 
Gordo  Williams,"  in  which  he  came  out  victorious, 
and  which  was  regarded  as  "  the  first  fight  of  the 
Rebellion."  The  following  spring,  when  the  war 
had  commenced  .  in  earnest,  his  ardent  nature 
quickly  responded  to  the  demands  of  patriotism  and 
he  enlisted.  The  extra  session  of  the  Legislature 
elected  him  Colonel  of  the  Eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
the  second  one  in  the  State  raised  to  suppress  the 
great  Rebellion. 

He  was  shortly  entrusted  with  important  com- 
mands. For  a  time  he  was  stationed  at  Bird's  Point 
and  Cairo ;  in  April  he  was  promoted  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral ;  at  Fort  Donelson  his  brigade  was  in  the  van, 
being  stationed  on  the  right  of  General  Grant's  army 
and  the  first  brigade  to  be  attacked.  He  lost  500 
men  before  re-inforcements  arrived.  Many  of  these 
men  were  from  Macon  County.  He  was  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Corinth,  and,  in  a  brave  charge  at  this 
place,  was  shot  in  the  left  lung  with  an  ounce  ball, 
aM  was  carried  from  the  field  in  expectation  of  irn- 


164 


RICHARD  J.    OGLESBY. 


mediate  de-ith.  That  rebel  ball  he  carries  to  this 
day.  On  his  partial  recovery  he  was  promoted  as 
Major  General,  for  gillantry,  his  commission  to  rank 
from  November,  1862.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  i6th  Army 
Corps,  but,  owing  to  inability  from  the  effects  of  his 
wound,  he  relinquished  this  command  in  July,  that 
year.  Gen.  Grant,  however,  refused  to  accept  his 
resignation,  and  he  was  detailed,  in  December  follow- 
ing, to  court-martial  and  try  the  Surgeon  General  of 
the  Army  at  Washington,  where  he  remained  until 
May,  1864,  when  he  returned  home. 

The  Republican,  or  Union,  State  Convention  of 

1864  was  held  at  Springfield,   May   25,   when   Mr. 
Oglesby  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  Governor, 
while  other  candidates  before  the  Convention  were 
Allen  C.  Fuller,  of  Boone,  Jesse  K.  Dubois,of  Sanga- 
mon,   and    John   M.    Palmer,  of  Macoupin.     Wm. 
Brass,  of  Chicago,   was   nominated  for  Lieutenant 
Governor.      On  the  Democratic   State  ticket  were 
fames  C.   Robinson,  of  Clark,  for  Governor,  and  S. 
Corning  Judd,  of  Fulton,  for  Lieutenant  Governor. 
The  general  election  gave  Gen.  Oglesby  a  majority 
of  about  31,000  votes.     The  Republicans  had  also  a 
majority  in  both  the  Legislature   and  in  the  repre- 
sentation in  Congress. 

Gov.  Oglesby  was  duly  inaugurated  Jan.  17,  1865. 
The  day  before  the  first  time  set  for  his  installation 
death  visited  his  home  at  Decatur,  and  took  from  it 
his  only  son,  an  intelligent  and  sprightly  lad  of  six 
years,  a  great  favorite  of  the  bereaved  parents.  This 
caused  the  inauguration  to  be  post|K>ned  a  week. 

The  political  events  of  the  Legislative  session  of 

1865  were  the   election   of  ex-Gov.    Yates   to  the 
United  States  Senate,  and  the  ratification  of  the  i3th 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
abolishing  slavery.      This   session    also    signalized 
itself  by  repealing  the  notorious  "  black  laws,"  part 
of  which,  although  a  dead  letter,  had  held  their  place 
upon  the  statute  books  since   1819.     Also,  laws  re- 
quiring the  registration  of  voters,  and  establishing  a 
State  Board  of  Equalization,  were  passed  by  this  Leg- 
islature.    But  the  same  body  evinced  that  it  was  cor- 
ruptly influenced  by  a  mercenary  lobby,  as  it  adopted 
some  bad  legislation,  over  the  Governor's  veto,  nota- 
bly an  amendment  to  a  charter  for  a  Chicago  horse 
railway,   granted    in     1859  for  25   years,   and   now 
sought  to  be  extended  99  ye.irs.     As  this  measure 
was  promptly  passed  ov.r  his  veto  by  both  branches 
of  the  Legislature,  he  deemed  it   useless  further  to 
attempt   to   check  their  headlong  career.     At   this 
session  no  law  of  a  general  useful  character  or  public 
interest  was  perfected,  unless   we  count  such  the 
turning  over  of  the  canal  to  Chicago  to  be  deepened. 
The  session  of  1867   was  still  more   productive  of 
private  and  special  acts.     Many  omnibus  bills  were 
proposed,  and  some  passed.     The  contests  over  the 
.Dcation  of  the   Industrial  College,  the  Capital,  the 


Southern  Penitentiary,  and  the  canal  enlargement 
and  Illinois  River  improvement,  dominated  every- 
thing  else. 

During  the  year  1872,  it  became  evident  that  if 
the  Republicans  could  re-elect  Mr.  Og'.esby  to  the 
office  of  Governor,  they  could  also  elect  him  to  the 
United  States  Senate,  which  they  desired  to  do. 
Accordingly  they  re-nominated  him  for  the  Execu- 
tive chair,  and  placed  upon  the  ticket  with  him  for 
Lieutenant  Governor,  John  L.  Beveridge,  of  Cook 
County.  On  the  other  side  the  Democrats  put  into 
the  field  Gustavus  Koerner  for  Governor  and  John 
C.  Black  for  Lieutenant  Governor.  The  election 
gave  the  Republican  ticket  majorities  ranging  from 
35>334  to  56,174, — the  Democratic  defection  being 
caused  mainly  by  their  having  an  old-time  Whig  and 
Abolitionist,  Horace  Greeley,  on  the  national  ticket 
for  President.  According  to  the  general  understand- 
ing had  beforehand,  as  soon  as  the  Legislature  met 
it  elected  Gov.  Oglesby  to  the  United  States  Senate, 
whereupon  Mr.  Beveridge  became  Governor.  Sena- 
tor Oglesby 's  term  expired  March  4,  1879,  having 
served  his  party  faithfully  and  exhibited  an  order  of 
statesmanship  beyond  criticism. 

During  the  campaign  of  1884  Mr.  Oglesby  was 
nominated  for  a  "third  term"  as  Executive  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  against  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Mayor 
of  Chicago,  nominated  by  the  Democrats.  Both 
gentlemen  "stumped  "  the  State,  and  while  the  peo- 
ple elected  a  Legislature  which  was  a  tie  on  a  j  jint 
ballot,  as  between  the  two  parties,  they  gave  tlie 
jovial  "  Dick"  Oglesby  a  majority  of  15,018  f>r  Gov- 
ernor, and  he  was  inaugurated  Jan.  30,  1885.  The 
Legislature  did  not  fully  organize  until  this  date,  on 
account  of  its  equal  division  between  the  two  main 
parties  and  the  consequent  desperate  tactics  of  each 
party  to  checkmate  the  latter  in  the  organization  of 
the  House. 

Gov.  Oglesby  is  a  fine-appearing,  affable  man,  with 
regular,  well  defined  features  and  rotund  face.  In 
stature  he  is  a  little  above  medium  height,  of  a  large 
frame  and  somewhat  fleshy.  His  physical  appear 
ance  is  striking  and  prepossessing,  while  his  straight- 
out,  not  to  say  bluff,  manner  and  speech  are  WL!! 
calculated  favorably  to  impress  the  average  masses. 
Ardent  in  feeling  and  si rongly  committed  to  the  pol- 
icies of  his  party,  he  intensifies  Republicanism 
among  Republicans,  while  at  the  same  time  his  jovial 
and  liberal  manner  prevents  those  of  the  opposite 
party  from  hating  him. 

He  is  quite  an  effective  stump  orator.  With  vehe- 
ment, passionate  and  scornful  tone  and  gesture-:, 
tremendous  physical  power,  which  in  speaking  he 
exercises  to  the  utmost ;  with  frequent  descents  to 
the  grotesque;  and  with  abundant  homely  compari- 
sons or  frontier  figures,  expressed  in  the  broadest 
vernacular  and  enforced  with  stentorian  emphasis, 
he  delights  a  promiscuous  audience  beyond  measure. 


GO  VERNORS  OF  JLLINO1S. 


i. ,7 


o  JOT  J 


|;OHN  Me  AULEY  PALMER,  Gov- 
ernor 1869-72,  \\as  born  on 
Eagle  Creek,  Scott  Co.,  Ky , 
Sept.  13,  1817.  During  his  in- 
fancy, his  father,  who  had  been 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  re- 
moved to  Christian  Co.,  Ky., 
where  lands  were  cheap.  Here 
the  future  Governor  of  the  great 
Prairie  State  spent  his  childhood 
and  received  such  meager  school- 
ing as  the  new  and  sparsely  set- 
tled country  afforded.  To  this 
he  added  materially  by  diligent 
reading,  for  which  he  evinced  an 
eaily  aptitude.  His  father,  an  ardent  Jackson  man, 
was  also  noted  for  his  anti-slavery  sentiments,  which 
he  thoroughly  impressed  upon  his  children.  In  1831 
he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Madison  County. 
Here  the  labor  of  improving  a  farm  was  pursued  for 
;  bout  two  years,  when  the  death  of  Mr.  Palmer's 
mother  broke  up  the  family.  About  this  time  Alton 
College  was  opened,  on  the  "manual  labor  "  system, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1834  young  Palmer,  with  his 
elder  brother,  Elihu,  entered  this  school  and  remained 
1 8  months.  Next,  for  over  three  years,  he  tried 
variously  coopering,  peddling  and  school-teaching. 

During   the   summer  of    1838  he  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  then   making  his 


first  canvass  for  Congress.  Young,  eloquent  and  in 
political  accord  with  Mr.  Palmer,  he  won  his  confi- 
dence, Sred  his  ambition  and  fixed  his  purpose.  The 
following  winter,  while  teaching  near  Canton,  he  be- 
gan to  devote  his  spare  time  to  a  desultory  reading 
of  la.v,  and  in  the  spring  entered  a  law  office  at  Car- 
linville,  making  his  home  with  his  elder  brother, 
Elihu.  (The  latter  was  a  learned  clergyman,  of  con- 
siderable orginality  of  thought  and  doctrine.)  On 
the  next  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Court  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar,  Douglas  being  one  of  his  examiners. 
He  was  not  immediately  successful  in  his  profession, 
and  would  have  located  elsewhere  than  Carlinville 
had  he  the  requisite  means.  Thus  his  early  poverty 
was  a  blessing  in  disguise,  for  to  it  he  now  attributes 
the  success  of  his  life. 

From  1839  on,  while  he  diligently  pursued  his 
profession,  he  participated  more  or  less  in  local 
politics.  In  1843  he  became  Probate  Judge.  IP 
1847  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Constitutional  Con- 
vention,  where  he  took  a  leading  part.  In  1852  ht. 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  at  the  special 
session  of  February,  1854,  true  to  the  anti-slaver) 
sentiments  bred  in  him,  he  took  a  firm  stand  in  op 
position  to  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise 
and  when  the  Nebraska  question  became  a  part; 
issue  he  refused  to  receive  a  re-nomination  for  th< 
Senatorship  at  the  hands  of  the  Democracy,  issuinj 
a  circular  to  that  effect.  A  few  weeks  afterward 


JOHN  MC  A  ULE  J '  PA  LMER. 


however,  hesitating  to  break  with  his  party,  he  par- 
ticipated in  a  Congressional  Convention  which  nomi- 
T.  L.  Harris  against  Richard  Yates,  and  which 
unqualifiedly  approved  the  principles  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  act.  But  later  in  the  campaign  he  made 
the  plunge,  ran  for  the  Senate  as  an  Anti-Nebraska 
Democrat,  and  was  elected.  The  following  winter 
he  put  in  nomination  for  the  .United  States  Senate 
Mr.  Trumbull,  and  was  one  of  the  five  steadfast  men 
who  voted  for  him  until  all  the  Whigs  came  to  their 
support  and  elected  their  man. 

In  1856  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Republican  State 
Convention  at  Bloomington.  He  ran  for  Congress  in 
1859,  but  was  defeated.  In  1860  he  was  Republican 
Presidential  Elector  for  the  State  at  large.  In  1861 
he  was  appointed  one  of  the  five  Delegates  (all  Re- 
publicans) sent  by  Illinois  to  the  peace  congress  at 
Washington. 

When  the  civil  conflict  broke  out,  he  offered  his 
services  to  his  country,  and  was  elected  Colonel  of  the 
i4ih  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  participated  in  the  engagements 
at  Island  No.  10;  at  Farmington,  where  he  skillfully 
extricated  his  command  from  a  dangerous  position  ; 
at  S'one  River,  where  his  division  for  several  hours, 
Dec.  31,  1862,  held  the  advance  and  stood  like  a 
rock,  and  for  his  gallantry  there  he  was  made  Major 
General;  at  Chickamauga,  where  his  and  Van  Cleve's 
divisions  for  two  hours  maintained  their  position 
when  they  were  cut  off  by  overpowering  numbers. 
Under  Gen.  Sherman,  he  was  assigned  to  the  14111 
Army  Corps  and  participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign. 
At  Peach-Tree  Creek  his  prudence  did  much  to  avert 
disaster.  In  February,  1865,  Gen.  Palmer  was  as- 
signed to  the  military  administration  of  Kentucky, 
which  was  a  delicate  post.  That  State  was  about 
half  rebel  and  half  Union,  and  those  of  the  latter 
element  were  daily  fretted  by  the  loss  of  their  slaves. 
He,  who  had  been  bred  to  the  rules  of  common  law, 
trembled  at  the  contemplation  of  his  extraordinary 
power  over  the  persons  and  property  of  his  fellow 
men,  with  which  he  was  vested  in  his  capacity  as 
military  Governor;  and  he  exhibited  great  caution  in 
the  execution  of  the  duties  of  his  post. 

Gen.  Palmer  was  nominated  for  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois by  the  Republican  State  Convention  which  met 
at  PeorLi  May  6,  1868,  and  his  nomination  would 
probably  have  been  made  by  acclamation  had  he  not 
persistently  declared  that  he  could  not  accept  a  can- 


didature for  the  office.  The  result  of  the  ensuing 
election  gave  Mr.  Palmer  a  majority  of  44,707  over 
John  R  Eden,  the  Democratic  nominee. 

O.i  the  in-'eting  of  the  Legislature  in  January, 
1 869,  the  first  thing  to  arrest  public  attention  was 
that  portion  of  the  Governor's  message  which  took 
broad  Slate's  rights  ground.  This  and  some  minor 
pjints,  which  were  more  in  keeping  with  the  Demo- 
cratic sentiment,  constituted  the  e.itering  wedge  f>r 
the  criticisms  and  reproofs  he  afterward  received 
from  the  Republican  party,  and  ultimately  resulted 
in  his  entire  aleniation  from  the  latter  element.  The 
Legislature  just  referred  to  was  noted  for  the  intro- 
duction of  numerous  bills  in  the  interest  of  private 
parties,  which  were  embarrassing  to  the  Governor. 
Among  the  public  acts  passed  was  that  which  limited 
railroad  charges  for  passenger  travel  to  a  maximum 
of  three  cents  per  mile ;  and  it  was  passed  over  the 
Governor's  veto.  Also,  they  passed,  over  his  veto, 
the  "tax-grabbing  law"  to  pay  r^.ilror-i  subscriptions, 
the  Chicago  Lake  Front  bill,  etc.  The  new  State 
Constitution  of  1870,  far  superior  to  the  old,  was  a 
peaceful  "  revolution"  which  took  place  during  Gov. 
Palmer's  term  of  office.  The  suffering  caused  by  the 
great  Chicago  Fire  of  October,  187  r,  was  greatly 
alleviated  by  the  prompt  responses  of  his  excellency. 

Since  the  expiration  of  Gov.  Palmers 's  term,  he  has 
been  somewhat  prominent  in  Illinois  politics,  and 
has  been  talked  of  by  many,  especially  in  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  as  the  best  man  in  the  State  for  a 
United  States  Senator.  His  business  during  life  has 
been  that  of  the  law.  Few  excel  him  in  an  accurate 
appreciation  of  the  depth  and  scope  of  its  principles- 
The  great  number  of  his  able  veto  messages  abun- 
dantly testify  not  only  this  but  also  a  rare  capacity  to 
[>oint  them  out.  He  is  a  logical  and  cogent  reasoner 
and  an  interesting,  forcible  and  convincing  speaker, 
though  not  fluent  or  ornate.  Without  brilliancy,  his 
dealings  are  rather  with  facts  and  ideas  than  with 
appeals  to  passions  and  prejudices.  He  is  a  patriot 
and  a  statesman  of  very  high  order.  Physically  he  is 
above  the  medium  height,  of  robust  frame,  ruddy 
complexion  and  sanguine-nervous  temperament.  He 
has  a  large  cranial  development,  is  vivacious,  social 
in  disposition,  easy  of  approach,  unostentatious  in  his 
habits  of  life,  democratic  in  his  habits  and  manners 
and  is  a  true  American  in  his  fundamental  principles 
of  statesmanship. 


GU  YERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


i 


p. ',  •.',•.',  -..',  •..v.,v..v..ir..v. -v..v..'.  '..v.  'X1 :  >'..• .' : v  ;y.:v ; V  ; .' : .' : .'  :•'•.•  i1  -'  •'  .'.i1..". 


OHN  LOWRiE  BEVER- 
IDGE, Governor  1873-6,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Green- 
wich, Washington  Co.,  N.  Y., 
July  6,  1824.  His  parents 
were  George  and  Ann  Bever- 
idge. His  father's  parents,  An- 
drew and  Isabel  Beveridge,  be- 
fore their  marriage  emigrated 
from  Scotland  just  before  the 
Revolutionary  War,  settling  in 
Washington  County.  His  father 
was  the  eldest  of  eight  brothers,  the 
youngest  of  whom  was  60  years  of 
age  when  the  first  one  of  the  num- 
ber died.  His  mother's  parents, 
James  and  Agnes  Hoy,  emigrated 
from  Scotland  at  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  settling  also  in 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  with  their 
first-born,  whose  "  native  land  "was 
the  wild  ocean.  His  parents  and 
grandparents  lived  beyond  the  time 
allotted  to  man,  their  average  age 
being  over  80  years.  They  belonged  to  the  "  Asso- 
ciate Church,"  a  seceding  Presbyterian  body  of 


America  from  the  old  Scotch  school ;  and  so  rigid 
was  the  training  of  young  Beveridge  that  he  never 
heard  a  sermon  from  any  other  minister  except  that 
of  his  own  denomination  until  he  was  in  his  igth 
year.  Later  in  life  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  which  relation  he  still 
holds. 

Mr.  Beveridge  received  a  good  common-school  ed- 
ucation, but  his  parents,  who  could  obtain  a  livelihood 
only  by  rigid  economy  and  industry,  could  not  send 
him  away  to  college.  He  was  raised  upon  a  farm, 
and  was  in  his  i8th  year  when  the  family  removed 
to  De  Kalb  County,  this  State,  when  that  section  was 
very  sparsely  settled.  Chicago  had  less  than  7,000 
inhabitants.  In  this  wild  West  he  continued  as  a 
farm  laborer,  teaching  school  during  the  winter 
months  to  supply  the  means  of  an  education.  In  the 
fall  of  1842  he  attended  one  term  at  the  academy  at 
Granville,  Putnam  Co.,  111.,  and  subsequently  several 
terms  at  the  Rock  River  Seminary  at  Mount  Morris, 
Ogle  Co.,  111.,  completing  the  academic  course.  At 
tliis  time,  the  fall  of  1845,  his  parents  and  brothers 
were  anxious  to  have  him  go  to  college,  even  though 
he  had  not  money  sufficient;  but,  n  jt  willing  to  bur- 
den the  family,  he  packed  his  trunk  and  with  only 
$40  in  money  started  South  to  seek  his  fortune 


I 


i  -    172 


JOHN  L.  BEVERIDGE. 


i 


Poor,  alone,  without  friends  and  influence,  he  thus 
entered  upon  the  battle  of  life. 

First,  he  taught  school  in  Wilson,  Overton  and 
Jackson  Cos.,  Tenn.,  in  which  experience  he  under- 
went considerable  mental  drill,  both  in  book  studies 
and  in  the  ways  of  the  world.  He  read  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar,  in  the  South,  but  did  not  learn 
to  love  the  institution  of  slavery,  although  he  ad- 
mired many  features  of  Southern  character.  In  De- 
cember, 1847,  he  returned  North,  and  Jan.  20,  1848, 
he  married  Miss  Helen  M.  Judson,  in  the  old  Clark- 
Street  M.  E.  church  in  Chicago,  her  father  at  that 
time  being  Pastor  of  the  society  there.  In  the  spring 
of  1848  he  returned  with  his  wife  to  Tennessee, 
where  his  two  children.  Alia  May  and  Philo  Judson, 
were  born. 

In  the  fall  of  1849,  through  the  mismanagement 
of  an  associate,  he  lost  what  little  he  had  accumu- 
lated and  was  left  in  debt.  He  soon  managed  to 
earn  means  to  pay  his  debts,  returned  to  De  Kalb 
Co.,  111.,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Sycamore,  the  county  seat.  On  arrival 
from  the  South  he  had  but  one-quarter  of  a  dollar  in 
money,  and  scanty  clothing  and  bedding  for  himself 
and  family.  He  borrowed  a  little  money,  practiced 
law,  worked  in  public  offices,  kept  books  for  some  of 
the  business  men  of  the  town,  and  some  railroad  en- 
gineering, till  the  spring  of  1854,  when  he  removed 
to  Evanston,  1 2  miles  north  of  Chicago,  a  place  then 
but  recently  laid  out,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Northwestern  University,  a  Methodist  institution. 
Of  the  latter  his  father-in-law  was  then  financial 
agent  and  business  manager.  Here  Mr.  Beveridge 
prospered,  and  the  next  year  (1855)  opened  a  law 
office  in  Chicago,  where  he  found  the  battle  some- 
what hard;  but  he  persevered  with  encouragement 
and  increasing  success. 

Aug.  12,  1861,  his  law  partner,  Gen.  John  F. 
Farnsworth,  secured  authority  to  raise  a  regiment  of 
cavalry,  and  authorized  Mr.  Beveridge  to  raise  a 
company  for  it.  He  succeeded  in  a  few  days  in  rais- 
ing the  company,  of  course  enlisting  himself  along 
with  it.  The  regiment  rendezvoused  at  St.  Charles, 
111.,  was  mustered  in  Sept.  18,  and  on  its  organiza- 
tion Mr.  B.  was  elected  Second  Major.  It  was  at- 
tached, Oct.  11,  to  the  Eighth  Cavalry  and  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  served  with  the  regiment 
until  November,  1863,  participating  in  some  40  bat- 


tles and  skirmishes  :  was  at  Fair  Oaks,  the  seven  days' 
fight  around  Richmond,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellors- 
ville  and  Gettysburg.  He  commanded  the  regiment 
the  greater  part  of  the  summer  of  1 863,  and  it  was  while 
lying  in  camp  this  year  that  he  originated  the  policy 
of  encouraging  recruits  as  well  as  the  fighting  capac- 
ity of  the  soldiery,  by  the  wholesale  furlough  system. 
It  worked  so  well  that  many  other  officers  adopted 
it.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  he  recruited  another  com- 
pany, against  heavy  odds,  in  January,  1864,  was 
commissioned  Colonel  of  the  iyth  111.  Cav.,  and 
skirmished  around  in  Missouri,  concluding  with  the 
reception  of  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Kirby  Smith's 
army  in  Arkansas.  In  1865  he  commanded  various 
sub-districts  in  the  Southwest.  He  was  mustered 
out  Feb.  6,  1866,  safe  from  the  casualties  of  war  and 
a  stouter  man  than  when  he  first  enlisted.  His  men 
idolized  him. 

He  then  returned  to  Chicago,  to  practice  law,  with 
no  library  and  no  clientage,  and  no  political  experi- 
ence except  to  help  others  into  office.  In  the  fall  of 
1866  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Cook  County,  serving 
one  term;  next,  until  November,  1870,  he  practiced 
law  and  closed  up  the  unfinished  business  of  his 
office.  He  was  then  elected  State  Senator;  in  No- 
vember, 1871,  he  was  elected  Congressman  at  large; 
in  November,  1872,  he  was  elected  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor on  the  ticket  with  Gov.  Oglesby  ;  the  latter  be- 
ing elected  to  the  U.  S.  Senate,  Mr.  Beveridge  became 
Governor,  Jan.  21,  1873.  Thus,  inside  of  a  few 
weeks,  he  was  Congressman  at  large,  Lieutenant 
Governor  and  Governor.  The  principal  events  oc- 
curring during  Gov.  Beveridge's  administration  were: 
The  completion  of  the  revision  of  the  statutes,  begun 
in  1869;  the  partial  success  of  the  "farmers'  move- 
ment;" "  Haines'  Legislature  "  and  Illinois'  exhibit  at 
the  Centennial. 

Since  the  close  of  his  gubernatorial  term  ex-Gov. 
Beveridge  has  been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Bever- 
idge &  Dewey,  bankers  and  dealers  in  commercial 
paper  at  7 1  Dearborn  Street  (McCormick  Block), 
Chicago,  and  since  November,  1881,  he  has  also  been 
Assistant  United  States  Treasurer:  office  in  the 
Government  Building.  His  residence  is  still  at  Ev- 
anston. 

He  has  a  brother  and  two  sisters  yet  residing  in 
De  Kalb  County — James  H.  Beveridge,  Mrs.  Jennet 
Henry  and  Mrs.  Isabel  French. 


t 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


'75 


&HELB  Y  M.  CULLOM. 


HELBY  M.  CULLOM,  Gover- 

nor 1877-83,13  the  sixth  child 
of  the  late  Richard  N.  Cullom, 
and  was  born  Nov.  22,  1829,111 
Wayne  Co.,  Ky.,  where  his  fa- 
ther then  resided,  and  whence 
both  the  Illinois  and  Tennessee 
branches  of  the  family  originated.  In 
the  following  year  the  family  emi- 
grated to  the  vicinity  of  Washington, 
Tazewell  Co.,  111.,  when  that  section 
was  very  sparsely  settled.  They  lo- 
cated on  Deer  Creek,  in  a  grove  at 
the  time  occupied  by  a  party  of  In- 
dians, attracted  there  by  the  superior 
hunting  and  fishing  afforded  in  that 
vicinity.  The  following  winter  was 
known  as  the  "  hard  winter,"  the  snow  [being  very 
deep  and  lasting  and  the  weather  severely  cold;  and 
the  family  had  to  subsist  mainly  on  boiled  corn  or 
hominy,  and  some  wild  game,  for  several  weeks.  In 
the  course  of  time  Mr.  R.  N.  Cullom  became  a  prom- 
inent citizen  and  was  several  times  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  both  before  and  after  the  removal  of  the 
capital  from  Vandalia  to  Springfield.  He  died  about 


Until  about  19  years  of  age  young  Cullom  grew  up 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  attending  school  as  he  had 
opportunity  during  the  winter.  Within  this  time, 
however,  he  spent  several  months  teachinc-  school, 


and  in  the  following  summer  he  "broke  prairie  "with 
an  ox  team  for  the  neighbors.  With  the  money  ob- 
tained by  these  various  ventures,  he  undertook  a 
course  of  study  at  the  Rock  River  Seminary,  a 
Methodist  institution  at  Mt.  Morris,  Ogle  County; 
but  the  sudden  change  to  the  in-door  life  of  a  stu- 
dent told  severely  upon  his  health,  and  he  was  taken 
home,  being  considered  in  a  hopeless  condition.  While 
at  Mt.  Morris  he  heard  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburne  make 
his  first  speech. 

On  recovering  health,  Mr.  Cullom  concluded  to 
study  law,  under  the  instruction  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
at  Springfield,  who  had  by  this  time  attained  some 
notoriety  as  an  able  lawyer;  but  the  latter,  being  ab- 
sent from  his  office  most  of  the  time,  advised  Mr. 
Cullom  to  enter  the  office  of  Stuart  &  Edwards. 
After  about  a  year  of  study  there,  however,  his  health 
failed  again,  and  he  was  obliged  to  return  once  more 
to  out-door  life.  Accordingly  he  bought  hogs  for 
packing,  for  A.  G.  Tyng,  in  Peoria,  and  while  he  re- 
gained his  health  he  gained  in  purse,  netting  $400  in 
a  few  weeks.  Having  been  admitted  to  the  Bar,  he 
went  to  Springfield,  where  he  was  soon  elected  City 
Attorney,  on  the  Anti-Nebraska  ticket. 

In  1856  he  ran  on  the  Fillmore  ticket  as  a  Presi- 
dential Elector,  and,  although  failing  to  be  elected  as 
such,  he  was  at  the  same  time  elected  a  Representa- 
tive in  the  Legislature  from  Sangamon  County,  by  a 
local  coalition  of  the  American  and  Republican  par- 
ties. On  the  organization  of  the  House,  he  received 
the  vote  of  the  Fillmore  men  for  Speaker.  Practicing 


SHELB  Y  M.    CULLOM. 


law  until  1860,  he  was  again  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, as  a  Republican,  while  the  county  went  Demo- 
cratic on  the  Presidential  ticket.  In  January  follow- 
ing he  was  elected  Speaker,  probably  the  youngest 
man  who  had  ever  presided  over  an  Illinois  Legis- 
lature. After  the  session  of  1861,  he  was  a  candidate 
for  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  called  for 
that  year,  but  was  defeated,  and  thus  escaped  the 
disgrace  of  being  connected  with  that  abortive  party 
scheme  to  revolutionize  the  State  Government.  In 
1862  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate,  but 
was  defeated.  The  same' year,  however,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Lincoln  on  a  Government 
Commission,  in  company  with  Gov.  Boutwell  of 
Massachusetts  and  Cnarles  A.  Dana,  since  of  the 
New  York  Sun,  to  investigate  the  affairs  of  the 
Quartermaster's  and  Commissary  Departments  at 
Cairo.  He  devoted  several  months  to  this  duty. 

In  1864  he  enteied" upon  a  larger  political  field, 
being  nominated  as  the  Republican  candidate  for 
Congress  from  the  Eighth  (Springfield)  District,  in 
opposition  to  the  incumbent,  JohnT.  Stuart,  who  had 
been  elected  in  1862  by  about  1,500  majority  over 
Leonard  Swett,  then  of  Bloomington,  now  of  Chicago. 
The  result  was  the  election  of  Mr.  Cullom  in  Novem- 
ber following  by  a  majority  of  1,785.  In  1866  he 
was  re-elected  to  Congress,  over  Dr.  E.  S.  Fowler,  by 
the  magnificent  majority  of  4,103!  In  1868  he  was 
again  a  candidate,  defeating  the  Hon.  B.  S.  Edwards, 
another  of  his  old  preceptors,  by  2,884  votes. 

During  his  first  term  in  Congress  he  served  on  the 
Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs  and  Expenditures  in 
the  Treasury  Department ;  in  his  second  term,  on 
the  Committees  on  Foreign  Affairs  and  on  Territories ; 
and  in  his  third  term  he  succeeded  Mr.  Ashley,  of 
Ohio,  to  the  Chairmanship  of  the  latter.  He  intro- 
duced a  bill  in  the  House,  to  aid  in  the  execution  of 
law  in  Utah,  which  caused  more  consternation  among 
the  Mormons  than  any  measure  had  previously,  but 
which,  though  it  passed  the  House,  failed  to  pass  the 
Senate. 

The  Republican  Convention  which  met  May  25, 
1876,  nominated  Mr.  Cullom  for  Governor,  while  the 
other  contestant  was  Gov.  Beveridge.  For  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor  they  nominated  Andrew  Shuman,  editor 
of  the  Chicago  Journal.  For  the  same  offices  the 
Democrats,  combining  with  the  Anti-Monopolists, 
placed  in  nomination  Lewis  Steward,  a  wealthy 


farmer  and  manufacturer,  and  A.  A.  Glenn.  The 
result  of  the  election  was  rather  close,  Mr.  Cullom 
obtaining  only  6,800  majority.  He  was  inaugurated 
Jan.  8,  1877. 

Great  depression  prevailed  in  financial  circles  at 
this  time,  as  a  consequence  of  the  heavy  failures  of 
1873  and  afterward,  the  effect  of  which  had  seemed 
to  gather  force  from  that  time  to  the  end  of  Gov. 
Cullom's  first  administration.  This  unspeculative 
period  was  not  calculated  to  call  forth  any  new 
issues,  but  the  Governor's  energies  were  at  one  time 
put  to  task  to  quell  a  spirit  of  insubordination  that 
had  been  begun  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  among  the  laboring 
classes,  and  transferred  to  Illinois  at  Chicago,  East 
St.  Louis  and  Braidwood,  at  which  places  laboring 
men  for  a  short  time  refused  to  work  or  allow  others 
to  work.  These  disturbances  were  soon  quelled  and 
the  wheels  of  industry  again  set  in  motion. 

In  May,  1880,  Gov.  Cullom  was  re-nominated  by 
the  Republicans,  against  Lyman  Trumbull,  by  the 
Democrats;  and  although  the  former  party  was  some- 
what handicapped  in  the  campaign  by  a  zealous 
faction  opposed  to  Grant  for  President  and  to  Grant 
men  for  office  generally,  Mr.  Cullom  was  re-elected 
by  about  314,565,  to  277,532  for  the  Democratic  State 
ticket.  The  Greenback  vote  at  the  same  time  was 
about  27,000.  Both  Houses  of  the  Legislature  again 
became  Republican,  and  no  representative  of  the 
Greenback  or  Socialist  parties  were  elected.  Gov. 
Cullom  was  inaugurated  Jan.  10,  iS8i.  In  his  mes- 
sage he  announced  that  the  last  dollar  of  the  State 
debt  had  been  provided  for. 

March  4,  1883,  the  term  of  David  Davis  as  United 
States  Senator  from  Illinois  expired,  and  Gov.  Cul- 
lom was  chosen  to  succeed  him.  This  promoted 
Lieutenant-Governor  John  M.  Hamilton  to  the  Gov- 
ernorship. Senator  Cullom's  tenn  in  the  United 
States  Senate  will  expire  March  4,  1889. 

As  a  practitioner  of  law  Mr.  C.  has  been  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Cullom,  Scholes  &  Mather,  at  Spring- 
field ;  and  he  has  also  been  President  of  the  State 
National  Bank. 

He  has  been  married  twice, — the  first  time  Dec. 
12,  1855,  to  Miss  Hannah  Fisher,  by  whom  he  had 
two  daughters ;  and  the  second  time  May  5,  1863, 
to  Julia  Fisher.  Mrs.  C  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  with  which  religious  body  Mr. 
C.  is  also  in  sympathy. 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


OHN  MARSHALL  HAMIL- 
TON, Governor  1883-5,  was 
born  May  28,  1847,  in  a  log 
house  upon  a  farm  about  two 
miles  from  Richwood,  Union 
County,  Ohio.  His  father  was 
Samuel  Hamilton,  the  eldest  son 
f  Rev.  Wm.  Hamilton,  who,  to- 
gether with  his  brother,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Hamilton,  was  among  the 
early  pioneer  Methodist  preachers  in 
Ohio.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was,  before  her  marriage, 
Mrs.  Nancy  McMorris,  who  was 
born  and  raised  in  Fauquier  or  Lou- 
,  doun  County,  Va.,  and  related  to  the 
two  large  families  of  Youngs  and  Marshalls,  well 
known  in  that  commonwealth ;  and  from  the  latter 
family  name  was  derived  the  middle  name  of  Gov. 
Hamilton. 

In  March,  1854,  Mr.  Hamilton's  father  sold  out 
his  little  pioneer  forest  home  in  Union  County,  O., 
and,  loading  his  few  household  effects  and  family 
(of  six  children)  into  two  emigrant  covered  wagons, 
moved  to  Roberts  Township,  Marshall  Co.,  111.,  being 
2 1  days  on  the  route.  Swamps,  unbridged  streams 
and  innumerable  hardships  and  privations  met  them 
on  their  way.  Their  new  home  had  been  previously 
selected  by  the  father.  Here,  after  many  long  years 
of  toil,  they  succeeded  in  paying  for  the  land  and 
making  a  comfortable  home.  John  was,  of  course, 


brought  up  to  hard  manual  labor,  with  no  schooling 
except  three  or  four  months  in  the  year  at  a  common 
country  school.  However,  he  evinced  a  capacity 
and  taste  for  a  high  order  of  self-education,  by 
studying  or  reading  what  books  he  could  borrow,  as 
the  family  had  but  very  few  in  the  house.  Much  of 
his  study  he  prosecuted  by  the  light  of  a  log  fire  in 
the  old-fashioned  chimney  place.  The  financial 
panic  of  1857  caused  the  family  to  come  near  losing 
their  home,  to  pay  debts ;  but  the  father  and  two 
sons,  William  and  John,  "buckled  to"  and  perse- 
vered in  hard  labor  and  economy  until  they  redeemed 
their  place  from  the  mortgage. 

When  the  tremendous  excitement  of  the  political 
campaign  of  1860  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Rob- 
erts Township,  young  Hamilton,  who  had  been 
brought  up  in  the  doctrine  of  anti-slavery,  took  a  zeal- 
ous part  in  favor  of  Lincoln's  election.  Making  special 
efforts  to  procure  a  little  money  to  buy  a  uniform,  he 
joined  a  company  of  Lincoln  Wide-Awakes  at  Mag- 
nolia, a  village  not  far  away.  Directly  after  the 
ensuing  election  it  became  evident  that  trouble 
would  ensue  with  the  South,  and  this  Wide-Awake 
company,  like  many  others  throughout  the  country, 
kept  up  its  organization  and  transformed  itself  into  a 
military  company.  During  the  ensuing  summer  they 
met  often  for  drill  and  became  proficient;  but  when 
they  offered  themselves  for  the  war,  young  Hamilton 
was  rejected  on  account  of  his  youth,  he  being  then 
but  14  years  of  age.  During  the  winter  of  1863-4  he 
attended  an  academy  at  Henry,  Marshall  County. 


f 


f 


4- 


1 80 


JOHN  MARSHALL  HAMILTON. 


and  in  the  following  May  he  again  enlisted,  for  the 
fourth  time,  when  he  was  placed  in  the  141  st  111. 
Vol.  Inf.,  a  regiment  then  being  raised  at  Elgin,  111., 
for  the  loo-day  service.  He  took  with  him  13  other 
lads  from  his  neighborhood,  for  enlistment  in  the 
service.  This  regiment  operated  in  Southwestern 
Kentucky,  for  about  five  months,  under  Gen.  Paine. 

The  following  winter,  1864-5,  Mr.  Hamilton  taught 
school,  and  during  the  two  college  years  1865-7,  he 
went  through  three  years  of  the  curriculum  of  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  Ohio.  The 
third  year  lie  graduated,  the  fourth  in  a  class  of  46, 
in  the  classical  department.  In  due  time  he  received 
the  degree  of  M.  A.  For  a  few  months  he  was  the 
Principal  of  Marshall  "  College  "  at  Henry,  an  acad- 
emy under  the  auspices  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  By 
this  time  he  had  commenced  the  study  of  law,  and 
after  earning  some  money  as  a  temporary  Professor 
of  Latin  at  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  at 
Bloomington,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Weldon, 
Tipton  &  Bjnjainin,  of  that  city.  Each  member  of 
this  firm  has  since  been  distinguished  as  a  Judge. 
Admitted  to  the  Bar  in  May,  1870,  Mr.  Hamilton 
was  given  an  interest  in  the  same  firm,  Tipton  hav- 
ing been  elected  Judge.  In  October  following  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  J.  H.  Rowell,  at  that  time 
Prosecuting  Attorney.  Their  business  was  then 
small,  but  they  increased  it  to  very  large  proportions, 
practicing  in  all  grades  of  courts,  including  even  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  and  this  partnership  continued 
unbroken  until  Feb.  6,  1883,  when  Mr.  Hamilton 
was  sworn  in  as  Executive  of  Illinois.  On  the  4th 
of  March  following  Mr.  Rowell  took  his  seat  in  Con- 
gress. 

In  July,  1871.  Mr.  Hamilton  married  Miss  Helen 
M.  Williams,  the  daughter  of  Prof.  Win.  G,  Williams, 
Professor  of  Greek  in  the  Ohio  We3leyan  University. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  have  two  daughters  and  one  son. 

In  1876  Mr.  Hamilton  was  nominated  by  the  Re- 
publicans for  the  State  Senate,  over  other  and  older 
competitors.  He  took  an  active  part  "  on  the  stump  " 
in  the  campaign,  for  the  success  of  his  party,  and  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  1,640  over  his  Democratic- 
Greenback  opponent.  In  the  Senate  he  served  on 
the  Committees  on  Judiciary,  Revenue,  State  Insti- 
tutions, Appropriations,  Education,  and  on  Miscel- 
lany ;  and  during  the  onlest  for  the  election  of  a 
U.  S.  Senator,  the  Republicans  endeavoring  to  re- 


elect  John  A.  Logan,  he  voted  for  the  war  chief  on 
every  ballot,  even  alone  when  all  the  other  Republi- 
cans had  gone  over  to  the  Hon.  E.  B.  Lawrence  and 
the  Democrats  and  Independents  elected  Judge 
David  Davis.  At  this  session,  also,  was  passed  the 
first  Board  of  Health  and  Medical  Practice  act,  of 
which  Mr.  Hamilton  was  a  champion,  against  C3 
much  opposition  that  the  bill  was  several  times 
"  laid  on  the  table."  Also,  this  session  authorized 
the  location  and  establishment  of  a  southern  peni- 
tentiary, which  was  fixed  at  Chester.  In  the  sessior 
of  1879  Mr.  Hamilton  was  elected  President  pro  tern. 
of  the  Senate,  and  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  John 
A.  Logan  for  the  U.  S.  Senate,  who  was  this  time 
elected  without  any  trouble. 

In  May,  1880,  Mr.  Hamilton  was  nominated  on 
the  Republican  ticket  for  Lieutenant  Governor,  his 
principal  competitors  before  the  Convention  being 
Hon.  Wm.  A.  James,  ex-Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  Judge  Robert  Bell,  of  Wabash 
County,  Hon.  T.  T.  Fountain,  of  Perry  County,  and 
Hon.  M.  M.  Saddler,  of  Marion  County.  He  engaged 
actively  in  the  campaign,  and  his  ticket  was  elected 
by  a  majority  of  41,200.  As  Lieutenant  Governor, 
he  presided  almost  continuously  over  the  Senate  in 
the  32d  General  Assembly  and  during  the  early  days 
of  the  33d,  until  he  succeeded  to  the  Governorship. 
When  the  Legislature  of  1883  elected  Gov.  Cullom 
to  the  United  States  Senate,  Lieut.  Gov.  Hamilton 
succeeded  him,  under  the  Constitution,  taking  the 
oath  of  office  Feb.  6,  1883.  He  bravely  met  all  the 
annoyances  and  embarrassments  incidental  upon 
taking  up  another's  administration.  The  principal 
events  with  which  Gov.  Hamilton  was  connected  as 
the  Chief  Executive  of  the  State  were,  the  mine  dis- 
aster at  Braidwood,  the  riots  in  St.  Clairand  Madison 
Counties  in  May,  1883,  the  appropriations  for  the 
State  militia,  the  adoption  of  the  Harper  high-license 
liquor  law,  the  veto  of  a  dangerous  railroad  bill,  etc. 

The  Governor  was  a  Delegate  at  large  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  at  Chicago  in  June, 

1884,  where  his  first  choice  for  President  was  John 
A.  Logan,  and  second  choice  Chester  A.  Arthur;  but 
he  afterward  zealously  worked  for  the  election  of  Mr. 
Blaine,  true  to  his  party. 

Mr.  Hamilton's  term  as  Governor  expired  Jan.  30, 

1885,  when  the  great  favorite  "Dick"  Oglesby  was 
inaugurated. 


JOSEPH  W.  FIFER. 


183 


fOSEPH  WILSON  FIFER.  This 
distinguished  gentleman  was 
elected  Governor  of  Illinois 
November  6,  1888.  He  was 
popularly  known  (luring  the 
campaign  as  "Private  Joe."  He 
had  served  with  great  devotion 
to  his  country  during  the  Re- 
bellion, in  the  Thirty-third 
Illinois  Infantry.  A  native  of 
Virginia,  he  was  born  in  1840. 
His  parents,  John  and  Mary 
(Daniels)  Fifer,  were  American 
born,  though  of  German  de- 
scent. His  father  was  a  brick 
and  stone  mason,  and  an  old 
Henry  C'lay  Whig  in  politics.  John  and  Mary 
Fifer  had  nine  children,  of  whom  Joseph  was  the 
sixth,  and  naturally  with  so  large  a  family  it  was 
all  the-  father  could  do  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the 
door;  to  say  nothing  of  giving  his  children  any- 
thing like  good  educational  advantages. 

Young  Joseph  attended  school  some  in  Vir- 
ginia, but  it  was  not  a  good  school,  and  when 
his  father  removed  to  the  West,  in  1857,  Joseph  had 
not  advanced  much  further  than  the  "First  Reader." 


1= 


Our  subject  was  sixteen  then  and  suffered  a  great 
misfortune  in  the  loss  of  his  mother.  After  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Fifer,  which  occurred  in  Missouri,  the 
family  returned  to  Virginia,  but  remained  only  a 
short  time,  as  during  the  same  year  Mr.  Fifer 
came  to  Illinois.  He  settled  in  McLean  County  and 
started  a  brickyard.  Here  Joseph  and  his  broth- 
ers were  put  to  work.  The  elder  Fifer  soon 
bought  a  farm  near  Bloomington  and  began  life  as 
an  agriculturalist.  Here  Joe  worked  and  attended 
the  neighboring  school.  He  alternated  farm-work, 
brick-laying,  and  going  to  the  district  school  for 
the  succeeding  few  years.  It  was  all  work  and  no 
play  for  Joe,  yet  it  by  no  means  made  a  dull  boy 
of  him.  All  the  time  he  was  thinking  of  the  great 
world  outside,  of  which  he  had  caught  a  glimpse 
when  coming  from  Virginia,  yet  he  did  not  know 
just  how  he  was  going  to  get  out  into  it.  He 
could  not  feel  that  the  woods  around  the  new 
farm  and  the  log  cabin,  in  which  the  family  lived, 
were  to  hold  him. 

The  opportunity  to  get  out  into  the  world  was 
soon  offered  to  young  Joe.  He  traveled  a  dozen 
miles  barefoot,  in  company  with  his  brother  George, 
and  enlisted  in  Company  C,  33d  Illinois  Infantry; 
he  being  then  twenty  years  old.  In  a  few  days 


J 


184 


JOSEPH     W.  FIFER. 


the  regiment  was  sent  to  Camp  Butler,  and  then 
over  into  Missouri,  and  saw  some  vigorous  service 
there.  After  a  second  time  helping  to  chase  Price 
out  of  Missouri,  the  33d  Regiment  went  down 
to  Milliken's  Bend,  and  for  several  weeks  "  Private 
Joe"  worked  on  Grant's  famous  ditch.  The  regi- 
ment then  joined  the  forces  operating  against  Port 
Gibson  and  Vicksburg.  Joe  was  on  guard  duty  in 
the  front  ditches  when  the  flag  of  surrender  was 
run  up  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  stuck  the  bayonet 
of  his  gun  into  the  embankment  and  went  into  the 
city  with  the  vanguard  of  Union  soldiers. 

The  next  day,  July  5,  the  38d  joined  the  force 
after  Johnston,  who  had  been  threatening  Grant's 
rear;  and  finally  an  assault  was  made  on  him  at 
Jackson,  Miss.  In  this  charge  "Private  Joe"  fell ,  ter- 
ribly wounded.  *He  was  loading  his  gun  when  a 
minie-ball  struck  him  and  passed  entirely  through 
his  body.  He  was  regarded  as  mortally  wounded. 
His  brother,  George,  who'  had  been  made  a  Lieu- 
tenant, proved  to  be  the  means  of  saving  his  life. 
The  Surgeon  told  him  unless  he  had  ice  his  brother 
Joe  could  not  live.  It  was  fifty  miles  to  the  nearest 
point  where  ice  could  be  obtained,  and  the  roads 
were  rough.  A  comrade;  a  McLean  county  man,  who 
had  been  wounded,  offered  to  make  the  trip.  An 
ambulance  was  secured  and  the  brother  soldier 
started  on  the  journey.  He  returned  with  the  ice, 
but  the  trip,  owing  to  the  roughness  of  the  roads, 
was  very  hard  on  him.  After  a  few  months'  care- 
ful nursing  Mr.  Fifer  was  able  to  come  home.  The 
33d  came  home  on  a  furlough,  and  when  the 
boys  were  ready  to  return  to  the  tented  field, 
young  Fifer  was  ready  to  go  with  them;  for  he  was 
determined  to  finish  his  term  of  three  years.  He 
was  mustered  out  in  October,  1864,  having  been 
in  the  service  three  years  and  two  months. 

"Private  Joe  "came  out  of  the  army  a  tall, 
tanned,  and  awkward  young  man  of  twenty-four. 
About  all  he  possessed  was  ambition  to  be  some- 
body— and  pluck.  Though  at  an  age  when  most 
men  have  finished  their  college  course,  the  young 
soldier  saw  that  if  he  was  to  be  anybody  he  must 
have  an  education.  Yet  he  had  no  means  to  ena- 
ble him  to  enter  school  as  most  young  men  do. 
He  was  determined  to  have  an  education,  however, 
and  that  to  him  meant  success.  For  the  following 


four  years  he  struggled  with  his  books.  lie  entered 
Wesleyan  University  Jan.  1,  1865.  He  was  not  a 
brilliant  student,  being  neither  at  the  head  nor  the 
foot  of  his  class.  He  was  in  great  earnest,  how- 
ever, studied  hard  and  came  forth  with  a  well- 
stored  and  disciplined  mind. 

Immediately  after  being  graduated  he  entered 
an  office  at  Bloomington  as  a  law  student.  He  had 
already  read  law  some,  and  as  he  continued  to  work 
hard,  with  the  spur  of  poverty  and  promptings  of 
ambition  ever  with  him,  he  was  ready  to  hang  out 
his  professional  shingle  in  1869.  Being  trust- 
worthy he  soon  gathered  about  him  some  influen- 
tial friends.  In  1871  he  was  elected  Corporation 
Counsel  of  Bloomington.  In  1872  he  was  elected 
State's  Attorney  of  McLean  County.  This  office 
he  held  for  eight  years,  when  he  took  his  seat  in 
the  State  Senate.  Here  he  served  for  four  years. 
His  ability  to  perform  abundance  of  hard  work 
made  him  a  most  valued  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture. 

Mr.  Fifer  was  married  in  1870  to  Gertie,  daugh- 
ter of  William  J.  Lewis,  of  Bloomington.  Mr. 
Fifer  is  six  feet  in  height  and  is  spare,  weighing 
only  150  pounds.  He  has  a  swarthy  complexion, 
keen  black  eyes,  quick  movement,  and  possesses  a 
frank  and  sympathetic  nature,  and  naturally  makes 
friends  wherever  he  goes.  During  the  late  Guber- 
natorial campaign  his  visits  throughout  the  State 
proved  a  great  power  in  his  behalf.  His  happy 
faculty  of  winning  the  confidence  and  good  wishes 
of  those  with  whom  lie  comes  in  personal  contact  is  a 
source  of  great  popularity,  especially  during  a  polit- 
ical battle.  As  a  speaker  he  is  fluent,  his  language 
is  good,  voice  clear  and  agreeable,  and  manner 
forcible.  His  manifest  earnestness  in  what  hesavs 
as  well  as  his  tact  as  a  public  speaker,  and  his  elo- 
quent and  forceful  language,  makes  him  a  most 
valuable  campaign  orator  and  <i  powerful  pleader 
at  the  bar.  At  the  Republican  State  Convention, 
held  in  May,  1888,  Mr.  Fifer  was  chosen  as  its  candi- 
date for  Governor.  lie  proved  a  popular  nominee, 
and  the  name  of  "Private  Joe"  became  familiar 
to  everyone  throughout  the  State,  lie  waged  a 
vigorous  campaign,  was  elected  by  a  good  majority, 
and  in  due  time  assumed  the  duties  of  the  Chief 
Executive  of  Illinois. 


i 

t 


®ai 


4- 


INTTRODUQT^ORY 


^ 

;HE  time  has  arrived  when  it 
becomes  the    duty    of  the 
people  of  this  county  to  per- 
petuate the  names  of  their 
pioneers,  to  furnish  a  record 
of  their    early    settlement, 
and  relate  the  story  of  their 
progress.     The  civilization  of  our 
day,  the  enlightenment  of  the  age 
and  the  duty  that  men  of  the  pres- 
ent time  owe  to  their  ancestors,  to 
themselves  and  to  their  posterity, 
demand  that  a  record  of  their  lives 
and  deeds  should  be  made.  In  bio- 
graphical history  is  found  a  power 
to  instruct  man  by  precedent,  to 
enliven  the  mental  faculties,  and 
to  waft  down  the  river  of  time  a 
safe  vessel  in  which  the  names  and  actions  of  the 
people  who  contributed  to  raise  this  country  from  its 
primitive  state  may  be  preserved.  Surely  and  rapidly 
the  great  and  aged  men,  who  in  their  prime  entered 
the  wilderness  and  claimed  the  virgin   soil  as  their 
heritage,  are  passing  to  their  graves.  The  number  re- 
maining who  can  relate  the  incidents  of  the  first  days 
Df  settlement  is  becoming  small  indeed,  so  that  an 
actual  necessity  exists  for  the  collection  and  preser- 
vation of  events  without  delay,  before  all   the  early 
settlers  are  cut  down  by  the  scythe  of  Time. 

To  be  forgotten  has  been  the  great  dread  of  mankind 
from  remotest  ages.  All  will  be  forgotten  soon  enough, 
in  spite  of  their  best  works  and  the  most  earnest 
efforts  of  their  friends  to  perserve  the  memory  of 
their  lives.  The  means  employed  to  prevent  oblivion 
and  to  perpetuate  their  memory  has  been  in  propor- 
tion to  the  amount  of  intelligence  they  possessed. 
Tin  pyramids  of  Egypt  were  built  to  perpetuate  the 
names  and  deeds  of  their  great  rulers.  The  exhu- 
mations made  by  the  archeologists  of  Egypt  from 
buried  Memphis  indicate  a  desire  of  those  people 


to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  their  achievements. 
The  erection  of  the  great  obelisks  were  for  the  same 
purpose.  Coming  down  to  a  later  period,  we  find  the 
Greeks  and  Romans  erecting  mausoleums  and  monu- 
ments, and  carving  out  statues  to  chronicle  their 
great  achievements  and  carry  them  down  the  ages 
It  is  also  evident  that  the  Mound-builders,  in  piling 
up  their  great  mounds  of  earth,  had  but  this  idea — 
to  leave  something  to  show  that  they  had  lived.  All 
these  works,  though  many  of  them  costly  in  the  ex- 
treme, give  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  lives  and  charac- 
ters of  those  whose  memory  they  were  intended  to 
perpetuate,  and  scarcely  anything  of  the  masses  of 
the  people  that  then  lived.  The  great  pyramids  and 
some  of  the  obelisks  remain  objects  only  of  curiosity; 
the  mausoleums,  monuments  and  statues  are  crum- 
bling into  dust. 

It  was  left  to  modern  ages  to  establish  an  intelli- 
gent, undecaying,  immutable  method  of  perpetuating 
a  full  history— immutable  in  that  it  is  almost  un- 
limited in  extent  and  perpetual  in  its  action ;  and 
this  is  through  the  art  of  printing. 

To  the  present  generation,  however,  we  are  in- 
debted for  the  introduction  of  the  admirable  system 
of  local  biography.  By  this  system  every  man,  though 
he  has  not  achieved  what  the  world  calls  greatness, 
has  the  means  to  perpetuate  his  life,  his  history] 
through  the  coming  ages. 

The  scythe  of  Time  cuts  down  all ;  nothing  of  the 
physical  man  is  left.  The  monument  which  his  chil- 
dren or  friends  may  erect  to  his  memory  in  the  ceme- 
tery will  crumble  into  dust  and  pass  away;  but  his 
life,  his  achievements,  the  work  he  has  accomplished, 
which  otherwise  would  be  forgotten,  is  perpetuated 
by  a  record  of  this  kind. 

To  preserve  the  lineaments  of  our  companions  we 
engrave  their  portraits,  for  the  same  reason  we  col- 
lect the  attainable  facts  of  their  history.  Nor  do  we 
think  it  necessary,  as  we  speak  only  truth  of  them,  to 
wait  until  they  are  dead,  or  until  those  who  know 
them  are  gone:  to  do  this  we  are  ashamed  only  to 
publish  to  the  world  the  history  of  those  whose  lives 
are  unworthy  of  public  record. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


jptOBERT  HOCKKNHULL.  This  esteemed 
Kftf  and  highly  respected  citizen,  is  widely  and 
favorably  known  to  the  people  of  Jackson- 
ville.  He  was  horn  in  the  town  of  Bun- 
bury,  Cheshire,  England,  on  the  23d  of  November, 
1816,  and  is  the  sou  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(Woodward)  Hockenhull,  and  the  eldest  of  their 
family  of  three  children.  The  other  two  children, 
John  and  Sarah,  are  now  deceased. 

The  genealogy  of  the  Hockenhull  family  is  trace 
able  through  many  generations,  and  in  days  gone 
by,  the  male  members  were  prominently  identified 
with  the  local  and  political  affairs  of  Cheshire,  offi- 
ciating as  Sheriffs,  and  occupying  other  positions 
of  responsibility  and  trust.  Robert,  our  subject, 
came  to  the  United  States  in  the  spring  of  1838, 
and  traveled  extensively  over  the  Western  Con- 
tinent. The  prairie  land  of  Illinois  appeared  to 
him  the  most  pleasant  stretch  of  country  he  had 
found,  and  he  resolved  to  make  his  future  home 
here.  Six  months  after  his  arrival  he  returned  to 
England,  where  he  remained  the  following  seven 
months.  Finally  persuading  his  parents  to  allow 
him  funds  to  invest  in  the  United  States,  he  re- 
turned hither,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  John,  in 
the  spring  of  1839.  They  came  directly  to  this 
county,  and  Robert  established  himself  in  the  drug 
trade  at  Jacksonville,  his  brother  John  acting  as 
clerk  until  1 845.  The  latter  then  secured  a  half- 
interest  in  the  business,  but  it  soon  reverted  to  its 
former  owner. 

Mr.  Hockenhull  continued  in  the  drug  trade  until 
1865,  when  he  sold  an  interest  in  his  business  to  J. 


W.  Young  and  S.  B.  Hardy,  and  at  once  formed  a 
co-partnership  with  Edward  R.  Elliott  &  Samuel  R. 
King  for  the  purposes  of  banking,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Hockenhull,  Kingck  Elliott.  This  institu- 
tion has  taken  its  place  among  the  leading  banking 
houses  of  the  country,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  substantial,  conservative,  yet  enterprising 
and  public-spirited  financial  concerns  in  the  coun- 
try. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hockenhull  and  Miss  Matilda 
McMackin,  was  celebrated  in  1847,  and  to  them 
were  born  the  children  named  as  follows:  Eliza- 
beth, Margaret,  who  died  in  infancy,  Jennie,  Sarah, 
John  N.,  and  Robert  M.  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of 
Dr.  M.  A.  Ilalsted,  of  Jacksonville;  Jennie  mar- 
ried Mr.  T.  J.  Hook,  of  Jacksonville;  Sarah  mar- 
ried Rev.  William  J.  Harslia,  pastor  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  at  Omaha,  Neb. ;  John  mar- 
ried Miss  Aspasia  La  Salle,  of  Orange,  N.  J.;  Rob- 
ert M.  married  Miss  May  Weagley,  of  Jacksonville. 
The  sons  are  both  connected  with  the  banking 
house. 

Mrs.  Matilda  (McMackin)  Hockenhull  was  born 
in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  was  the  fifth  in 
a  family  of  nine  children.  She  came  with  her  par- 
ents to  Jacksonville,  in  1836,  and  after  fulfilling  in 
a  most  creditable  manner  the  duties  of  a  wife  and 
mother,  departed  this  life  in  the  spring  of  1882. 
Her  family  was  of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  possessed 
in  a  marked  degree  the  reliable  and  honest  char- 
acteristics of  that  nationality.  Mr.  Hockenhull  was 
married  a  second  time  to  Miss  Rebecca  Rust,  of 
Jacksonville,  this  event  occurring  in  June,  1884. 


192 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


Mr.  Hockenhull  during  his  early  manhood  voted 
with  the  old  Whig  party,  and  upon  its  abandonment 
cordially  endorsed  Republican  principles.  He  was 
ver3r  conscientious  regarding  the  right  of  suffrage, 
and  refused  to  vole  until  he  had  been  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States  for  seven  years.  He  has  become 
fully  identified  with  the  interests  of  his  adopted 
country,  and  claims  that  he  has  the  advantage  of 
the  native-born  citizen  in  that  he  is  an  American 
by  choice,  while  the  other  is  an  American  from 
force  of  circumstances.  Providence  has  blessed 
him  with  a  competence,  as  a  result  of  his  labors. 
He  has  given  liberally  of  his  means  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  worthy  institutions,  among  them  the 
Presbyterian  Academy,  and  the  church  of  that  de- 
nomination, with  which  he  is  connected,  while  he 
has  also  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the  Illinois 
College  building,  and  two  Presbyterian  Church 
buildings  that  were  destroyed  by  lire.  He  has  been 
a  Trustee  of  the  Illinois  College  for  many  years, 
and  occupies  a  lending  position  among  the  men  who 
have  contributed  to  the  growth  and  development 
of  Morgan  County. 

A  portrait  of  Mr.  Hockenhull  on  another  page  of 
this  work,  is  an  important  addition  to  its  value, 
and  will  be  viewed  with  interest  by  its  many 
readers. 


J~>  OSEPII  B.  SWAIN  represents  the  vigorous 
I    and  wide-awake   young  fanners,  natives  of 
Morgan   County,    who  are   materially   pro- 
'    moling  its  highest  interests.     He  is  manag- 
ing his  farm  with  signal  success,  and  is  fast  acquir- 
ing a  com pctence,  although  he  is  still  a  young  man. 
He  is  a  well-known  figure  in  the  civic  and  religious 
life  of  his  community,  and  makes  an  able  and  popu- 
lar public  official. 

He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  Swnin, 
natives  of  England.  In  pioneer  times  they  came 
to  Illinois,  in  1831,  and  took  up  land  in  this 
county,  on  which  they  lived  till  1864,  when  they 
purchased  the  farm  now  owned  by  our  subject,  on 
section  16,  township  3  nortlr,  range  8  west,  and  iin- 
mediatel.y  removed  to  it  with  their  family.  They 
resided  here  till  1885,  when  they  took  up  their 
abode  in  Jacksonville,  where  they  live  in  retire- 


ment, in  one  of  its  numerous  pleasant  homes,  in 
the  enjoyment  of  an  ample  income,  the  fruit  of 
their  united  labors.  They  are  people  whose  worth 
and  high  character  are  well  known  and  appreciated. 
The  father  is  well  endowed  vyith  firmness  i'.nd  sound 
common  sense,  with  decided  opinions  of  his  own. 
lie  has  always  been  a  strong  Republican,  and  stood 
stanchly  by  the  party  when  lie  was  distinguished  as 
being  the  first  to  cast  a  vote  in  its  favor  after  five 
years  of  exclusive  Democratic  reig_n  in  this  pre- 
cinct. 

Our  subject  was  a  boy  of  ten  years  when  his  par- 
ents removed  to  this  farm,  and  here  he  was  reared 
to  a  stalwart,  independent  manhood,  and  adopting 
the  calling  in  which  he  had  been  thoroughly  trained, 
when  he  was  ready  to  establish  himself  in  life,  in  the 
spring  of  1875,  he  bought  115  acres  of  the  home- 
stead of  his  father,  and  immediately  after  his  mar- 
riage brought  his  bride  here  to  live,  and  entered 
upon  the  management  of  his  property.  His  farm 
is  in  fine  order,  with  substantial  buildings,  and 
equipped  with  first  class  machinery  of  all  kinds,  and 
is  classed  among  the  finest  estates  in  the  vicinity. 
Mr.  Swain  has  it  well  stocked  with  cattle,  horses, 
and  hogs  of  excellent  grades,  as  he  engages  in  gen- 
eral farming.  He  has  two  threshing  machines  and 
a  corn  sheller,  also  a  sawmill  which  he  operates  in 
this  part  of  the  county  in  the  proper  seasons,  mak- 
ing much  money  by  his  enterprise. 

Mr.  Swain  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Luella,  daughter  of  Blackburn  Sims,  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  this  county.  After  a  happy  wedded 
life  of  two  years  the  young  wife  died,  in  1877, 
leaving  one  child,  Edwin  L.  She  was  a  sincere 
Christian,  and  a  devoted  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  her  memory  is  cherished  in 
the  Jiearts  of  those  who  loved  her. 

In  1879  Mr.  Swain  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah 
Parrish,  who  has  been  to  him  a  faithful  wife,  and  is 
devoted  to  his  interests.  To  them  in  their  cozy 
home  have  come  five  children — Carl,  Rilla,  Edith, 
Lloyd  and  Homer — all  of  whom  are  living,  and  are 
enjoying  fine  educational  advantages.  Mrs.  Swain's 
father,  James  L.  Parrish,  settled  on  the  frontier  of 
this  State,  in  Menard  County,  and  died  last  Octo- 
ber at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  His  wife 
whose  maiden  name  was  Matilda  Stout,  survived 


t 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


193 


him  but  a  short  time,  dying  Jan.  1,  1889,  aged 
seventy-nine  years,  passing  away  on  the  amdver- 
siary  of  her  birth. 

Mr.  Swain  is  ambitious  and  progressive,  and  his 
higli  personal  character,  purity  of  aim,  and  fine 
business  tact  make  iiis  influence  felt  in  the  public 
and  political  life  of  his  township,  and  in  social  and 
religious  circles.  He  and  his  wife  are  prominent 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  are 
identified  with  all  its  good  works,  and  he  has  been 
Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  since  he  was 
twenty-one,  and  is  also  one  of  the  Trustees 
of  the  church  and  of  Ashland  circuit.  He  has 
served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  four  years,  and 
has  been  Overseer  of  the  Poor  of  this  Township  for 
nearly  seven  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Oak  Lodge  No.  341,  Ashland,  111.,  and  has  filled 
all  the  offices  of  that  lodge.  He  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing Republicans  of  this  part  of  the  county,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Central  Committee  some 
fifteen  years. 


W'OHN  VIRGIN  is  one  of  the  most  extensive 
farmers  and  stock  raisers  in  Morgan  County, 
|l  and  is  the  owner  of  one  of  its  largest  and 
most  valuable  farms,  comprising  2,000  acres 
lying  mostly  in  township  16,  north;  range  8,  west. 
Here  lie  has  the  most  beautiful  home  (a  commodi- 
ous frame  house  of  a  good  style  of  architecture, 
well  and  tastefully  furnished,  and  replete  with  all 
the  modern  conveniences  for  making  life  comfort- 
able,) situated  in  the  midst  of  velvety  lawns  adorned 
with  lovely  flowers,  shrubbery,  maples,  evergreens 
and  other  kinds  of  shade  trees,  the  whole  making 
a  charming  scenic  feature  in  the  landscape. 

Our  subject  comes  of  good  old  Pennsylvania 
stock,  and  his  grandfather,  Eli  Virgin,  was  born  in 
Fayette  County,  that  State,  was  bred  to  the  life  of  a 
farmer,  and  in  due  time  married  and  reared  a  fam- 
ily on  the  same  farm  where  he  had  been  born  and 
had  grown  to  manhood,  lie  died  on  the  old  home- 
stead at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  and  there  his  wife, 
who  lived  to  be  seventy  years  old,  also  drew  her 
last  breath.  Their  son,  John  II.,  father  of  our  subject 
was  born  April  19,  1796,  and  in  1820  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Fayette  County,  to  Miss  Margaret,  daugh- 


ter of  John  Hughes,  of  Greene  County,  Pa.  They 
continued  to  reside  in  their  native  state  a  few  years 
and  in  1826,  with  their  little  family  and  some  of 
their  household  effects,  they  started  for  the  wilds 
of  Kentucky,  and  finally  arriving  in  Greenup 
County,  located  there.  A  few  years  later,  in  1830 
they  recrossed  the  Ohio  River  and  established  them- 
selves in  Knox  County,  Ohio.  Thence  they  moved 
to  Menard  County,  111.,  in  1851,  and  stayed  their 
earthly  pilgrimage  and  their  remaining  days  were 
spent  there  in  peace  and  plenty.  The  father  passed 
to  the  world  beyond  the  grave  in  October,  1858, 
aged  sixty-four  years,  and  the  mother  followed  him 
in  December,  1863,  aged  nearly  sixty-six  years. 
Of  their  six  children,  Eli,  Mary  and  George  were 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  John  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
and  Maria  and  Ruth  in  Ohio. 

The  early  days  of  the  life  of  our  subject  were 
paseed  in  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  and  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Illinois  he  was  in  the  prime 
of  young  manhood,  stout  of  heart,  strong  of  mus- 
cle, and  clear  headed,  able  to  cope  with  anything 
that  might  interfere  with  his  plans  of  making  his 
life  a  success.  In  1859  he  came  to  this  county  and 
bought  a  part  of  the  farm  where  he  now  lives. 
His  capital  at  that  time  was  rather  limited,  but  not 
so  his  earnest  confidence  in  his  ability  to  do  what- 
soever he  set  out  to  do,  and  he  bought  250  acres 
of  his  homestead  at  the  rate  of  $30  per  acre,  going 
in  debt  to  the  amount  of  $2,000.  In  the  years  of 
hard  labor  that  followed  he  worked  to  good  pur- 
pose, and  by  the  quiet  force  of  persistent  efforts, 
directed  by  sound  discretion  and  constant  devo- 
tion to  duty,  he  succeeded  where  so  many  have 
failed  and  not  only  cleared  off  the  indebtedness  on 
his  realty,  but  has  added  more  to  it  by  subsequent 
purchases  till  at  present  he  owns  one  of  the  largest 
farms  in  this  vicinity,  nearly  all  of  it  in  a  body. 
His  land  is  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  and  is 
amply  provided  with  barns  and  other  buildings  for 
all  necessary  purposes.  He  usually  raises  600  acres 
of  corn  each  year,  and  never  sells  a  bushel  of  it, 
except  to  accommodate  a  neighbor,  but  uses  it  all 
to  feed  his  large  numbers  of  cattle  and  hogs.  He  is 
engaged  very  extensively  in  stock-raising  and  gen- 
erally feeds  and  ships  about  300  head  of  cattle,  and 
from  300  to  500  hogs  a  year.  The  entire  farm  is 


,  .    194 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


under  his  supervision,  and  he  has  several  tenant 
houses  on  the  place  for  his  workmen.  He  raises  a 
good  deal  of  fine  fruit,  and  has  an  orchard  of 
about  six  acres  of  choice  varieties  of  apples,  pears, 
peaches,  etc. 

Mr.  Virgin  was  married  in  Menard  County,  in 
October,  1856,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Gibbs,  and  she 
has  been  to  him  all  that  a  true  and  helpful  wife 
can  be.  Her  parents,  William  and  Elizabeth  (Hall) 
Gibbs,  were  born  and  reared  in  England,  and  ac- 
companied their  respective  parents  to  the  United 
States  when  young.  They  located  near  Baltimore, 
and  from  that  city  came  to  Illinois  in  1840,  and 
here  spent  their  remaining  days.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Virgin  have  nine  children  living,  as  follows: 
Charles  F.,  who  married  Hattie  Lathom,  and  lives 
on  the  home  farm;  Hattie  E..  now  Mrs.  George 
Deweese,  of  this  township;  Clara  M.,  now  Mrs. 
Samuel  Willet,  of  Springfield ;  Anna,  Luella,  John 
H.,  Byron,  Leon,  and  Inez. 

Mr.  Virgin  is  a  man  of  large  enterprise  and  of 
more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and  ability,  as  is 
seen  in  the  shrewd  management  of  his  extensive 
interests,  whereby  he  has  acquired  wealth.  He  is 
influential  in  public  affairs,  as  a  man  of  his  position 
who  has  done  so  much  to  advance  his  adopted 
county  ought  to  be,  and  for  six  years  he  served  as 
County  Commissioner  for  Morgan  County,  having 
been  elected  to  that  office  in  1873.  He  and  his 
family  stand  high  in  the  social  circles  of  the  com- 
munity, and  are  exceedingly  hospitable,  friend  or 
stranger  oft  receiving  a  warm  welcome  in  their 
charming  home,  and  being  royally  feasted  at  their 
bountiful  board. 


ENRY  M.  MILLER.  One  of  the  finest  fruit 
farms  in  Central  Illinois  lies  on  the  West- 
ern limits  of  the  town  of  Waverly,  and  be- 
longs to  the  subject  of  this  notice.  As  a 
horticulturist  and  nursery  man  Mr.  Miller  stands 
second  to  none  in  the  county,  andlias  made  of  his 
calling  an  art  and  a  science,  taking  a  pardonable 
pride  in  the  knowledge  that  he  has  excelled.  He 
has  a  comfortable  residence  and  surroundings,  and 


is  recognized  as  one  of  the  solid  citizens  of  the 
place,  who  has  been  identified  with  its  most  im- 
portant interests. 

Of  excellent  old  New  England  stock  and  of 
Welsh  ancestry,  Mr.  Miller  was  born  in  Litch field, 
Conn.,  Jan.,  23,  1826.  This  branch  of  the  Miller 
family  was  first  represented  in  the  United  States 
during  the  Colonial  days  by  three  brothers,  one  of 
whom  settled  in  South  Carolina  and  two  in  the 
New  England  States.  Rev.  Jonathan  Miller,  the 
paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Torringford,  Litchfield  Co.,  Conn.,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  Yale  College  in  1777.  While  a  student 
at  Yale  the  British  landed  in  New  Haven,  and 
young  Miller,  with  his  comrades,  assisted  in  defend- 
ing the  town. 

After  being  graduated  from  Yale  Grandfather 
Miller  at  once  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  at  Burlington,  Conn.,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  at  the  age 
of  sixty-three  years.  He  was  married  and  became 
the  father  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  among 
whom  was  Ebenezer,  the  father  of  our  subject,  who 
was  born  in  1799.  Ebenezer  desired  to  educate  him- 
self for  the  medical  professon,  but  his  father  objected 
saying  the  profession  was  drifting  into  infidelity  in 
regard  to  the  Christian  religion,  and  the  aspiring 
youth  abandoned  his  inclinations  and  became  a  man- 
ufacturer of  clocks  at  Bristol.  In  this  he  was  suc- 
cessful, but  finally  turned  his  attention  to  the  man- 
ufacture of  cloth.  He  was  equally  successful  at  this 
business  until  the  financial  panic  of  1837,  when  he 
lost  heavily,  closed  out  and  in  the  fall  of  1840 
sought  his  fortunes  in  the  West. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  upon  coming  to  Illi- 
nois brought  with  him  about  $1,000  in  money  and 
purchased  100  acres  of  land  at  $12  per  acre.  It 
had  been  but  slightly  improved,  but  by  the  exer- 
cise of  diligence  and  economy  the  hardy  pioneer 
succeeded  in  making  a  pleasant  home  for  the  fam- 
ily. He  was  rigidly  opposed  to  slavery,  and  his 
house  became  a  station  of  the  underground  railroad 
during  the  troublous  times  ensuing  upon  the  agi- 
tation of  that  dismal  question.  . 

Before  leaving  Connecticut  the  father  of  our 
subject  dela3'ed  his  departure  a  few  days  in  order 
to  cast  his  ballot  for  James  G.  Birney,  the  first 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


195 


Anti-Slavery  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  From 
1840  to  1856  he  voted  with  the  Abolition  party, 
and  in  the  year  last  mentioned  cast  his  ballot  for 
John  C.  Fremont,  the  first  candidate  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  In  1860  and  1864  he  voted  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  died  on  the  17th  of  Febru- 
arjT,  18(!5.  He  was  a  man  outspoken  in  his  views 
and  strong  in  his  adherence  to  what  he  believed  to 
be  right.  In  religious  matters  he  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church.  The  wife 
and  mother,  Mrs.  Permelia  (Hopkins)  Miller  was 
of  English  ancestry  and  wns  born  in  Connecticut. 
The  Hopkins  family  were  represented  in  New  En- 
gland for  several  generations  and  many  of  them 
became  widely  and  prominently  known. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there  were  born 
seven  children,  five  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years. 
Margaret,  the  eldest  daughter,  married  Solomon 
Richards,  and  died  in  Connecticut  in  1857;  Sarah 
became  the  wife  of  F.  C.  Bush  way  and  died  at 
Lincoln,  this  State,  some  years  later;  Abbie  P.  mar- 
ried Joseph  Johnson,  and  is  living  in  Iowa;  Helen 
P.  was  first  married  to  George  Ross,  who  died,  and 
she  then  became  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Barrett;  they  are 
now  living  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa.  The  mother  died 
at  her  home  in  Waverly,  in  March,  1883,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  only  son  of  his 
parents,  and  was  fourteen  years  old  when  they 
made  the  long  journey  from  Connecticut  to  Illi- 
nois. They  were  in  limited  circumstances,  and  as 
young  Miller  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  obtain  an 
education  he  worked  hard,  saved  his  money  and 
realized  at  least  a  reasonable  measure  of  his  ambition. 
In  1849  he  entered  Illinois  College,  but  on  acconnt 
of  failing  health  was  obliged,  after  a  few  months, 
to  return  home  and  recruit.  In  1853  he  entered 
the  law  school  of  Yale  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1855.  He  practiced  law  at  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  until  1862,  then  returning  to. this 
State  opened  an  oflice  at  Springfield.  The  Civil 
War,  however,  broke  in  upon  his  plans  and  expec- 
tations, as  it  did  upon  those  of  many  others,  and 
there  being  little  call  for  the  exercise  of  his  talents 
in  tliis  direction,  he  returned  home.  His  father 
being  then  about  to  build  a  dwelling,  Henry  M. 
obtained  his  first  instruction  in  downright  manual 


labor  by  digging  the  cellar  of  the  contemplated 
structure.  In  1863  he  became  interested  in  Osage 
orange  for  fencing  purposes,  and  planted  seeds  in  a 
considerable  quantity,  from  which  he  realized,  by 
the  sale  of  plants  the  snug  sum  of  $'2,470.  He  was 
the  first  man  to  introduce  this  species  of  fencing 
from  Texas  into  this  State,  and  which  has  become 
very  popular  for  this  purpose. 

After  the  death  of  his  father  our  subject  re- 
mained with  his  mother,  looking  after  the  home- 
stead, practicing  law  to  a  certain  extent,  but  giving 
the  greater  portion  of  his  time  to  the  farm  of  forty 
acres  which  he  purchased,  and  which  he  has  by  de- 
grees transformed  into  one  of  the  finest  fruit  farms 
of  this  locality.  He  has  a  large  orchard  planted  * 
with  700  apple  trees  of  one  variety.  In  the  mean- 
time he  lias  always  interested  himself  in  local  af- 
fairs, holding  the  various  offices,  and  was  the  first 
Mayor  of  Waverly. 

Politically,  Mr.  Miller  voted  first,  like  his  father 
before  him,  with  the  Abolition  party,  but  after  its 
abandonment  affiliated  with  the  Republicans  until 
1878.  He  subsequently  advocated  the  doctrines 
of  the  National  Greenback  party,  of  whicli  he  has 
twice  been  a  candidate  for  Congress.  He  is  a  rapid 
thinker,  forcible  and  energetic  in  his  conversation, 
and  thoroughly  well  informed. 

Mr.  Miller  was  first  married  to  Miss  Ann  M. 
Rowe,  by  whom  he  became  the  father  of  one  child, 
a  son,  Charles  II.,  who  is  now  a  publisher  in  Spring- 
field, Mass.  His  second  wife  was  Miss  Cynthia  L. 
Hopkins,  and  of  this  marriage  there  were  born  two 
children,  both  of  whom  are  living — Maggie  L.  and 
Walter  E. 


9JO6EPH  V.  BRECKON.  This  young  and 
enterprising  farmer  owns  and  occupies  a 
farm  of  181  acres — his  father's  old  home- 
stead— which  is  finely  located  in  township 
15,  range  9,  section  5.  He  purchased  the  interest 
of  the  other  heirs  to  the  property,  and  is  carrying 
on  the  improvements  commenced  by  his  honored 
sire  during  the  early  settlement  of  this  county. 
The  land  is  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  with 
good  improvements.  It  is  devotsd  principally  to 


r 


196 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


general  agriculture,  but  Mr.  B.  is  also  considerably 
interested  in  blooded  stock,  having  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  Short-horn  cattle  together  with  horses  and 
swine. 

Our  subject  was  born  Aug.  26,  1864,  and  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  district  school.  His 
life  passed  quietly  and  uneventfully  during  his 
boyhood  and  youth,  and  he  learned  farming  in  all 
its  details  from  his  father,  who  was  a  man  of  great 
enterprise  and  energy,  and  who  conducted  his  labor 
in  a  first-class  manner.  The  father,  the  Rev.  Vick- 
erman  Breckon,  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
in  1828,  and  lived  there  until  1843,  when  lie 
emigrated  to  America  with  his  parents,  William 
Breckon  and  wife.  They  came  directly  to  Illinois 
and  located  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Morgan  County. 
Vickerman,  when  a  youth  of  seventeen  years  com- 
menced the  battle  of  life  for  himself  with  a  capital 
of  twenty-five  cents,  and  one  old  horse  worth  about 
$35.  He  secured  a  tract  of  land  and  in  due  time 
his  industr}'  and  perseverance  were  rewarded  in  the 
establishment  of  a  good  homestead.  He  was  mar- 
ried Jan.  17,  1855,  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Wilson) 
Stimpson,  a  native  of  his  own  country,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  three  children, — Joseph  V.,  our 
subject,  Sarah  M.  and  James  W.  The  daughter  be- 
came the  wife  of  Charles  Hopper,  of  English  birth, 
and  a  boot  and  shoe  dealer  in  Jacksonville.  The3' 
have  six  children — Thomas  V.,Effie,  Fletcher,  Lena, 
Clara  Belle  and  Freddie.  James  W.  married  Miss 
Emma  L.  Trotter,  and  is  farming  in  this  county. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  in  about  1889,  took 
up  their  residence  in  Jacksonville.  They  have  been 
residents  of  this  county  for  a  period  of  forty-six 
years,  and  the  father  a  goodly  portion  of  this  time 
has  officiated  as  a  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Joseph  V.,  our  subject,  was 
married  in  Morgan  Count}',  this  State,  March  14, 
1888,  to  Miss  Effie  L.  Padget,  who  was  born  in 
Macoupin  County,  111.,  Nov.  1,  18G4.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Amanda  Padget,  the  latter 
of  whom  died  when  Eflie  was  but  two  years  old. 
The  father  is  still  living  in  Macoupin  County, 
where  he  is  carrying  on  farming.  Her  only  brother, 
Charles  E.,  is  a  resident  of  Pendleton  Count}',  Mo. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breckon  are  the  parents  of  one 
child,  a  son,  Paul,  who  was  born  Jan.  28,  1889. 


They  are  both  members  in  good  standing  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr.  B.  has  been 
Librarian  for  three  years.  Politically,  lie  is  a 
strong  prohibitionist  and  a  zealous  worker  in  the 
cause  of  temperance.  The  young  couple  are  very 
pleasantly  situated,  and  an  engraving  of  their  home 
appears  in  this  volume.  They  have  plenty  of  this 
world's  goods,  and  are  surrounded  by  hosts  of 
friends. 


LBERT  C.  BROWN,  M.  D.  Very  few 
words  in  introduction  are  necessary  in  not- 
ing the  career  of  the  subject  of  this  notice. 
He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Isaac  II.  Brown, 
who  was  one  of  the  most  noted  physicians  of  the 
county,  and  who  not  only  commanded  an  extensive 
patronage,  but  for  whom  not  only  his  patrons,  but 
his  acquaintances  entertained  a  feeling  of  the  warm- 
est regard.  Albert  C.  was  born  in  Chicago,  June 
25,  1849,  and  completed  his  medical  studies  at 
Bellevue  College,  in  New  York  Cit}',  in  1873. 
Prior  to  this  he  had  read  medicine  under  the  care- 
ful instruction  of  his  father  and  other  tutors,  and 
was  graduated  from  Illinois  College  in  1870,  after 
which  he  took  a  course  of  lectures  at  Rush  Medi- 
cal College. 

Dr.  Brown,  after  receiving  his  diploma,  was  the 
associate  of  his  father  in  practice  in  Waverly,  where 
he  has  since  been  located.  He  was  married  in  1875, 
to  Miss  Lucinda  A.,  daughter  of  Plattand  Flora  A. 
Carter,  and  who  was  born  in  Sangamon  County, 
this  State.  Of  this  union  there  were  bom  two 
bright  children,  Fred  and  Carter.  The  Doctor, 
politically,  inclines  to  Republican  doctrines,  and  be- 
sides serving  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  has 
represented  his  Ward  in  the  City  Council. 

Dr.  Isaac  H.  Brown,  obtained  a  brilliant  record 
as  a  physician  and  Christian  gentleman,  his  upright 
life  and  benevolent  acts  gaining  him  in  a  marked  de- 
gree the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  community. 
He  was  a  lover  of  truth,  and  a  devotee  of  science 
with  the  manifest  desire  to  improve  and  elevate 
those  with  whom  he  became  associated.  He  was  born 
in  Goshen,  Litchfield  Co.,  Conn.,  Oct.  20,  1805, 
and  pursued  his  course  of  medical  study  for  a  time 
in  Pittsfield,  Mass.  Later,  he  entered  the  College 


f 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


197 


of    Physicians  and    Surgeons  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  from  which  he  was  graduated  Feb.  20,  1828. 

In  the  spring  of  1829,  Dr.  Brown,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  established  himself  in  his  profession  at 
Avon,  Conn.,  where  he  continued  until  the  spring 
of  1 838.  He  then  emigrated  to  this  State,  and  lo- 
cated in  Quincy,  where  he  remained  about  one  year, 
then  changed  his  residence  to  Waverly,  this  county, 
where  he  followed  his  profession  successfully  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  April  13,  1874.  He  had 
been  married  in  Avon,  Conn..  July  29,  1834,  to 
Miss  Mary,  youngest  daughter  of  Chandler  Wood- 
ford,  and  to  them  were  born  eight  children:  Jane 
A.  married  Frederick  Curtis,  and  is  now  fifty-three 
years  of  age.  William  W.,  of  whom  a  sketch  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work,  was  formerly  a  banker 
of  Waverly,  and  is  now  deceased;  Lucy  M.  became 
the  wife  of  Prof.  E.  A.  Tanner,  of  Illinois  College, 
Jacksonville,  and  is  now  forty -seven  years  of  age; 
Georgiana  died  when  about  three  years  old;  Oliver 
H.  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  and  lo- 
cated at  Topeka,  Kan.;  Albert  C.,  our  subject,  was 
the  fifth  child;  Frederick  A.  was  employed  as  a 
teacher  in  Illinois  College,  and  died  in  1876;  Syl- 
vester S.,  also  a  railroad  man  in  Topeka,  Kan.,  with 
his  brother. 

Dr.  Isaac  Brown,  politically,  was  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  held  some  of  the  local  offices,  rather 
against  his  will,  for  he  preferred  giving  his  time  to 
the  duties  of  his  profession.  He  was  for  many 
years  a  Deacon  in  the  Congregational  Church,  and 
officiated  as  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School. 
He  was  a  man  greatly  attached  to  his  friends,  fre- 
quently assisting  them  financially,  and  although 
living  to  a  ripe  old  age,  nearly  attaining  his  three- 
score years  and  ten — his  faculties  remained  prac- 
tically unimpaired,  and  he  continued  to  be  a  bless- 
ing to  his  community  until  called  hence.  The  life 
of  the  physician  of  the  pioneer  days  was  one  at- 
tended by  manj'  hardships,  and  of  these  Dr.  Brown 
had  his  full  share,  but  his  energy  sufficed  to  enable 
him  to  overcome  many  difficulties,  and  he  enjoyed 
uniform  good  health  until  a  few  years  prior  to  his 
demise. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
William  and  Mary  (Hay den)  Brown,  the  former  a 
native  of  Hartland,  Conn,,  and  the  latter  of  Wind- 


sor,  that  State.  They  came  with  their  son,  Isaac, 
to  Illinois,  and  grandfather  Brown  established  the 
first  blacksmith  shop  at  Waverly.  Both  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives  here,  and  their  remains  lie 
side  by  side  in  Waverly  cemetery. 


ALPH  C.  CURTISS.  Thirty-six  years  ago 
the  eighteen-year-old  State  of  Illinois  was 
the  cynosure  of  many  an  eye,  especially 
among  the  young  and  enterprising  sons  of 
New  England  who  emigrated  to  it  in  goodly  num- 
bers, contributed  to  its  vigorous  growth  financially, 
and  formed  a  part  of  the  bone  and  sinew  of  its 
moral  and  religious  elements. 

With  these  pioneers  came  the  subject  of  this  notice, 
then  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  years.  Although 
possessing  limited  means  he  was  equipped  with  a 
good  education,  and  engaged  for  eight  y-ears  as  a 
teacher  in  the  infant  town  of  Waverly.  At  about 
the  expiration  of  this  time  he  was  married,  and 
from  that  time  forward  interested  himself  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  by  which  he  gained  the  compe- 
tence he  is  now  enjoying.  He  lives  on  a  fine  farm 
comprising  260  acres,  occupying  the  southeastern 
part  of  section  22  in  Waverly  Precinct.  A  view 
of  his  comfortable  home  and  pleasant  surroundings 
appeirs  in  this  volume. 

Litchfield  County,  Conn.,  is  the  native  place  of 
our  subject,  and  the  date  of  his  birth  is  March  5, 
1831.  He  is  the  son  of  Erastus  and  Harriet  (Tan- 
ner) Curtiss,  who  were  likewise  natives  of  Connec- 
ticut, and  born  in  Warren;  the  former  Sept.  20, 
1789,  and  the  latter  in  1795.  Mrs.  Curtiss'  father, 
Ebenezer  Tanner,  was  a  commissioned  officer  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  The  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject were  reared  and  married  in  their  native  place, 
where  the  father  followed  farming  and  spent  his 
entire  life.  The  household  circle  was  completed  by 
the  birth  of  five  children,  who  lived  to  become  men 
and  women.  The  eldest  born,  Charles  H.,  and  the 
second  son,  Franklin  A.,  continue  residents  of  War- 
ren; Ellen  II.,  is  the  wife  of  Ransom  F.  Everett  of 
this  county;  Cyrus  D.,  during  the  late  Civil  War- 
enlisted  in  Company  I,  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
served  about  one  year  when  lie  was  discharged  on 


I  on    •  ') 

if 


198 


MORGAN  COTTNTY. 


account  of  his  physical  weakness.  He  died  in  June. 
1865,  leaving  his  wife  with  two  sons — Charles  F. 
and  Winthrop. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  twice  married,  his 
second  wife  being  Johanna  Sturdevant,  and  of  this 
union  there  were  born  three  children,  the  eldest  of 
whom,  Homer  S.,  during  the  war  served  in  the  3d 
Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery,  which  was  soon 
changed  to  Infantry,  and  assisted  in  the  defence  of 
Washington  City.  After  the  war  was  ended  he  came 
to  this  county,  and  died  in  1875;  Lucy  J.,  Mrs.  M. 
A.  Strong,  and  Frances  L.,  who  married  Austin  R. 
Humphrey,  are  residents  of  Warren,  Conn. 

Erastus  Curtiss  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability,  active  in  politics  and  bitterly  opposed  to 
the  institution  of  slavery.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
in  -the  movement  of  the  liberty  party,  which  in- 
sisted upon  abolition,  and  being  a  man  of  means 
was  enabled  to  exert  a  large  influence.  He  died 
however,  before  being  permitted  to  see  the  extinc- 
tion of  that  institution.  He  was  a  man  broad  and 
liberal  in  his  views,  greatly  interested  in  the  cause 
of  education,  and  gave  to  his  children  the  best  of 
advantages. 

Our  subject  was  a  little  lad  of  six  years  when  he 
was  deprived  by  death  of  the  affectionate  care  of 
his  mother.  He  remained  witli  his  father  until  a 
youth  of  nineteen  years,  attending  school  much  of 
the  time,  then  began  teaching,  and  followed  this 
several  seasons  in  his  native  State.  He  was  well 
fitted  for  this  employment,  having  completed  his 
studies  in  the  State  Normal  School,  which  was  in- 
stituted especially  for  the  training  of  teachers. 
During  his  after  labors  in  the  State  he  introduced 
many  excellent  measures  in  connection  with  the 
school  system,  and  was  uniformly  popular  and  suc- 
cessful. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Calista 
Lyman  took  place  at  the  home  of  the  bride  in  San- 
gamon Count}',  111.,  in  1862.  This  lady  is  the 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Mercy  (Sanders)  Lyman, 
and  was  born  in  Sangamon  County.  111.,  July  14, 
18,'il.  Her  parents  emigrated  from  Vermont  to 
Illinois  during  the  early  settlement  of  Sangamon 
County,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Curtiss  purchased 
100  acres  of  his  present  farm,  to  which  he  added 


from  time  to  time,  and  instituted  modern  improve- 
ments. He  has  substantial  and  convenient  build- 
ings, forest  and  fruit  trees,  all  the  requisite  farm 
machinery  and  the  general  appliances  of  the  well- 
regulated  country  estate. 

Mr.  Curtiss  makes  a  specialty  of  stock-raising, 
and  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  competence,  to  which 
he  was  assisted,  as  he  generally  admits,  largely  by 
the  industrious  efforts  of  his  estimable  wife.  Mrs. 
Curtiss  is  a  lady  of  great  common  sense  and  intelli- 
gence and  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  her. 
Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  never  been  blessed 
with  children  of  their  own,  but  have  reared  several 
others,  who  were  without  home  or  friends,  giving 
them  proper  training  and  good  advantages. 

As  the  son  of  an  Abolitionist  Mr.  Curtiss  could 
scarcely  now  be  otherwise  than  a  stanch  Republican 
in  his  political  belief.  Although  having  extensive 
interests  to  look  after  he  has  frequently  served  as  a 
delegate  to  the  conventions  of  his  party  and  exer- 
cised no  unimportant  influence  in  its  deliberations. 
In  religious  matters  he  coincides  with  the  doctrines 
of  the  Congregational  Church. 


ILLIAM  WOODFORD  BROWN,  late  cash- 
ier of  the  Waverly  Hank,  and  widely  and 
favorably  known  to  the  people  of  this 
county,  met  his  death  in  a  very  unexpected  manner 
at  the  Pacific  Hotel  in  Jacksonville,  on  the  14th  of 
May,  1889,  by  an  overdose  of  morphine  taken  by 
mistake  for  quinine.  lie  was  a  man  generally  re- 
spected in  his  community,  where  both  his  business 
and  social  relations  had  been  of  the  plcasantest 
character,  and  his  sudden  taking  off  was  not  only  a 
source  of  deep  grief  to  his  family  and  friends,  but 
was  generally  regretted  by  the  community.  The 
main  points  of  the  testimony  taken  before  the  Cor- 
onor's  Jury,  conclusively  proved  that  the  drug  was 
taken  entirely  by  mistake,  and  whatever  fault  there 
was  connected  with  the  matter,  lay  with  the  person 
who  prepared  the  capsules,  and  which  were  given 
to  Mr.  Brown  as  quinine.  This  he  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  taking  quite  freely,  and  it  was  known  that 
he  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  use  of  morphine  in 
any  shape.  A  post  mortem  examination  showed 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


him  to  be  singularly  free  from  disease,  and  he  was 
thus  cut  down  in  his  prime,  at  a  time,  when  but 
for  this  sad  accident,  it  would  naturally  appear  that 
he  might  have  been  granted  many  years  of  life  and 
happiness. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Waverly,  this  county, 
March  '20,  1839,  and  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Isaac  II., 
and  Mary  (Woodford)  Brown,  (further  mention  of 
whom  will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  Dr.  Albert  C. 
Brown,  on  another  page  in  this  ALUUM.)  The  early 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  mostly  in  school,  at  the 
home  of  his  parents.  After  leaving  the  schools  of 
Waverly,  he  entered  Illinois  College  in  Jackson- 
ville, and  after  completing  his  studies,  embarked  in 
the  drug  business  in  Waverly.  which  he  prosecuted 
in  company  with  a  partner,  until  1872. 

Mr.  Brown  in  the  meantime  had  displayed  more 
than  ordinary  business  abilities,  and,  becoming 
quite  prominent  in  local  affairs,  was  employed  as 
Deputy  Circuit  Clerk  under  Joseph  W.  Caldwell, 
which  position  he  held  four  years.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  this  time  he  entered  upon  his  duties  as  cash- 
ier of  the  bank  at  Waverly,  in  which  he  was  a 
stock-holder,  and  whose  success  was  largely  due  to 
his  excellent  methods  of  transacting  business,  and 
his  courteous  treatment  of  the  patrons  of  the  insti- 
tution. It  is  safe  to  sa.y  that  his  business  interests 
were  probably  more  extensive  than  those  of  any 
one  man  in  Waverly.  He  left  a  valuable  estate, 
consisting  of  bank  stock,  houses  and  lots  in  the 
town,  and  an  interest  in  a  farm  in  Macoupin  County. 
He  also  carried  a  life  insurance  to  the  amount  of 
$23,000.  Politically,  lie  was  a  decided  Republican, 
and  held  the  various  local  offices  of  his  township. 
He  was  once  a  candidate  for  Sheriff  of  Morgan 
County,  running  far  ahead  of  his  ticket,  and  com- 
ing within  nine  votes  of  being  elected.  During  the 
progress  of  the  Civil  War,  he  was  one  of  the  first 
to  enlist  with  the  three-months'  men,  and  was  only 
prevented  from  entering  the  regular  army  by  phy- 
sical disability.  lie  was  for  twenty-eight  years  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  officiated  as 
Master  of  the  Waverly  Lodge  No.  118.  A  steady, 
thorough  going  business  man,  a  genial,  honorable 
gentleman,  and  an  upright,  substantial  citizen,  in  his 
decease  the  county  lost  one  of  its  most  valued  men. 

Mr.  Brown   was   first   married    to    Miss  Laura, 


daughter  of  A.  A.  Curtiss,  who  departed  this  life 
at  their  home,  in  Jan.  20,  1870,  leaving  one  child. 
His  second  wife  was  Miss  Mary  Hobson,  who  sur- 
vives him,  and  who  is  the  mother  of  two  children, 
Cornelia  and  Edward  T.  No  one  was  more  deeply 
attached  to  his  family  than  Mr.  Brown.  He  was 
prosperous  in  his  business  relations,  beloved  by 
many  friends,  and  apparently  was  surrounded  by 
everything  to  make  life  pleasant  and  desirable. 
The  funeral  was  conducted  by  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of 
which  he  was  an  honored  member,  and  the  impres- 
sive ceremonies  were  attended  by  a  large  concourse 
of  people.  The  last  hours  of  Mr,  Brown  had  been 
spent  in  pleasant  conversation  with  a  friend,  and 
he  had  retired  in  his  usual  good  health  and  spirits. 
When  he  did  not  make  his  usual  appearance  in  the 
morning,  and  could  not  be  aroused  from  without, 
his  room  -vas  entered,  and  he  was  found  in  a  state 
of  coma  from  which  it  was  impossible  to  awaken 
him,  although  he  was  breathing  as  his  friends  en- 
tered the  room.  Physicians  were  summoned,  and 
everything  possible  was  done  to  counteract  the 
effects  of  the  fatal  drug,  but  in  vain,  and  he  breathed 
his  last  at  10:30  A.  M. 


ICHAEL  BODDV.  The  attention  of  the 
the  traveler  passing  the  homestead  of  this 
gentleman  is  invariably  attracted  by  the 
air  of  thrift  and  prosperity  around  it,  and 
the  evidences  of  cultivated  tastes  and  ample  means. 
Similarly,  the  attention  of  the  reader  is  attracted 
to  the  fine  engraving  of  his  home,  with  its  air  of 
refinement  and  cultivated  surroundings.  The 
dwelling  is  set  in  the  midst  of  evergreens  and 
a  tasteful  shrubbery;  there  is  a  fine  vineyard  ad- 
jacent to  the  farm  buildings,  an  apple  orchard  in 
good  bearing  condition,  producing  choice  fruit,  and 
other  evidences  of  the  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive agriculturist.  General  farming  is  carried  on  in 
this  place,  and  Mr.  Boddy  is  also  quite  extensively 
engaged  in  stock-raising.  The  property  is  pleas- 
antly located  on  section  18,  township  15,  range  11, 
and  came  into  the  possession  of  the  present  pro- 
proprietor  in  March,  1868. 

A  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  our  subject  was 


r 


4*= 

,  ,     200 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


born  Feb.  20,  1829,  in  Thornton  Parish,  which 
was  also  the  birthplace  of  his  parents,  Robert  and 
Susannah  (Hewbank)  Boddy,  both  of  excellent  Eng- 
lish stock.  The  Boddy  family  has  been  repre- 
sented in  that  shire  for  several  hundred  .years,  and, 
with  few  exceptions,  consisted  of  people  honest 
and  well-to-do.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  employed  as  keeper  of 
a  rabbit  farm  comprising  1,000  acres  of  land, 
where  were  bred  annually  thousands  of  these  ani- 
mals. He  naturally  became  familiar  with  their 
habits,  and  was  an  expert  in  this  line  of  business. 
lie  was  taken  away  in  the  prime  of  life,  however, 
when  only  forty-five  years  old.  The  wife  and 
mother  survived  her  husband  many  long  years, 
coming  to  America  with  her  children,  and  dying 
in  this  county  when  past  the  age  of  ninety  years. 
She  came  of  a  long-lived  race,  some  of  her  an- 
cestry attaining  the  age  of  over  one  hundred  years. 
They  were  mostly  Wesleyan  Methodist  in  re- 
ligion, and  stanch  adherents  of  the  principles  of 
the  founder  of  Methodism. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  after  the 
death  of  his  father,  being  the  youngest  of  the 
three  children  comprising  his  mother's  family.  At 
the  death  of  her  husband  the  mother  was  left 
in  straightened  circumstances,  and  Michael,  as 
soon  as  old  enough,  was  required  to  assist  in 
'the  maintenance  of  the  family.  His  advantages 
for  education  were  very  limited,  but  he  was  a 
thoughtful  bo.y  and  embraced  every  opportunity  to 
acquire  useful  information,  so  that,  by  the  reading 
of  good  books  and  studying  as  he  had  oppor- 
tunity, he  became  quite  well  informed.  He  re- 
mained a  resident  of  his  native  count}-  until  after 
reaching  his  majority;  then,  in  1851,  emigrated  to 
America,  settling  at  once  in  this  county.  Four 
years  later  he  returned  to  England  with  the  in- 
tention of  enlisting  as  one  of  a  staff  corps  during 
the  Crimean  AVar.  Upon  landing  at  Sebastopol  an 
armistice  had  been  declared,  and  young  Boddy 
accordingly  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Yorkshire. 
He  then  opened  a  store  of  general  merchandise, 
which  he  conducted  four  years,  and  in  the  mean- 
time was  married  to  Miss  Ann  Harrison. 

Some  time  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Boddy,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife,  ouce   more  sought   the   shores 


of  America,  and,  coining  to  this  county  the  sec- 
ond time,  located  on  a  tract  of  land  in  township 
15,  range  1 1,  where  he  confined  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  was  greatly  prospered  in 
his  labors  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  building  up  a  com- 
fortable homestead  and  accumulating  something 
for  his  old  age.  In  his  labors  and  struggles  he 
had  the  full  sympathy  and  assistance  of  his  estim- 
able wife,  who  remained  his  faithful  helpmate  and 
companion  until  her  decease.  Sept.  20,  1882.  She 
was  born  Jan.  22,  1834,  and  her  history  was  simi- 
lar to  that  of  her  husband  in  two  respects.  Both 
were  natives  of  the  same  county  in  England,  and 
both  were  reared  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Church.  Industrious  and  devoted  to 
her  family,  she  was  not  only  deeply  mourned  by 
her  immediate  friends,  but  regretted  by  all  who 
knew  her. 

Of  his  first  marriage  there  were  born  to  our  sub- 
ject a  family  of  nine  children,  only  -two  of  whom 
are  living — Ann  and  John — who  remain  at  home 
with  their  father.  The  only  one  married  was  a 
daughter,  Sarah,  who  became  the  wife  of  J.  N. 
Harvey,  and  is  now  deceased.  Mr.  Boddy  con- 
tracted a  second  marriage,  in  1882,  with  Mrs. 
Mary  (Parr)  Harvey,  a  native  of  Leicestershire, 
England.  Her  father,  William  Parr,  was  nearly 
all  his  life  in  the  employ  of  the  Government  at 
Belvior  Castle,  where  he  died,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
eight  years.  Her  mother  had  been  in  youth  Sarah 
Norton,  of  Lincolnshire.  She  lived  to  be  eighty- 
one  years  old,  and  spent  her  declining  years  in 
the  place  of  her  birth.  Both  the  father  and  mother 
were  members  of  the  Church  of  England.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Boddy  was  the  youngest.  Two  died  in  England, 
and  live  came  to  America. 

Miss  Mary  Parr  was  first  married,  in  Wisconsin, 
to  John  Harvey,  who  died  in  Illinois,  March  3, 
1878.  Of  this  marriage  there  were  seven  children. 
Mrs.  Boddy  received  a  common-school  education, 
and  lived  with  her  parents  until  her  marriage. 
Our  subject,  upon  becoming  a  voting  citizen,  allied 
himself  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  has  held 
nearly  all  the  offices  of  his  township,  in  which  he 
has  been  a  prominent  man  for  many  years.  His 
well-regulated  homestead  stands  as  a  monument  of 


t 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


201 


his  industry  and  perseverance,  and,  in  thus  redeem- 
ing a  goodly  tract  of  uncultivated  land  from  its 
original  condition,  he  has  contributed  his  full 
quota  toward  the  development  of  his  adopted 
county. 


t 


H.  JEWSBUIIY.  Few  of  the  prominent, 
prosperous  residents  of  Morgan  County  are 
"sons  of  the  soil."  The  majority  have  been 
attracted  hither  by  the  fame  of  the  broad 
prairies,  and  the  pleasing  aspect  of  the  country, 
rich  in  prospects  of  future  wealth.  Some,  how- 
ever, have  spent  their  entire  life  in  the  land  of  their 
birth,  and  amid  adverse  surroundings,  have  arisen 
to  affluence.  Such  is  the  character,  and  such  repre- 
sents the  career  of  J.  II.  Jewsbury,  a  successful 
farmer  of  twenty  years  experience.  In  this  vol- 
ume appears  a  view  of  his  home,  which  is  situated 
on  a  farm  of  280  acres  highly  improved,  and  sup- 
plied with  good  buildings.  Since  1865  most  of  his 
time  has  been  passed  on  this  farm. 

He  was  born  four  miles  northeast  of  Jackson- 
ville, and  is  therefore  a  native  of  Morgan  County, 
his  birth  occurring  Oct.  2.  1840.  He  is  the  young- 
est son  of  Richard  and  Mary  A.  (Smith)  Jewsbury, 
natives  of  Derbyshire,  England.  Richard  Jews- 
bury  was  reared  as  a  hardware  salesman,  while  in 
England.  He  received  an  unusually  good  educa- 
tion in  his  mother  country,  and  while  yet  a  young 
man.  was  considered  very  talented.  lie  married 
his  wife  in  the  county  of  his  birth,  and  she,  like  him- 
self, was  possessed  of  a  very  good  education.  They 
lived  in  the  town  of  Measam,  near  Atherton,  and 
there  three  of  their  children  were  born:  Richard  S., 
now  a  resident  of  this  county;  John  C.,  who  lives 
on  a  farm  in  Bourbon  County,  Kan.,  and  Thomas  N., 
who  became  a  saddler  and  harness-maker,  in  Jack- 
sonville. III.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1836,  that  the 
parents,  with  their  three  little  children,  sailed  for 
America,  and  after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks,  they 
landed  in  Xew  York  City,  and  later  proceeded  to 
Toledo,  Ohio.  The  wife  and  children  remained  in 
that  city,  while  Mr.  Jewsbury  came  on  horseback 
to  Morgan  Country.  There  he  purchased  what  was 
known  as  the  Porter  Clay  farm,  being  named  for  a 
brother  of  the  great  orator  and  Statesman,  Henry 


Clay.  This  farm  was  mostly  improved  and  well- 
stocked.  He  later  returned  to  Toledo,  and  brought 
his  wife  and  childien  in  a  one-horse  wagon  to  Mor- 
gan County,  shipping  his  household  goods  by  rail 
and  lake.  When  he  came  here  he  expected  to  find 
a  new  and  undeveloped  country,  and  preparing 
himself  for  any  emergency,  brought  along  a  large 
supply,  not  only  of  the  necessities,  but  also  of  the 
comforts  of  life,  including  a  fine  library  of  300 
volumes,  which  was,  no  doubt,  the  largest  then  to 
be  found  in  this  part  of  the  State.  After  some  years 
Richard  Jewsbury  sold  his  farm  in  this  county,  and 
located  for  about  three  years  in  Cass  County,  111. 
In  1846,  during  the  period  of  their  residence  in 
that  county,  Mrs.  Jewsbury  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-three  years.  She  was  a  consistent  and  earnest 
member  of  the  English  Church,  and  universally  be- 
loved. 

In  1849,  Mr.  Jewsbury  with  his  second  son,  John 
C.,  set  out  for  California.  His  camping  outfit  was 
complete,  and  his  mode  of  transportation  was  with 
wagons,  drawn  by  ox-teams.  He  left  Cass  County 
in  March,  and  crossed  the  Missouri  River  at  St.  Jo- 
seph, and  westward  over  the  trail  then  used  by 
those  seeking  the  gold  fields.  They  reached  the 
American  Eldorado,  in  August,  after  a  trip  devoid 
of  any  startling  incident.  For  some  two  years 
they  mined  with  but  little  success,  then  bought  a 
place  near  the  coast,  and  engaged  as  farmers  for 
three  years,  with  but  little  better  success  than  they 
had  experienced  in  mining.  Becoming  tired  of 
California,  in  the  spring  of  1854,  they  started  home 
by  the  Isthmus  route,  taking  passage  on  the  same 
vessel  that  carried  Gen.  John  C.  Fremont,  on  his 
first  trip  from  Panama  to  New  York.  After  Mr. 
Jewsbury  landed  in  New  York  City,  he  proceeded  to 
Morgan  County,  and  from  that  time  lived  with  his 
children.  His  death  occurred  at  the  home  of  one 
of  his  sons,  near  Jersey  villo,  Jersey  County,  111.,  in 
February,  1880,  when  within  two  months  of  bcini; 
eighty  years  of  age.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  and  politically,  a  Democrat. 

J.  IT.  Jewsbury  was  well  educated  by  his  parents 
in  the  public  schools  of  Morgan  Count}-.  He  lived 
at  home  with  his  father  for  three  years  after  the 
deatli  of  his  mother,  and  since  that  time,  has  earned 
his  own  living.  He  was  married  near  Waverly,  111., 


202 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


to  Miss  Lucinda  E.  Adams,  who  was  born  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  Morgan  County,  on  April  2, 
1846.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Phelps  and  Matilda  A. 
(Jones)  Adams,  natives  of  North  Carolina  and  Ken- 
tucky, respectively.  Mr.  Adams  was  born  in  1815, 
and  came  to  Morgan  County  with  his  father,  John 
Adams,  in  1832,  they  becoming  necessarily  early 
settlers.  They  located  land  in  the  southwestern  part 
of  the  county,  where  John  Adams  died,  aged  about 
fifty  years.  Matilda  A.  Adams  nee  Jones,  came 
North  with  her  father,  Thomas  Jones,  to  Morgan 
County,  in  1825,  and  here  lie  died,  aged  seventy- 
two  years.  Her  mother  also  died  here  when  she  was 
more  than  seventy  years  of  age. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  Mrs.  Jewsbury  being  second.  After  the 
children  were  born,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  removed 
to  Sangamon  County,  111.,  settling  near  Waverly. 
Mr.  Adams  died  suddenly  of  heart  disease,  while  on 
a  visit  to  Jacksonville,  in  July,  1883.  He  was  a 
good  citizen,  and  trained  in  the  Democratic  party. 
His  wife,  who  survives  him  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven,  lives  with  her  children,  and  is  in  good  health. 

Mrs.  Lucincla  E.  Jewsbury  was  carefully  reared 
to  all  kinds  of  domestic  work,  and  was  well  edu- 
cated. She  is  the  mother  of  four  children,  one  of 
whom,  Joseph,  died  when  he  was  seven  years  of 
age.  The  living  are:  Albert  W.,  Frederick  H., 
and  Wilmuth  P.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewsbury  attend 
the  Christian  Church,  at  Chapin.  Politically,  Mr. 
Jewsbury  is  an  ardent  Democrat.  He  is  one  of  the 
very  best  citizens  of  Morgan  County,  and  has  at- 
tained his  eminence  as  a  business  man  and  a  neigh- 
bor, by  strict  attention  to  his  own  affairs,  and  fair 
dealings  with  all  men. 


ILLIAM  A.  BERRYMAN,  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial fanners  of  Morgan  County,  was 
born  in  Barren  County,  Ky.,  Dec.  16, 
1828.  His  career  is  a  splendid  object-lesson  to  il- 
lustrate the  possibilities  of  a  man  who  possesses 
energy,  to  become  the  owner  of  his  own  vine  and 
fig  tree.  His  father,  William  Berryman,  was  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina,  and  was  born  in  1794.  He 
lived  in  that  State  until  he  attained  his  majority, 


when  he  removed  to  Washington  County,  Ky.  At 
the  age  of  twenty -five  he  married  Mary  Landers, 
of  that  count}'.  Her  people  came  from  Virginia, 
but  were  among  the  earlier  settlers  of  Kentucky. 
After  their  marriage  they  removed  to  Barren 
County,  Ky.,  and  lived  there  until  the  death  of  the 
senior  Berrpnan,  which  occurred  in  1860.  Mrs. 
Berryman,  the  mother  of  the  one  of  whom  this 
sketch  is  written,  died  in  1873.  In  this  family 
were  twelve  children,  four  of  whom  are  living. 
John  M.,  married  Zurilda  Scott,  of  Barren  County, 
Ky.;  Susan  married  Zachariah  Buckingham,  of 
Tennessee;  Sarah  married  William  Jones,  of  Bar- 
ren County,  Ky.;  Benjamin  married  a  lady  in  Iowa; 
they  now  live  in  Texas,  and  have  seven  children. 
Green  married  a  Miss  Queen,  of  Iowa.  He  was  a 
volunteer  in  the  late  war,  and  died  in  Arkansas  in 
1862. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  married  Mrs.  Nail,  of 
Morgan  Count}'.  Her  people  came  from  Muhlen- 
berg  County,  Ky.,  and  were  among  the  first  settlers 
there.  In  company  with  two  sisters  and  their  hus- 
bands, she  came  to  Macoupin  County,  this  State, 
in  1834.  She  is  of  German  ancestry  as  was  her 
husband.  Six  children  have  been  born  to  this 
couple,  three  of  whom  are  living,  whose  records 
are  appended  :  Lev!  married  Isaac  Hill's  daughter, 
of  Morgan  County,  and  is  following  agricultural 
pursuits.  They  have  one  child,  Goldie.  Isabella, 
married  John  Heddick,  of  Macoupin  County;  they 
have  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,- — Ada 
and  Osay.  Henry  A.  married  Clara  Dugger;  he  is 
a  farmer. 

The  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  mother  by  her  first  husband  of  the  following 
family,  and  whose  record  is  as  follows:  Franklin 
married  Martha  Evans,  of  Morgan  County,  and  is 
now  living  in  Clay  Count}-,  Neb.  They  have  nine 
children:  Eva,  Hannah,  Serva,  Anna,  Amy,  Will- 
iam, Frank,  Mamie,  and  Minnie.  Franklin  was  a 
volunteer  in  the  late  war  in  the  32<l  Illinois  Infan- 
try, serving  in  Company  II,  commanded  by  ('apt. 
Ross.  He  served  nine  months  when  lie  became 
blind  while  in  the  line  of  duty,  and  is  now  the  re- 
cipient of  a  pension  from  a  grateful  country, 
amounting  to  $72  a  month.  Susan  married  Iladen 
Berryman,  brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  '  | 


r 


: 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


=4 

205    <  . 


He  is  dead  but  the  widow  is  now  living  in  Morgan 
County  with  her  seven  children:  Belle,  William, 
Carlin,  Frank,  George,  Julia  and  Lizzie.  Felitha. 
deceased,  married  Felix  Berryinan,  also  a  brother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  they  had  four  child- 
ren: Benjamin.  Oscar,  Mary  and  Charles.  Nancy, 
deceased,  married  Eli  Austin,  of  Morgan  County; 
three  children  were  born  to  this  couple:  Eli,  Mary 
and  Bert.  Malinda,  deceased,  married  John  Scott, 
of  Barren  County,  Ky.;  they  had  four  children: 
Dora,  Ailsie,  William  and  Hannah.  Hannah,  de- 
ceased, married  John  Crisswell;  two  children  were 
in  this  family,  Edgar  and  Clara.  Eliza  died  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  while  Elizabeth  and  Russell  died 
in  infancy. 

William  Berryman,  whose  name  appears  at  the 
head  of  this  sketch,  commenced  an  active  life  poor, 
working  on  a  farm  at  monthly  wages.  He  slowly 
ascended  the  ladder  of  success  until  now  he  owns 
a  farm  of  320  acres,  and  has  also  aided  his  children 
to  a  start  in  life.  He  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  his  early  industry  and  intelligence.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
and  politically,  he  votes  the  Democrat  ticket. 


-5- 


f 


ON.  ISAAC  L.  MORRISON.  This  book 
contains  portraits  of  many  illustrious  men, 
whose  names  arc  indelibly  impressed  upon 
the  history  of  Morgan  County.  Among 
these  valuable  engravings,  certainly  an  important 
place  belongs  to  that  of  the  Hon.  Isaac  L.  Morrison, 
Attorney  and  Counselor  at  Law.  He  took  up  his 
residence  in  the  city  of  Jacksonville  (then  an  un- 
important village),  in  1851,  almost  forty  years  ago. 
lie  was  born  Jan.  20,  1826,  in  Barren  County,  Ky., 
and  is  the  son  of  John  ().  and  Elizabeth  (Wil bourn) 
Morrison,  who  were  natives,  respectively,  of  Vir- 
ginia and  North  Carolina.  After  their  marriage 
they  settled,  about  1793,  in  Garrett  County,  Ky. 

The  paternal  grand  parents  of  Isaac  L.  Morrison, 
Andrew  and  I'olly  (Burdett)  Morrison,  were  na- 
tives of  the  North  of  Ireland.  Grandfather  Mor- 
rison emigrated  to  America  at  an  early  day  in  time 
to  do  good  service  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War.  lie  fought  for  his  country's  freedom, 


but  his  earthly  warfare  ceased  prior  to  the  termina- 
tion of  the  conflict.  The  patriots  met  with  many 
disastrous  defeats  in  1777,  one  of  the  most  serious 
being  sustained  in  the  battle  of  Brandy  wine.  There 
the  starving  soldiers  were  cruelly  slaughtered,  and 
left  to  die  on  the  battle-field  or  linger  in  pain  for 
days  and  weeks.  Among  the  fatally  injured  in  this 
battle  was  Andrew  Morrison,  who  gave  his  life  for 
the  land  of  his  adoption.  On  the  mother's  side  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  James  A.  Wilbourn, 
a  native  of  North  Carolina,  who  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky in  1800.  There  he  engaged  in  farming  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  life. 

John  O.  Morrison,  the  father  of  our  subject,  de- 
parted this  life  in  Barren  County,  Ky.,  in  1841. 
His  wife,  Elizabeth,  survived  him  a  period  of 
twwity-two  years,  her  death  taking  place  in  Barren 
County,  in  1863.  She  was  the  second  wife  of  Mr. 
Morrison,  who,  by  his  first  marriage  had  become 
the  father  of  six  children.  Of  his  union  with  Eliza- 
beth Wilbourn  there  were  born  seven  children,  of 
whom  Isaac  L.,  our  subject,  was,  with  one  excep- 
tion, the  youngest. 

Young  Morrison  continued  a  resident  of  his  na- 
tive State  until  he  reached  his  majority,  acquiring 
his  education  in  the  Masonic  Seminary  at  LaGrange, 
of  which  he  was  a  student  two  years.  He  subse- 
quently read  law  in  the  same  town,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  practice  in  the  courts  of  Kentucky,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1849.  Two  years  later,  however,  he  came 
to  Illinois,  locating  in  Jacksonville,  and  was  one  of 
its  pioneer  attorneys.  He  formed  a  partnership, 
in  1861,  with  Cyrus  Epler  (now  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court),  which  continued  until  1869.  The  firm  then 
became  Morrison,  Whitlock  &  Gallagher,  and  was 
in  operation  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Gallagher,  in 
1871.  Since  that  time  the  firm  has  maintained  an 
enviable  reputation  as  Morrison  &  Whitlock. 

The  energy  and  intelligence  of  the  young  attor- 
ney were  given  readj*  recognition  by  the  people  of 
Morgan  County,  and  it  soon  became  evident  that 
Mr.  Morrison  was  destined  for  a  prominent  posi- 
tion among  !iis  fellow-men.  He  was  elected  on  the 
Republican  ticket  to  the  House  of  Representatives, 
in  1876,  and  served  three  terms  thereafter,  closing 
his  services  in  1883.  He  was  one  of  the  Repub- 
lican delegates  to  the  State  Convention,  which  es- 


1 

t 


I 


206 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


tahlislied  the  platform  of  that  party  in  Illinois. 
Later,  in  1864,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Convention 
which  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  for  President, 
lie  has  for  a  period  of  over  thirty  years  taken  an 
active  interest  in  politics,  and  has  done  most  ex- 
cellent service  in  the  upholding  of  party  principles. 
His  law  practice  has  resulted  in  the  accumulation 
of  a  good  property,  and  he  lives  at  his  ease  in  one 
of  the  finest  homes  in  Jacksonville. 

The  marrj^e  of  Isaac  L.  Morrison  and  Miss 
Anna  R.  Rappeljie,  was  celebrated  July  27,  1853, 
in  Jacksonville.  Mrs.  Morrison  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  and  is  a  lady  of  fine  literary  attain- 
ments, and  rare  social  qualities.  The  union  of 
this  gifted  couple  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  two 
children,  Miriam  W.,  and  Alfred  T.,  both  residents 
of  Jacksonville.  The  family  are  connected  with  the 
Episcopal  Church,  which  they  regularly  attend. 

Mr.  Morrison  has  been  identified  with  the  Jack- 
sonville National  Bank  since  the  time  of  its  organ- 
ization. He  is  general  solicitor  for  the  Jackson- 
ville &  Southeastern  Railroad,  and  rated  as  one  of 
the  ablest  attorneys  of  the  State  of  Illinois.  As  a 
citizen,  he  is  public-spirited  and  liberal,  progressive 
in  his  ideas,  and  highly  esteemed  among  the  people 
who  have  known  him  so  long  and  so  well. 


VT  AMES  H.  SILCOX.  The  career  of  this  gen- 
tleman has  been  one  of  more  than  ordinary 
interest  as  that  of  a  man  who  began  in  life 
at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  with  no  capital, 
except  that  with  which  nature  has  endowed  him,  and 
who  struggled  up  slowly  but  surely  until  he  attained 
a  good  position  among  men  and  accumulated  a 
competence.  He  is  now  retired  from  active  labor 
and  is  spending  his  declining  years  amid  the  com- 
forts of  a  pleasant  home  in  the  village  of  Concord. 
He  is  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  in  township  16, 
range  11,  comprising  385  acres,  which  is  well  im- 
proved, well  watered  and  admirably  adapted  to 
stock-raising.  Of  this  industry  Mr.  Silcox  made  a 
specialty  while  on  the  farm,  and  to  this  it  is  still 
largely  devoted. 

With  the  exception  of  eight  years  spent  in  Cass 
County,  this  State,  Mr.  Silcox  has  been  a  life-long 


resident  of  this  county,  which  owns  him  as  one  of 
its  sons.  He  was  born  in  what  was  then  the  unim- 
portant little  town  of  Jacksonville.  Nov.  26,  1834, 
and  is  the  son  of  Solomon  Silcox,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  East  Tennessee.  The  latter  was 
bred  from  a  boy  to  farm  pursuits,  and  was  married 
in  his  native  county  to  Miss  Jane  Keaton,  who  was 
also  of  Southern  birth  and  parentage.  The  parents 
of  our  subject  continued  to  reside  in  Tennessee 
until  after  the  birth  of  two  children — William  and 
Polly — when  they  resolved  to  emigrate  North,  and 
accordingly  coming  to  this  county,  took  up  their 
residence  in  the  hamlet  of  Jacksonville.  After 
some  years  they  removed  to  Beardstown,  where  the 
father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  He  is  re- 
membered as  a  good  man  in  the  broadest  sense  of 
the  term,  kind  in  his  famity,  generous  and  hospita- 
ble with  his  neighbors,  and  one  who  uniformly 
exerted  a  good  influence  upon  those  around  him. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  survived  her  husband 
many  years  and  spent  her  last  days  in  Whitehall, 
Greene  County,  this  State,  where  her  death  took 
place  upon  the  day  she  was  eighty-two  years  old. 
She  was  a  lady  possessing  all  the  womanly  virtues 
and  in  every  way  a  suitable  companion  of  such  a 
man  as  her  husband.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Christian  Church.  James  H.,  our  subject,  was  the 
fifth  in  a  family  of  eight  children  and  with  his 
younger  sister,  Mrs.  Jane  Black,  is  the  only  one 
now  living.  He  was  reared  to  man's  estate  under 
the  parental  roof  and  when  reaching  his  majority 
started  out  for  himself,  and  has  built  up  his  own 
fortune  without  any  financial  assistance. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
C.  Gish,  was  celebrated  at  the  home  of  the  bride  in 
the  township  where  they  now  live.  Mrs.  Silcox  was 
born  in  Iowa  and  came  to  this  county  with  her 
parents  when  quite  young.  Her  father  was  acci- 
dentally killed  by  being  thrown  against  a  tree 
while  riding  on  horseback  at  a  rapid  rate.  The 
wife  and  mother  is  still  living.  After  the  death  of 
her  first  husband  she  was  married  to  Jacob  Long 
who  also  met  his  death  accidentally,  being  thrown 
over  a  bridge  by  the  upsetting  of  his  buggy  at  an 
embankment.  Mrs.  Long  has  now  attained  to  the 
age  of  threescore  and  ten  years. 

Mrs.  Silcox  was  one  of  the  younger  members  of 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


207 


a  family  of  four  children,  of  whom  there  is  living 
one  besides  herself — her  brother  Frank  who  is  a 
resident  of  Morgan  County.  She  is  a  lady  of 
more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and  great  energy 
of  character.  Of  the  children  born  to  her  and 
her  husband,  three  died  in  early  childhood.  Their 
eldest  son,  Charles,  has  the  chief  management 
of  the  homestead  in  which  he  is  assisted  by  his 
brothers  William  and  Robert  as  partners.  Chester 
looks  after  the  live-stock  interests  of  his  father. 
James  find  Richard  live  with  their  parents  in  Con- 
cord. Jane  is  the  wife  of  John  Erickson  and  re- 
sides on  a  farm  not  far  from  the  homestead.  Lilly 
and  Dolly  are  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Silcox  upon  becoming  a  voting  citizen  ident- 
ified himself  with  the  Republican  party,  and  dur- 
ing the  late  Civil  War  officiated  as  Deputy  Pro- 
vost Marshal. 


J"  ,1/DGE  HERBERT  G.  WH1TLOCK,  Coim- 
|    selor  and  Attorney-at-law,  a  native  of  this 
I    county,  was  born    in  the  city   of  Jackson- 
I    ville,  during  the  time  it  was  an  unimportant 
hamlet,  over  fifty   years  ago,  on  the  24th  of  No- 
vember, 1831.    His  parents,  who  had  come  to  Illi- 
nois during  its  pioneer  days,  were  John  and  Mary 
(Sheppard)  Whitlock.  natives  respectively  of  Vir- 
ginia and   North  Carolina.     The  paternal   grand- 
parents   were    William    and     Rosanna    (Sheldon) 
Whitlock,  natives  of  Virginia  and  Tennessee,  and 
the  grandfather  a  farmer  by  occupation. 

Grandfather  Whitlock  came  to  Morgan  County 
as  early  as  1829,  and  took  up  a  tract  of  Govern- 
ment land  along  its  southern  line.  There  he  car- 
ried on  agriculture  by  the  imperfect  methods  of 
those  days,  built  up  a  comfortable  home  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  the  father  of  a 
large  family  of  children,  nine  in  number,  and  those 
who  were  permitted  to  survive  were  eventually 
numbered  among  the  substantial  citizens  of  that 
region.  John,  the  father  of  our  subject,  came  to 
this  county  the  year  previous  to  the  removal  of 
his  father,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  three 
children.  He  located  on  land  four  miles  from  the 
present  site  of  Jacksonville,  where  he  labored  and 


accumulated  a  good  property.  Here  five  more 
children  were  added  to  the  household  circle,  all  of 
whom  lived  to  mature  years,  and  seven  still  sur- 
vive. These  are  Rosanna,  Mrs.  Hairgrove,  of  Jack- 
sonville: Serena,  Mrs.  Taylor,  of  Washington; 
Minerva,  Mrs.  Hairgrove,  of  Waverly,  this  county; 
Eveline  S.,  Mrs.  Vermillion,  of  Frankfort,  Mo.; 
Mary  E.,  Mrs.  Nichols,  of  Howard,  Kan.;  and 
Delia,  Mrs.  Harper,  of  this  county.  The  maternal 
grandparents  of  our  subject  were  Lewis  and  Alice 
(Johnson)  Sheppard,  natives  respectively  of  Vir- 
ginia and  England.  Grandmother  Sheppard  emi- 
grated to  America  with  her  parents  when  a  young 
girl  twelve  years  old.  Grandfather  Sheppard  was 
a  well-educated  man  and  taught  school  during  his 
younger  years.  He  came  from  Kentucky  to  this 
county  in  1829,  settling  on  a  tract  of  land  which 
he  cultivated,  and  all  through  life  followed  his  pro- 
fession of  teacher  in  addition.  He  also  settled  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  county,  and  this  family 
also  included  nine  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to 
manhood  and  womanhood.  Grandfather  Sheppard 
served  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  was  at  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans.  He  spent  his  last  years  at  the  old 
homestead  in  this  county.  Both  the  Whitlock  and 
Sheppard  families  trace  their  ancestors  to  England. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  spent  his  younger 
years  with  his  parents  on  the  farm,  until  reaching 
his  majority.  As  a  boy  at  school  he  had  been 
studious  and  fond  of  his  books,  and  now  resolved 
to  become  further  advanced  in  practical  knowledge. 
Entering  Jacksonville  Berean  College,  he  con- 
tinued as  a  student  there  until  July,  1859,  then 
commenced  teaching  and  reading  law.  He  pur- 
sued the  latter  in  the  office  and  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  lion.  I.  L.  Morrison,  whose  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1866.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  employed 
in  the  Quartermaster's  department  in  the  army,  at 
Cairo,  111.,  and  in  1862  became  a  member  of  the 
staff  of  Gen.  Logan,  and  was  employed  in  the  du- 
ties attendant  thereon  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Mr.  Whillock  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  the  city  of  Jacksonville,  operating 
for  a  time  alone,  but  subsequently  formed  a  part- 
nership with  William  Gallaher  which  continued 
two  years.  In  February,  1869,  the  firm  was  changed 


208 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


to  Morrison,  Whitlock  &  Gallaher,  and  continued 
thus  until  the  death  of  Mr.  G.,  in  1  871.  Since  that 
time  it  has  been  Morrison  &  Whitlock.  It  is  well 
known  throughout  this  part  of  Illinois,  as  both 
members  are  men  of  strong  intellect,  extensive 
readers  and  thoroughly  well  informed. 

Our  subject  was  elected  to  the  County  Judgeship 
in  1865,  holding  the  position  a  period  of  four  years, 
and  was  Trustee  of  the  asylum  for  the  insane 
from  1872  to  1876.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  in  his  city  four  years.  He  is  a  man 
warmly  interested  in  education,  and  nil  enterprises 
tending  to  elevate  the  people  and  advance  their 
welfare.  There  has  presided  over  his  home  for 
the  last  twenty  years,  one  of  the  most  estimable 
ladies  of  Morgan  County,  who  in  her  girlhood  was 
Miss  Fanny  M.  Woods,  and  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried Oct.  19,  1869.  Mrs.  Whitlock  was  born  Feb. 
6,  1848,  in  Carlinville,  Macoupin  County,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  Dr.  Levi  and  Martha  (McClure) 
Woods,  who  were  born  respectively  in  Franklin, 
this  county,  and  Lebanon,  Tenn.  They  are  now 
both  dead.  Mr.  Whitlock.  politically,  votes  hide 
pendently,  aiming  to  support  the  men  whom  he 
considers  best  worthy  tc  serve  the  interests  of  the 
people.  His  pleasant  and  attractive  home  is  located 
on  East  State  street,  and  is  the  frequent  resort  of 
the  many  friends  of  himself  and  his  excellent  lady. 
He  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  good  property  and  all 
the  comforts  of  life. 


1EORGEW.  BURNETT.  The  sons  of  the 
pioneers  of  Morgan  County  have  reason  to 
be  proud  of  their  position  as  such,  especially 
when  they  have  improved  the  talents  bestowed 
upon  them,  and  have  preserved  the  self-respect, 
which,  whatever  may  be  a  man's  fortunes  in  life, 
will  in  time  almost  invariably  gain  him  a  worthy 
position  among  his  fellow-men.  The  career  of  Mr. 
Burnett  has  been  uniformly  prosperous,  he  having 
been  spared  many  of  the  trials  and  adversities 
which  are  allotted  to  some,  but  he  has  pursued  the 
modest  and  unassuming  course  which  has  gained 
him  many  friends  who  would  stand  by  him,  even 
should  misfortune  overtake  him.  He  is  numbered 


among  the  substantial  farmers  of  this  county,  and 
has  a  fine  estate  on  section  27,  township  14,  range  8. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  the  township  where  he 
now  resides  April  3,  1831,  and  is  the  son  of  Isham 
and  Lucinda  (Van  Winkle)  Burnett,  who  are  widely 
and  favorably  known  throughout  this  section  as 
forming  a  part  of  its  pioneer  element.  He  was 
reared  to  farming  pursuits  and  given  such  educa- 
tion as  was  afforded  in  the  log  cabin  school-house 
of  that  day,  during  a  few  months  in  the  year.  He 
resided  with  his  parents  until  a  man  of  twentj-- 
seven  years,  but  in  the  meantime,  had  secured  a 
part  of  the  land  comprising  his  present  farm,  and 
had  been  engaged  in  its  cultivation. 

At  an  early  day  several  families  from  the  East 
settled  near  the  present  homestead  of  Mr.  Burnett, 
and  established  a  store,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  grist 
and  saw  mill,  a  very  good  school,  and  a  church. 
The  dwelling  now  occupied  by  our  subject,  was 
erected  by  Franklin  Miner,  a  member  of  the  colony. 
Mr.  Miner  met  his  deatli  accidentally  at  the  mill, 
and  subsequently  the  remaining  members  of  the 
colony  removed  to  other  parts  of  the  county.  On 
the  6th  of  May,  18.58,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Burnett  with  Miss  Mary  J.  McCormack,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
•John  and  Jane  McCormack.  The  newly  wedded 
pair  settled  upon  the  present  farm  of  our  subject, 
which  then  comprised  eighty  acres  of  land  given 
him  by  his  father,  and  to  which  he  added  from  time 
to  time  until  he  became  the  owner  of  1,300  acres. 
He  has  given  four  of  his  sons  each  a  farm  ranging 
from  1 60  to  240  acres,  all  improved,  and  he  has  still 
over  400  acres  left.  In  addition  to  general  agri- 
culture, lie  has  engaged  largely  as  a  live-stock 
dealer,  with  very  profitable  results. 

Seven  of  the  eight  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Burnett,  are  still  living,  one  daughter  having  died 
at  the  age  of  seven  years.  These  are  named  re- 
spectively, Marshall,  Everett,  Oscar,  Fred,  John, 
Emma,  and  Lucinda.  The  privsite  business  of  Mr. 
Burnett  has  occupied  about  all  his  time,  and  he  has 
never  desired  office;  he  has  mingled  with  political 
matters  very  little,  although  keeping  himself  well 
posted  upon  events  of  general  interest,  and  giving 
his  support  to  the  Republican  party.  Mrs.  Burnett 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


209 


nl though  in  belief  a  Presbyterian,  having  joined  the 
Connor  on  account  of  there  being  no  Presbyterian 
Church  in  this  vicinity. 

John  McCormack,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Burnett;, 
was  born  in  Nicholas  County,  Ky.,  in  1801,  and  was 
the  son  of  James  and  Elizibeth  McCormack,  na- 
tives of  Gettysburg,  Pa.  The  family  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry,  and  was  represented  in  Pennsyl- 
vania at  a  vei'3'  early  day.  James  McCormack  was 
a  gunsmith  by  trade,  and  was  married  in  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Elizabeth  Gregory.  Later  he  removed  to 
Kentucky  during  the  pioneer  days  of  Nicholas 
County,  where  he  became  the  father  of  a  large 
family,  and  spent  his  last  days. 

In  Nicholas  County,  Ky.,  John  McCormack  grew 
to  manhood  and  was  married.  He  lived  there  until 
1834,  then  coming  to  this  county,  entered  a  tract 
of  land  near  which  the  village  of  Franklin  after- 
ward grew  up.  He  only  lived,  however,  a  few  years 
thereafter,  departing  hence  in  1838.  The  six  chil- 
dren born  of  this  union,  are  recorded  as  follows: 
James  R.  died  in  this  county;  Elizabeth  married 
John  Newport;  Catherine  became  the  wife  of  G. 
Atchinson;  Nancy  married  M.  Sanders;  Mary,  Mrs. 
Everett,  was  the  youngest  daughter;  John  A.  was 
killed  in  a  collision  on  a  railroad,  while  serving  as 
a  soldier  in  the  late  Civil  War.  Mrs.  McCormack 
survived  her  husband  for  a  period  of  twenty-five 
years,  devoting  her  life  to  her  children,  and  had  the 
happiness  to  see  them  grow  to  a  happy  manhood 
and  womanhood.  Both  she  and  her  husband  were 
Presbyterians,  and  among  the  first  members  of  Pis- 
gab  Church. 


j 


NDUEW  A.  DYER.  Probably  no  coun- 
ties in  Illinois  have  been  more  thoroughly 
settled  up  by  intelligent  and  enterprising 
men  than  those  with  which  we  have  to  do 
in  this  volume,  and  Mr.  Dyer  is  in  no  wise  behind 
his  neighbors  as  a  thorough  and  progressive  farmer. 
Ilocame  to  his  present  place  in  1881  and  has  eighty 
acres  of  thoroughly  cultivated  land  on  section  1, 
township  lit,  range  1 1.  Besides  this,  lie  owns  sixty 
acres  more  on  the  same  section,  which  is  partially 
improved  with  some  excellent  pasture. 

Prior  to  his  removal,    to  this    place,    Mr.  Dyer 


owned  a  farm  on  township  15,  range  12,  where  he 
lived  four  years.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
county  since  1874,  and  made  his  home  for  a  time 
with  his  uncle.  He  was  born  in  Jonesboro,  Tenn., 
July  7,  1850,  and  is  the  son  of  John  Dyer,  who  at 
the  time  of  the  birth  of  our  subject  was  Sheriff 
of  the  County.  He  was  also  born  in  East  Tenn- 
essee, and  mainly  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
The  mother  in  her  girlhood  was  Miss  Paulina 
Whitlock,  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  born  near 
Jonesboro.  The  parents  were  married  in  that 
State  and  the  father  lived  upon  and  conducted  a 
farm  until  1853,  when  they  removed  to  Illinois 
and  lived  in  Scott  County  and  other  places  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  for  many  years.  The 
mother  died  in  Scott  County  in  1859,  when  about 
forty  years  of  age,  from  cancer.  She  was  a  good 
woman  and  an  active  member  of  the  Missionary 
Baptist  Church. 

The  children  of  the  parental  family  comprised  four 
sons  and  two  daughters.  One  son,  William,  during 
the  Civil  War  enlisted  in  Company  C,  in  an  111.  In- 
fantry regiment  and  met  death  on  the  battle  field 
of  Shiloh.  lie  was  at  the  time  acting  as  Lieutenant. 
The  eldest,  James,  is  employed  as  a  book-keeper  in 
Pittsburgh,  Cherokee  Co.,  Kan.  He  served  in  the 
Union  army  three  years,  and  was  once  slightly 
wounded.  John  is  Deputy  Circuit  Clerk,  and  makes 
his  home  in  Winchester,  Scott  County.  He  served 
in  the  army  ninety  days.  Rebecca,  the  only  sister 
living  of  our  subject,  is  the  wife  of  William  White, 
who  was  shot  by  the  hot-heads  of  Missouri  during 
the  war.  Mrs.  White  is  yet  living,  making  her  home 
in  Canton,  where  she  is  carrying  on  a  good  busi- 
ness for  herself. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  a  lad  when  his 
parents  came  to  Illinois.  A  few  years  later  his 
father  removed  to  Pleasant  View,  Cherokee  Co., 
Kan.,  where  he  died  when  about  fifty-five  years  old. 
lie  was  a  Whig  during  his  early  life  but  later  be- 
came identified  with  the  Democratic  part}7.  Our 
subject  has  been  familiar  with  farm  life  from  boy- 
hood and  naturally  chose  this  as  a  vocation.  When 
ready  to  establish  a  home  of  his  own,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Jacksonville,  in  July,  1876,  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Liter.  This  lady  was  born  in  this  county,  July  16, 
1857.  Her  parents,  Abraham  and  Elizabeth  (Liter) 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


Liter,  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  came  to  Ill- 
inois at  an  early  day,  settling  on  land  from  which 
they  constructed  a  good  farm,  and  where  the  father 
made  his  home  for  the  long  period  of  forty  years. 
He  died  in  August,  1880,  while  the  death  of  the 
mother  took  place  two  years  prior,  when  she  was 
seventy  years  old.  Both  were  active  members  of 
the  Christian  Church. 

Mrs.  Dyer  was  the  youngest  child  of  her  parents, 
whose  family  consisted  of  four  sons  and  four 
daughters;  one  son  and  daughter  are  deceased;  the 
others  make  their  home  mostly  in  Illinois  and  Kan- 
sas. The  Liter  homestead  is  situated  in  township 
15,  range  10,  and  there  Mrs.  Dyer  was  reared  to 
womanhood.  She  acquired  her  education  in  the 
common  school,  and  became  mistress  of  those  house- 
wifely duties  the  knowledge  of  which  has  so  much 
to  do  with  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  a  home. 

Of  her  union  with  our  subject  there  have  been 
born  four  children,  one  of  whom,  Leroy,  died  at 
the  age  of  four  months.  The  others,  Olie,  Henry, 
E.,  and  Stella  F.  are  at  home  with  their  parents. 
Mr.  Dyer  votes  the  straight  Democratic  ticket,  and 
with  his  estimable  wife  is  held  in  high  respect  in 
his  community. 


bHOMAS  LEE,  a  son  of  one  of  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  this  county,  has  spent  all  his  life 
within  its  limits,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of 
its  most  successful  farmers  and  stock  raisers.  He 
has  a  beautiful  homestead,  finely  improved,  with  a 
set  of  tasteful,  modern  buildings,  and  the  machin- 
ery necessary  for  carrying  on  agriculture  after  the 
most  approved  methods.  He  is  located  on  section 
16,  township,  15,  range  11. 

Mr.  Lee  was  born  July  4,  1839,  and  is  conse- 
quently approaching  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  age. 
His  father,  George  Lee,  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  the  son  of  a  Yorkshireman,  who  op- 
erated a  small  farm,  and  with  his  estimable  wife 
spent  his  entire  life  on  his  native  soil,  both  dying 
at  an  advanced  age.  George  Lee  was  one  of  the 
younger  members  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  and 
remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  a  youth  of 
seventeen  years.  Then  he  set  sail  for  the  United 


States,  and  made  his  way  directly  to  this  county, 
where  he  commenced  the  battle  of  life  for  himself 
as  a  farm  laborer.  After  his  marriage  he  began 
operating  land  on  his  own  account,  first  in  this 
county,  but  later  removed  to  Macoupin  County, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was,  in  her  girlhood, 
Miss  Mary  Audas,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  the 
daughter  of  John  Audas,  whose  first  wife,  the 
mother  of  Miss  Mary,  died  when  the  latter  was  a 
child  of  eight  years.  He  was  then  married  to  a 
lady  whose  first  name  was  Elizabeth,  and  soon  aft- 
erward came  with  his  family  to  America.  They 
settled  on  eighty  acres  of  land,  which  is  now  the 
property  of  our  subject,  Mr.  Lee,  and  where  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Audas  spent  their  last  days,  dying  when 
quite  well  advanced  in  years.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  also  died  on  this  farm,  when  only  forty 
years  of  age;  both  she  and  her  husband  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Church. 

Our  subject  is  the  second  child  and  eldest  son  of 
his  parents,  whose  family  comprised  four  sons  and 
three  daughters.  One  son  and  one  daughter  are 
now  deceased.  Thomas,  our  subject,  like  the  oth- 
ers, was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  trained  to  habits 
of  industry,  while  he  obtained  his  education  in  the 
common  school.  He  chose  fanning  for  his  life  oc- 
cupation, and  when  ready  to  establish  a  fireside  of 
his  own  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Martha 
J.  Hall.  This  lady,  like  her  husband,  is  a  native  of 
this  county,  and  was  born  Sept.  18,  1838.  Her  par- 
ents, William  and  Elizabeth  Hall,  are  now  deceased. 
They  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this 
county,  and  lived  to  be  quite  aged.  They  were 
born  and  reared  in  Yorkshire,  England,  and  crossed 
the  Atlantic  early  in  the  thirties.  They  were  active 
members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and 
were  of  that  kindly  and  hospitable  disposition 
which  endeared  them  to  all  who  knew  them. 

Mrs.  Lee  was  reared  to  womanhood  in  the  home 
of  her  parents,  and  by  her  marriage  with  our  sub- 
ject became  the  mother  of  nine  children,  three  of 
whom,  Sarah  E.,  Ida  and  Nellie  E.,  died  when 
quite  young.  Mary,  the  eldest  daughter  now  liv- 
ing, is  the  wife  of  Thomas  H.  Eades,  and  they  live 
on  a  farm  in  Woodson  County,  Kan.  Minnie  I.  is 
the  wife  of  Samuel  I.  Coultas,  and  they  reside  in 


f 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


211 


tliis  county,  on  a  farm  near  Lynnville.  George  W., 
Mattie  .1.,  C'lara  E.  and  Eva  L.  are  at  home  with 
tlifir  parents.  Mr.  Lee,  politically,,  supports  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  part}',  and  with  his 
wife  and  family  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Protestant 
*  Church,  in  which  lie  officiates  as  Steward. 


Ol-lN  KILLAM.  It  is  the  province  of  the 
biogorapher  to  correctly  chronicle  the  bis- 
!  tory  of  persons  who  have  passed  away,  and 
to  record  their  virtues,  that  the  living  may 
profit  thereby,  and  in  the  present  instance  it  may 
be  said  that  John  Killam  died,  leaving  behind  him 
a  name  that  is  the  synonym  for  all  the  virtues  that 
cluster  around  a  man  who  made  his  mark  in  the 
world,  unaided  and  alone.  The  younger  men  and 
women  that  are  now  on  the  stage  of  life  can  have 
no  better  pattern  by  which  to  form  their  charac- 
ters than  that  of  John  Killam. 

Mr.  Killam  died  at  his  home  in  township  15, 
range  11,  on  the  llth  day  of  August,  1885,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years.  lie  was  born  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  came  to  America  with  his  father, 
Samuel  Killam,  w-hose  biography  is  given  in  another 
part  of  this  volume.  He  was  a  resident  of  Illinois 
from  the  time  he  arrived  in  this  country  until  his 
death,  and  of  Morgan  County,  with  the  exception 
of  six  years  that  he  resided  in  Woodford  County. 
Mr.  Killam  sustained  a  reputation  of  being  a  thrift}' 
fanner  and  stock  raiser.  His  industry  and  intelli- 
gence aided  him  in  building  up  a  beautiful  home, 
and  in  improving  a  farm  that  is  a  model  of  the 
husbandman's  skill.  He  was  married,  in-  this 
county,  June  25,  183!),  to  Miss  Phyllis  Jordan. 
She  was  born  in  the  city  of  Derby,  England,  April 
11,  1804.  She  came  of  English  ancestry,  having 
been  the  daughter  of  Harvey  and  Susannah  (Rowls- 
ton)  Jordan,  now  both  deceased.  Her  mother 
died  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  while  the  family  was  on  their 
way  to  Illinois  from  England.  This  occurred  in 
1836,  and  her  burial  place  is  in  Detroit.  She  was 
fifty-four  years  old  when  she  died,  and  belonged  to 
the  Methodist  Church.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Killam, 
Harvey  Jordan,  died  in  Morgan  County,  at  the 
home  of  his  daughter,  in  1853,  at  the  age  of 


seventy  six  years.  He  died  in  the  Episcopal  faith. 
To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  three  children, 
Mrs.  Killam  being  the  eldest.  Her  only  sister  is 
living  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.  She  is  the  widow  of 
John  Spencer.  Mrs.  Killam's  only  brother,  William 
Jordan,  died  in  Missouri,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years. 

Harvey  Jordan,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Killam,  con- 
cluded to  emigrate  to  America,  and  accordingly  he 
embarked  at  Liverpool,  England,  and  landing  at 
New  York,  he  there  made  up  his  mind  to  seek  land 
in  Illinois,  and  while  enroute  his  wife  died  at  De- 
troit, as  before  indicated.  Here  he  lived  in  Morgan 
County  continuously  for  many  years. 

Mrs.  Killam  is  now  living  on  the  old  homestead, 
spending  her  last  days  quietly.  She  is  the  mother 
of  no  children,  but  she  and  her  husband  have  been 
the  foster  parents  of  four  children:  Elizabeth  Maw- 
son,  wife  of  Robert  Heinbrough;  they  are  farmers 
near  Jacksonville.  Louisa  nee  DeSollar,  wife  of 
Robert  Davidson,  is  living  in  Wapello  County, 
Iowa.  William  DeSollar  married  Sedarah  Bobbitt, 
and  they  are  living  on  Mrs.  Killam's  farm.  Ann 
Killam  married  John  Ranson;  they  are  living  on 
a  farm  near  Jacksonville.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Killam  were  possessed  of  charitable 
characteristics,  and  that  in  rearing  to  manhood  and 
womanhood  homeless  children,  they  are  entitled  to 
be  called  philanthropists.  Mrs.  Killam  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church,  having  lived  in  that 
faith  for  many  years. 


lA/XILL  DAVENPORT,  ESQ.  The  fifty- 
six  years  of  the  residence  of  this  gentleman 
in  Jacksonville  compass  his  entire  life,  as 
here  his  birth  took  place,  Jan.  26,  1832% 
His  parents  were  Ira  and  Nancy  (Henderson)  Dav- 
enport, natives  respectively  of  Virginia  and  Ohio. 
Ira  Davenport  left  the  Dominion  witli  his  parents 
when  a  child,  they  emigrating  to  Ohio,  where  he 
was  reared  to  manhood  in  Pickaway  County.  He 
there  remained  until  1829,  assisting  his  father  in 
developing  one  of  its  best  farms.  There  also  he 
was  marrie'd. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  came  to  this  county 


212 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


in  the  year  above  mentioned,  bringing  with  them 
two  children.  The  father  now  departing  some- 
what from  his  former  occupation,  engaged  in  gen- 
eral merchandising  and  milling,  and  acquired  a 
good  property,  continuing  to  reside  in  the  vicinity 
of  Jacksonville  until  his  death.  In  company  with 
one  Mr.  Fitzsimmons,  he  operated  the  City  and 
Morgan  Mills.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  the 
county,  and  in  1845  was  elected  Sheriff,  serving 
two  years.  In  1848  he  was  elected  to  the  same 
office  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  held  it  successively  for 
a  period  of  seven  years.  He  also  engaged  in  pork- 
packing.  A  man  energetic,  capable,  and  of  excel- 
lent judgment,  he  was  closely  identified  with  the 
growth  and  development  of  Morgan  Count}',  to- 
gether with  that  of  the  city  of  Jacksonville.  He 
was  an  active  spirit  in  most  of  its  leading  enter- 
prises, and  among  other  responsible  positions  held 
the  office  of  Treasurer  of  the  Blind  Asylum  for 
many  years  before  his  death.  He  was  then  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son,  David  S.,  who  held  the  position 
until  his  death,  in  1876.  Upon  the  death  of  David 
it  was  given  to  Bazzill,  our  subject.  The  three 
discharged  its  duties  for  a  period  of  twenty-five 
years. 

Ira  Davenport,  politically,  was  an  Old  Line 
Whig  during  his  early  manhood,  and  later  affiliated 
with  the  Republicans.  Both  parents  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  mother 
is  deceased,  her  death  occurring  in  December,  1835. 
The  parental  household  included  seven  children. 
Bazzill  pursued  his  first  studies  in  the  subscription 
schools  of  this  county.  About  1850  our  subject 
and  his  brother,  Brackston,  started  for  California, 
going  overland  by  team,  setting  out  on  the  9th  of 
April.  They  arrived  in  Sacramento  City  on  the 
22d  of  August  following,  but  soon  afterward  re- 
turned east  as  far  as  Ringold,  Cal.,  where  they 
established  a  grocery  and  provision  house,  which 
they  operated  until  the  spring  of  the  year  follow- 
ing. Then,  dividing  the  spoils,  they  struck  out  in 
different  directions,  entered  the  mines,  and  were 
engaged  in  searching  for  gold  until  1857.  They 
were  quite  successful  in  their  labors,  and  deciding 
to  return  home,  took  passage  on  a  steamer,  cross- 
ing the  Isthmus  on  the  4th  of  July. 

Sown  after  his  return  to  Jacksonville,  our  sub- 


ject began  clerking  for  his  father  in  the  flour 
and  feed  store,  and  was  thus  employed  until  the 
spring  of  1872.  He  was  then  elected  City  Assessor 
and  Collector,  which  office  he  held  four  years. 
The  two  years  following  were  occupied  in  the  set- 
tlement of  the  estate  of  his  brother  David.  Mr. 
Davenport  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  1877, 
holding  the  office  four  years  and  being  re-elected. 
In  1885  he  was  appointed  Public  Administrator  for 
the  count}' — first  under  Gov.  Beveridge,  and  has 
received  the  appointment  from  each  successive 
Governor  since. 

The  31st  of  December,  1861,  witnessed  the  mat- 
rimonial alliance  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Mary  E. 
Metcalf,  a  native  of  Greene  County,  this  State. 
Mrs.  Davenport  was  born  Dec.  30,  1842,  and  was 
the  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Buchanan) 
Metcalf,  natives  of  Kentucky.  Their  family  con- 
sisted of  four  children,  and  she  was  the  eldest.  She 
received  a  good  education,  being  for  a  time  a  pupil 
in  the  Jacksonville  Female  College,  and  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  her  marriage.  Of  this 
union  there  were  born  two  children,  sons — Im  W. 
and  Fred.  The  elder  is  now  a  student  at  Yale  Col- 
lege, and  a  very  bright  and  promising  young  man, 
and  has  been  elected  Superintendent  of  Public 
Schools  of  the  city  of  Jacksonville.  He  was  grad- 
uated first  from  the  High  School  at  Jacksonville, 
then  from  the  Illinois  College,  and  subsequently 
became  a  teacher  in  the  Blind  Asylum,  where  he 
continued  two  years.  He  commenced  in  the  pri- 
mary department,  and  in  three  months  had  been 
promoted  as  one  of  the  principal  instructors  of  the 
institution.  He  resigned  this  position  to  enter 
Yale.  Fred  completed  his  studies  in  Illinois  Col- 
lege, and  is  now  a  student  of  the  Henssalacr  Poly- 
tecnic  Institute  at  Troy  N.  Y. 

Mrs.  Davenport  was  a  lad}'  of  many  excellent 
qualities,  and  a  prominent  member  of  the  Cen- 
tenary Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  a  number 
of  years.  Her  death  took  place  on  the  30th  of 
June,  1885.  Of  this  body  our  subject  also  has 
been  a  member  and  was  Treasurer  for  many  years. 
Politically,  he  votes  the  straight  Republican  ticket, 
and  in  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  has  been  through  all  the 
Chairs  of  his  Lodge — Urania,  No.  243 — of  which 
he  is  now  Deputy,  besides  holding  the  same  office  , 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


215 


years. 


in  Ilidgely  Encampment,  No.  9,  and  the  Jackson- 
ville Rebecca  Degree,  No.  13.  The  family  resi- 
dence is  No.  503  East  State  street.  The  Squire's 
office  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  Square,  No.  43^. 
lie  is  a  general  favorite  in  the  social  and  business 
circles  of  his  community. 


EBASTIAN  KUMLE,  the  owner  of  520 
broad  acres  of  land,  usually  may  be  found 
at  his  homestead  in  township  15,  range  8, 
where  his  interests  have  centered  for  many 
He  may  be  most  properly  termed  a  self- 
made  man,  having  worked  his  way  up  from  a  mod- 
est beginning  to  a  good  position  socially  and  finan- 
cialy.  From  his  substantial  German  ancestry  he 
inherited  the  qualities  requisite  to  the  formation  of 
an  honest  man  and  a  good  citizen,  and  is  thus  re- 
garded most  unquestionably  by  all  who  know  him. 
A  native  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Germ- 
any, our  subject  was  born  Jan.  20,  1830,  and  lived 
there  until  a  young  man  of  twenty  years,  receiving 
a  good  education  in  his  native  tongue,  and  becom- 
ing familiar  with  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was 
always  thoughtful  beyond  his  years,  and  saw  little 
in  his  own  country  to  encourage  him  in  carrying 
out  his  ambition  for  the  future.  He  finally  decided 
to  emigrate  to  America,  and  shipping  from  the  port 
of  Bremen  landed  in  New  York  City  after  a  safe 
voyage  on  a  sailing-vessel. 

Soon  thereafter,  leaving  the  metropolis,  young 
Kumle  proceeded  southwestward  across  the  Missis- 
sippi to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  sojourned  two 
years.  Thence  he  came  to  this  county  from 
Jacksonville,  went  into  the  country,  and  found 
employment  as  a  farm  laborer.  lie  was  thus  occu- 
pied one  year,  and  the  next  rented  a  tract  of  land 
and  commenced  farming  on  his  own  account.  The 
next  important  event  in  his  life  was  his  marriage, 
in  1852,  with  Miss  Gertrude  K.  Rushe,  a  native  of 
his  own  country,  who  emigrated  to  America  with 
her  brother  in  July,  1850. 

Mr.  Kumle  operated  as  a  renter  until  1863,  and 
in  the  meantime  had  accumulated  sufficient  money 
to  purchase  140  acres  of  land.  This  was  mostly 
under  cultivation,  but  there  were  no  buildings  upon 


I 


it.  He  put  up  a  house  and  barn,  and  gradually 
added  the  other  buildings  necessary  for  his  conven- 
ience. Later  he  purchased  185  acres,  which  consti- 
tutes the  present  homestead.  It  will  thus  be  seen 
that  he  was  prospered  from  the  beginning.  He  al- 
ways made  it  a  rule  to  live  within  his  income,  and 
was  prompt  in  meeting  his  obligations.  In  addition 
to  general  agriculture,  he  raises  in  large  numbers 
cattle,  horses  and  swine,  making  a  specialty  of  the 
latter  and  of  Norman  trotting  and  saddle  horses. 
In  this  industry  he  has  been  particularly  successful, 
achieving  an  enviable  reputation. 

To  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  there  have 
been  born  five  children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  a  son, 
Joseph,  is  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  stock-raiser;  he 
married  Miss  Mary  Dayton,  and  they  have  three 
children— Fred,  William  and  John.  A.  L.  married 
Miss  Ella  Coultas,  is  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  the 
father  of  two  children,  a  son,  Harry,  and  a  babe 
unnamed;  William  F.  and  John  Emil  remain  at 
home  with  their  parents;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Hard- 
man  Seller,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  crossed  the 
Atlantic  when  fifteen  years  old,  and  is  carrying  on 
farming  in  this  county ;  they  have  five  children — 
Gertrude,  Kate,  Mary,  Ann  E.  and  Joseph. 

Mr.  Kumle,  with  his  family,  belongs  to  the 
Catholic  Church.  In  politics  he  votes  independ- 
ently, aiming  to  support  the  principles  and  not 
men.  It  certainly  should  be  a  matter  of  pride  to 
Mr.  Kumle  and  his  family  that  their  surroundings 
are  so  pleasant  as  to  elicit  praise  from  passers-by. 
To  an  equal  extent  will  the  view  of  their  home, 
given  in  this  volume,  attract  the  admiration  of 
many  readers. 


HARLES  COX.  Within  the  past  few  years 
the  young  men  of  Morgan  County,  who  were 
born  within  its  precincts  and  educated  in  its 
institutions  of  learning  have  stepped  to  the  front  to 
take  their  place  among  its  agriculturists,  its  business 
or  professional  men,  and  are  doing  their  share  in  the 
maintenance  of  its  varied  and  extensive  interests. 
Among  the  most  intelligent,  wide-awake  and 
prominent  of  these  stands  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who,  notwithstanding  his  comparative  youthful? 


t 


216 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


ness,  has  already  gained  a  sure  footing  among  the 
solid,  substantial  members  of  the  farming  commun- 
ity of  township  16,  range  10,  the  place  of  his  na- 
tivity, and  is,  indeed,  considered  one  of  the  lead- 
ing horse-breeders  in  this  part  of  the  county,  being 
the  possessor  of  some  fine  blooded  registered  ani- 
mals and  fast  trotters.  lie  manages  two  farms  in 
township  16,  range  10;  his  home  farm  on  section 
35  and  another  which  he  rents,  comprising  176 
acres  on  sections  3  and  34.  Both  are  provided  with 
good  buildings  and  have  every  convenience  for 
prosecuting  agriculture  successfully.  A  view  of  his 
home  place  appears  in  this  volume,  showing  its  im- 
provements and  surroundings.  His  farm  is  neatly 
fenced,  and  eighty  acres  of  it  are  under  a  high 
stale  of  cultivation,  while  a  neat,  room}'  dwelling 
and  substantial  barns  adorn  the  place. 
t-'Our  subject  is  the  son  of  the  late  Charles  and 
Krancina  (Phillips)  Cox.  ( For  genealogy  see  the 
sketches  of  his  brother  Hardin  Cox  and  of  John 
Phillips.)  He  is  of  good  pioneer  blood,  and  was 
born  Feb.  9,  1865,  on  the  farm  where  he  still 
makes  his  home.  He  was  reared  on  the  old  home- 
stead, and  received  the  rudiments  of  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools,  afterward  taking  a 
course  at  the  Jacksonville  Business  College,  where 
he  ranked  well  as  a  scholar.  When  he  was  but  nine- 
teen years  of  age  our  subject  took  upon  himself  the 
responsibilities  of  married  life,  and  Jan.  30,  1884, 
his  union  with  Miss  Jennie  N.,  daughter  of  David 
and  Ellen  (Shields)  Belchy,  was  consummated.  In 
their  pleasant  household  three  children  have  blessed 
their  happy  wedded  life,  namely:  Beulah,  Alberta 
and  Harold.  As  we  have  seen  Mr.  Cox  devotes 
himself  to  farming  and  has  met  with  more  than  or- 
dinary success  in  his  vocation.  He  is  noted  espec- 
ially as  a  breeder  of  fine  horses,  and  has  some  reg- 
istered stock  that  is  classed  among  the  best  in  the 
county.  He  has  a  fine  dark-gray  Percheron,  No. 
14,123  French,  No.  8,396  American,  and  keeps  from 
ten  to  fifteen  brood  mares  of  high  grades.  lie  is 
the  owner  of  the  celebrated  trotter.  Red  Pepper, 
which  is  a  very  high-bred  horse,  direct  descendent 
of  Maud  S.,  although  not  a  registered  animal. 

Our  subject  is  gifted  with  a  clear  brain,  steady 
purpose,  and  great  force  of  character,  and  is  an  honor 
to  the  citizenship  of  his  native  county  that  looks 


to  him  and  her  other  young  sons  to  do  good  serv- 
ice in  the  support  of  her  institutions  and  interests, 
to  extend  her  wealth,  and  aid  in  giving  her  the 
proudest  place  among  her  sister  counties.  He  is  a 
young  man  of  correct  habits  and  fine  principles,  and 
he  and  his  amiable  wife  are  among  the  most  influ- 
ential members  of  the  Baptist  Chapel  at  township 
15,  range  10.  Mr.  Cox  has  mingled  somewhat  in  the 
public  life  of  his  township,  for  which  he  is  eminently 
fitted,  and  as  School  Director  for  three  years  has 
done  what  he  could  to  promote  the  cause  of  educa- 
tion. 


'HE  REV.  FRANKLIN  W.  PHILLIPS, 
M.  D.,  for  man\T  years  Superintendent  of 
the  Illinois  Institution  for  the  Education 
of  the  Blind,  was  born  in  Montgomery  Count}',  Ky., 
Nov.  5, 1827,  and  died  at  Jacksonville  Jan.  17,  1888. 
His  father,  William  Phillips,  was  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  and  descended  from  the  old  historic  and 
highly  esteemed  Phillips  family  of  Maryland.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  died  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  became  for  three  years,  dur- 
ing his  boyhood,  an  inmate  of  the  household  of  an 
uncle,  at  Paris,  Ind.  In  1840  he  returned  to  Cin- 
cinnati, and  entered  Woodward  College — now 
known  as  Woodward  High  School — from  which  he 
withdrew  for  the  purpose  of  learning  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  Having  made  a  profession  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  becoming  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  he,  in  1845,  began  preparation  for  the  min- 
istry, and  in  1848,  after  a  rigid  examination,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Kentucky  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  His  health 
having  become  impaired,  he  was  reluctantly  forced, 
in  1856  to  withdraw  his  connection  from  Confer- 
ence nnd  to  locate.  In  doing  this,  Mr.  Phillips 
was  obliged  to  temporarily  surrender  the  hope  and 
ambition  of  his  life.  In  the  meantime,  having  read 
medicine,  he  attended  lectures  at  the  Kentucky 
School  of  Medicine  at  Louisville,  and  soon  after- 
ward began  practice  as  a  physician  at  the  town  of 
Livermore,  McLean  Co.,  Ky.  He  entered  at  once 
into  a  good  practice  at  that  place,  afterward  re- 
moving to  Todd  County,  Ky.,  where  he  remained 
until  1864,  when  he  began  to  cast  around  for  a  new 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


217 


location.  The  result  was,  his  investigation  brought 
him  to  the  conclusion  that  Illinois  offered  him  a 
better  field  for  his  talents,  and  in  the  last  year 
mentioned  he  removed  to  this  State.  His  health 
having  been  restored,  he  believed  it  was  his  duty 
to  re-enter  the  ministry,  which  he  did  by  joining 
the  Illinois  Conference,  and  during  the  succeeding 
ten  years  he  preached  at  Mattoon  two  years,  Jack 
sonville  four  years,  Springfield  three  years,  and 
Danville  district  one  year.  In  June,  1874,  he  was 
made  Superintendent  of  the  Institute  for  the  Edu- 
cation of  the  Blind,  and  while  in  that  office  intro- 
duced many  reforms,  and  placed  that  great  institu- 
ution  in  the  front  rank  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States.  In  his  death  the  State  sustained  an  irre- 
parable loss. 

Dr.  Phillips  was  married  at  Mackville,  Ky.,  in 
Oct.,  1853,  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Richard  J.  Dun- 
gan  being  the  happy  bride.  She  is  now  (1)S89), 
and  has  been  for  some  years,  the  Matron  of  the  in- 
stitution over  which  Dr.  Phillips  so  successfully 
presided  for  fourteen  years. 

In  glancing  at  this  brief  sketch,  it  will  be  seen 
that  Dr.  Phillips  was  a  man  of  more  than  the  ordi- 
nary mould,  and  that  the  characteristics  of  industry, 
intelligence,  integrity  and  influence  were  blended 
in  him.  In  his  management  of  the  great  institu- 
tion for  the  amelioration  of  the  sightless  wards  of 
the  State,  the  Doctor  exhibited  rare  ability,  and 
though  it  is  a  common  thing  for  humanity  to  praise 
the  dead,  in  this  case  the  duty  is  not  perfunctory, 
but  is  one  which  becomes  a  pleasant  task  to  all  per- 
sons who  were  ever  associated  with  Franklin  W. 
Phillips. 


SHE  REV.  JOHN  M.  GIBSON  is  a  native 
of  Rutherford  County,  Tenn.,  and  was  born 
Feb.  3,  1821.  He  came  to  Morgan  County 
in  1830,  in  company  with  his  father,  James  Gibson. 
His  grandfather  was  James  Gibson,  Sr. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  had  two  brothers  and 
two  sisters  —  William  A.,  Cullen  C.,  Martha  M.  and 
Rebecca  M.  William  married  Delila  Fanning,  of 
Morgan  County;  he  is  a  minister  of  the  Dunkard 
Church;  their  children  are:  Charleton,  Merriman, 
Ellen,  Hannah,  James  T.,  Mary,  Lydia  and  Martin. 


Cullen  C.  was  married  to  Nancy  J.  Dougherty, 
of  Kentucky;  he  is  a  minister  of  the  Dunkard 
Church  and  has  twelve  children,  as  follows:  Ciril- 
dee,  James,  John,  Charles,  Hannah,  Sarah,  George, 
Derinda,  Isaac,  Cullen,  Henry  and  Lizzie.  Mar- 
tha M.  married  Hezekiah  Cain,  of  Scotland  Count}-, 
Mo.;  he  is  a  Baptist  minister;  they  have  six  chil- 
dren— Sarah,  James,  William,  David,  May  and 
Julia.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  married  Mary 
Davidson,  who  was  born  in  Alabama,  Feb.  19, 
182!).  Her  parents  Joshua  and  Elizabeth  (Sharp) 
Davidson,  came  to  Morgan  County  in  April,  1831. 
Mr.  Davidson  died  in  1844,  while  Mrs.  Davidson 
lived  until  July  6,  1876.  Mrs.  Gibson's  ancestry 
dates  back  to  Germany,  Scotland  and  England. 
She  had  seventeen  brothers  and  sisters,  seven  of 
whom  are  living, as  follows:  David,  James,  Thomas, 
Albert,  William,  Martha,  Felitha.  David  married 
Rebecca  Gibson,  sister  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who  died,  leaving  one  child,  Mary,  who  married 
Phillip  Cox,  of  Macoupin  County;  the  last  named 
couple  had  three  children — Charles,  Ernest  and 

j  Wilbur.  David's  second  wife  was  Caroline  Gouse, 
nee  Montgomery,  by  whom  he  had  four  children — 
Belle,  Emma,  Harvey  and  Clara.  James  married 
Louisa  Norville,  to  whom  three  children  were 
born — Elmer,  Lavina  and  Melissa.  Thomas,  who 
is  an  orange  culturist  in  Florida,  married  May 
Phillips,  and  has  three  children — Amy,  Annie  and 
James.  Albert  is  a  widower,  and  is  living  in  Mis- 
souri. William,  who  is  a  school-teacher,  married 
Mary  Seymour,  of  Morgan  County,  to  whom  were 
born  four  children — Hattie,  Allie,  Martin  and  Mar- 
vin (twins).  Martha  married  Gideon  Jennings, 
and  they  are  living  in  the  C'hoctaw  Nation,  Indian 
Territory;  they  have  eight  children — Henry,  Gran- 
ville,  Irene,  Anamenda,  Alice,  Susan,  Hannah  and 
Charles.  Felitha  married  William  McC'tirley,  of 

j  Morgan  County;  they  have  seven  children — 
John  II.,  Amanda,  Alice,  Louella,  Ezekiel  II.,  Mary 
and  Zeruah. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  the  father  of  nine 
children — John  M.,  Elizabeth,  George  C.,  Hannah, 
James  W.,  Albert  D.,  Mary  E.,  Richard  Y.  and 
Julia.  Of  these.  John  M.  married  Phoebe  Carlyle, 
of  Morgan  County;  they  are  now  living  in  Doug- 
las, Kan.,  on  a  farm,  and  have  three  children — 


218 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


Samuel,  John  and  Mary  Ann.  Elizabeth  married 
John  11.  Van  Winkle,  of  Morgan  County;  he  is 
postmaster  at  Franklin;  they  have  five  children — 
George,  diaries,  Albert,  Helen  and  Chester.  Han- 
nah married  Samuel  Carlisle,  who  is  dead;  they 
had  three  children — Ethel,  Earl  and  Eula.  James 
married  Mary  Lyons,  of  Morgan  County.  Albert 
married  Miss  Seymour,  of  Morgan  County.  Mary  E. 
married  William  Duncan,  of  Franklin,  wlo  is  a 
school-teacher;  they  have  four  children — Gladys, 
Glenn,  Bruce  and  Welcome.  Richard  is  single  and 
at  home  with  his  father.  Julia  married  Eli  O. 
Mansfield,  a  Miller  of  Franklin. 

John  M.  Gibson  is  the  owner  of  a  splendid  farm 
of  175  acres,  with  good  buildings;  he  does  a  general 
farming  business,  raising  cattle,  horses,  hogs  and 
grain.  He  was  ordained  as  minister  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  Oct.  3,  1875,  and  is  a  local 
preacher. 

Mr.  Gibson,  politically,  is  a  Prohibitionist,  and 
is  President  of  the  Franklin  Prohibition  Club.  He 
is  a  conscientious  man,  a  good  neighbor,  and  the 
world  is  better  for  containing  such  men. 


ICHAEL  KENNEDY,  late  of  township  15, 
range  1 1 ,  this  county,  was  born  near 
Geory,  in  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  in 
June,  1824,  and  departed  this  life  at  his 
home  in  township  15,  range  11,  Feb.  3,  1888.  He 
was  a  man  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout 
his  community,  successful  as  a  farmer,  upright  as  a 
business  man,  and  one  who  contributed  his  full 
share  to  the  enterprises  calculated  for  the  best  good 
of  the  people  around  him.  The  homestead  which 
he  built  up  on  section  3,  stands  as  a  monument  to 
his  thrift  and  industry.  It  was  a  wild  unbroken 
tract  of  land  when  he  purchased  it,  in  September, 
1864,  and  by  the  exercise  of  persevering  indus- 
try he  constructed  from  it  one  of  the  most  com- 
fortable homes  in  the  Precinct.  Later  he  purchased 
a  farm  on  section  3,  in  the  same  township,  which  is 
partially  improved. 

Mr.  Kennedy  came  to  this  county  in  1848,  one 
year  after  landing  in  the  United  States.  He  com- 
menced life  here  as  a  farm  laborer,  being  without 


other  means  or  resources  than  his  stout  muscles  and 
resolute  will.  In  due  time  he  began  operating  upon 
rented  land,  until  having  saved  enough  to  purchase 
eighty  acres  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  county. 
This  he  sold  later,  and  moved  to  a  more  congenial 
neighborhood,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  left  his 
children  sufficient  to  insure  them  against  want. 

Of  pure  Irish  stock,  our  subject  was  the  son  of 
Thomas  Kennedy,  a  farmer  of  County  Wexford, 
and  who  si>ent  his  entire  life  upon  his  native  soil, 
living  to  the  age  of  about  threescore  years.  He 
had  been  reared  in  the  faitli  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  in  which  he  carefully  trained  his  children, 
and  to  which  his  son  Michael  adhered  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  married  in  early  man- 
hood to  Julia  Dun,  a  native  also  of  County  Wex- 
ford, and  who  came  of  a  very  excellent  family. 
She  also  was  a  life-long  Catholic,  and  died  in  Ire- 
land at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  To  her  and 
her  husband  there  were  born  six  children,  all  of 
whom  lived  to  mature  years  and  acquired  a 
good  education,  especially  Michael,  who  was  am- 
bitious to  learn,  and  possessed  more  than  ordinary 
intelligence.  Michael  Kennedy  was  the  second  son 
and  child  in  a  family  of  four  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, the  latter  of  whom  remained  in  their  own 
country.  Bessie  died  soon  after  marriage;  Maria, 
Mrs.  Kihgsley,  was  a  resident  of  Clydesdale,  Scot- 
land, and  died  March  22,1889;  the  youngest  son, 
James,  died  in  Ireland  at  the  age  of  twenty  years; 
Patrick  died  shortly  after  landing  in  the  United 
States,  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  leaving  a  wife:  Thomas 
is  a  single  man,  and  residing  near  Iron  Wood, 
Mich. 

Our  subject  after  completing  his  education 
learned  the  trade  of  a  tanner,  in  his  native  county, 
but  had  not  worked  at  this  very  long  when  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  emigrating  to  America.  He 
started  out  on  the  2d  of  April,  1848,  crossed  the 
Channel,  and  took  passage  at  Liverpool  on  a  sailing- 
vessel,  which,  after  a  pleasant  voyage  of  six  weeks 
and  four  days,  landed  him  safely  in  New  Orleans. 
He  lived  there  and  in  St.  Louis  and  vicinity  until 
the  spring  of  1849.  He  then  made  his  way  to  this 
county,  where,  after  a  number  of  years,  he  was 
married,  in  1856,  to  Miss  Anna  Rogers. 

Mrs.  Kennedy   was  bora  near   Rosscommon,  in 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


219 


County  Rosscommon,  Ireland,  where  she  was 
reared  to  womanhood  and  given  a  good  education. 
She  came  to  the  United  States  with  some  friends  of 
her  parents,  and  for  a  time  sojourned  in  Boston, 
Mass.  Later  she  came  to  this  county,  and  not  long 
afterward  was  married  to  Mr.  Kennedy.  She  de- 
parted this  life  at  the  homestead,  in  1873,  at  the 
early  age  of  thirty-five  years.  Of  her  union  with 
Mr.  Kennedy  there  had  been  born  six  children, 
three  of  whom  are  deceased:  Julia  A.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  twelve  years;  Maria  died  in  infancy; 
Patrick  8.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years; 
Thomas  L.,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  is  operating 
his  own  land,  which  he  is  rapidly  bringing  to  a 
good  state  of  cultivation,  and  effecting  good  im- 
provements; Mary  C.,  a  very  intelligent  young  wo- 
man, is  keeping  house  for  her  brothers;  James  F. 
makes  his  home  with  his  brothers  and  sisters.  They 
have  all  been  well  educated,  and  the  boys,  politi- 
cally, affiliate  with  the  Democratic  party.  The 
family  is  well  known  throughout  this  part  of  the 
county,  and  is  held  in  universal  respect. 


I 

t 


l  ACOB  H.  PEAK  was  born  in  Anderson 
County,  Tenn.,  on  May  26,  1829.  His  fa- 
ther,  Absalom  Peak,  came  to  Scott  Count}', 
111.,  Sept.  29,  and  died  May  23,  1867.  He 
married  Rebecca  Butler,  whose  parents  lived  and 
died  in  Anderson  Count}',  Tenn.  Their  marriage 
occurred  in  1822.  The  old  lady  is  now  living  in 
Scott  County  on  the  farm  taken  up  by  her  husband 
in  the  first  decade  of  the  present  century.  She 
was  the  mother  of  ten  children.  The  following 
six  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  :  Sallie,  Germania, 
Jacob  H.,  Luke,  William  and  Mary  J. 

Sallie  was  married  twice.  Her  first  husband  was 
C.  T.  Gillham,  by  whom  she  had  two  children, 
Harriet  and  Delos.  Her  second  husband  was  I.  J. 
True,  by  whom  she  was  the  mother  of  four  children. 
She  is  deceased.  Luke  went  to  California  in  1853, 
where  he  married  and  is  now  farming  in  Merced 
County,  that  State;  William  married  Jane  Leib, 
and  is  farming  in  Scott  County,  this  State.  They 
have  two  children:  Charles  and  Leo  D.;  Mary  mar- 
ried John  W.  Morrison.  They  are  now  living  in 


Vernon  County,  Mo.,  with  their  four  children : 
Charles,  Delos,  Willard  and  James. 

Jacob  H.  Peak  married  Matilda  Campbell,  whose 
father  came  from  Tennessee.  In  her  father's  fam- 
ily there  were  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing: Newton  J.,  James  P.,  Mary  Jane,  and  Matilda. 
Newton  J.,  married  Susan  Simmons.  They  are 
now  residing  in  Scott  County,  and  have  six  child- 
ren :  Ann,  Mollie,  Lucy,  Lizzie,  Lois,  andNormnn; 
James  P.,  married  a  Miss  Bacon,  and  is  now  living 
near  Odell,  Gage  Co.,  Neb.  They  have  four  child- 
ren: Minerva,  Ralph,  Ira  and  Matilda.  Mary  Jane 
married  George  W.  Camp.  They  reside  in  Riggston 
this  State,  and  have  eight  children:  Charles,  Mark, 
John,  Cynthia,  Joseph,  Alice,  Fannie  and  Florence. 

Mr.  Peak,  whose  name  appears  at  the  beginning  of 
this  sketch,  was  the  father  of  seven  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living:  Mary  J..  Kate,  Dora  and  Lula. 
Kate  married  Sherman  Luttrell,  and  is  the  mother 
of  two  children:  Rova  May  and  Lois.  Alice  (de- 
ceased) married  Jacob  Bowyer  of  this  county. 
She  left  three  children,  who  are  living  with  their 
grandfather.  Their  names  are  Scott  P.,  Mary  J., 
and  Herschel. 

When  Mr.  Peak  commenced  life  his  possessions 
consisted  of  a  horse,  saddle  and  bridle,  but  by  hard 
work  on  a  farm,  he  accummulatcd  enough  money 
from  his  monthly  wages  to  buy  a  place  containing 
118  acres  of  partially  improved  land,  soon  after 
his  marriage.  He  afterward  sold  this  farm  and 
purchased  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  this  county, 
adding  each  year  thereto  until  he  now  owns  330 
acres  of  rich  Illinois  prairie.  This  farm  is  all  un- 
der a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  upon  it  have 
been  erected  good  buildings.  He  does  :i  general  farm 
business  and  is  eminently  successful.  He  is  one  of 
that  class  of  farmers  who  believes  that  if  anything 
is  worth  doing  at  all,  it  is  worth  doing  well,  and 
upon  that  precept  he  has  built  up  a  reputation  as  a 
farmer  whose  method  of  operations  might  be  profi- 
tably imitated.  His  wife  and  children  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church. 

Mr.  Peak,  politically,  is  a  sound  Democrat,  and 
firmly  believes  in  the  principles  of  his  party,  al- 
though he  has  kept  aloof  from  politics  and  has  held 
no  office  except  that  of  Township  Trustee,  a  posi- 
tion whose  duties  were  discharged  in  his  usual 


* 


220 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


painstaking  manner.  He  has  often  served  on  the 
county  juries  and  as  a  Juryman  has  invariably 
given  satisfaction.  In  a  summary  of  his  life  Mr. 
Peak  may  be  truly  called  a  representative  Illinois 
farmer. 

Among  the  pleasant  homes  of  Morgan  County, 
views  of  which  appear  on  these  pages,  few  are 
more  attractive  externally  or  internally  than  the 
country  residence  of  Mr.  Peak.  It  portrays  the 
comforts  of  rural  life  amid  the  pleasant  prospects 
of  Nature. 

ARDIN  COX  is  thoroughly  identified  with 
the  extensive  agricultural  interests  of  Mor- 
gan County  as  one  of  its  energetic  and  suc- 
cessful farmers  and  stock-raisers.  He  is  pur- 
suing his  calling  on  the  place  where  his  father  located 
after  marriage,  township  16,  range  10,  and  where 
he  was  born  Oct.  17,  1847.  He  comes  of  good  old 
pioneer  stock,  his  grandfather,  Jeremiah  Cox,  hav- 
ing come  here  with  his  family  from  their  old  Ken- 
tucky home,  in  the  fall  of  1829,  in  the  very  early 
days  of  the  settlement  of  the  county,  and  cast  his 
lot  with  the  few  settlers  that  had  preceded  him  to 
this  section  of  Illinois.  He  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  on  this  homestead,  which  by  hard  labor  he 
developed  from  the  wild  prairies,  and  here  he  died 
Dec.  3,  18G2,  at  a  ripe  old  age.  He  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Md.,  and  at  the  age  of  six 
months  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood.  For  many  years  prior 
to  his  location  in  Illinois  he  was  a  resident  of 
Litchfield,  Grayson  Co.,  Ky.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried. The  wife  of  his  early  manhood  was  Harriet 
R.  Briscoe,  to  whom  he  was  married  April  30, 
1820.  She  was  born  Oct,  3,  1803,  and  died  July 
17,  1823,  leaving  two  children,  namely:  Charles, 
the  father  of  our  subject;  and  Eliza,  who  married 
John  Huffman,  and  subsequently  died.  Over  four 
years  later,  Dec.  3,  1827,  he  was  again  married,  to 
Margaret  Yates,  a  native  of  Washington  County, 
Ky.,  and  born  June  25,  1805.  To  them  were  born 
eleven  children,  of  whom  ten  survive.  The  wife 
and  mother  lived  for  many  years  thereafter,  pass- 
ing away  Nov.  2,_  1882. 

Charles  Cox,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 


in  Kentucky,  and  was  a  lad  of  eight  years  when 
his  parents  brought  him  to  this  county,  where  he 
grew  to  maturity.  He  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Francena  H.,  daughter  of  Spruce  Phillips, 
whose  sketch  is  published  in  this  volume.  They 
became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  as  follows; 
Hardin,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Evan,  deceased; 
Mary,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  William  J.  Miller; 
Jeremiah;  Hannah,  Mrs.  James  II.  Long;  Harriet, 
now  Mrs.  John  T.  Sample;  Lizzie,  deceased ;  and 
Charles.  The  father  was  bred  to  the  life  of  a  far- 
mer, and  followed  that  vocation  with  financial  suc- 
cess until  his  death,  April  27,  1885,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years,  one  month,  and  three  days.  He 
was  a  good  man  and  a  reliable  citizen,  who  pos- 
sessed the  confidence  and  res|>ect  of  all  about  him. 
His  wife  survived  him  until  May  28,  1888,  when 
she  too  passed  to  the  great  beyond,  aged  sixty-two 
years,  four  months,  and  ten  days.  She  was  a  true 
and  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
we  ma}-  remark  in  this  connection  that  the  paternal 
ancestry  of  our  subject  for  some  generations  be- 
longed to  the  Christian  denomination,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  his  grandfather,  who  was  converted 
from  that  faitli  to  Catholicism  by  his  second  wife. 

Hardin  Cox,  of  whom  these  lines  are  a  brief  life- 
record,  was  reared  on  the  homestead  where  he  was 
born,  and  where  lie  still  lives,  spending  a  part  of  his 
early  life  in  Jacksonville,  where  he  attended  school 
and  gained  a  practical  education.  When  it  came  time 
to  choose  his  life  work,  he  selected  that  of  a  fanner,  to 
which  his  tastes,  as  well  as  his  early  training  adapted 
him,  and  is  now  conducting  with  marked  success  the 
farm  which  his  father  gave  him.  It> comprises  240 
acres  of  land  under  high  cultivation  and  well  im- 
proved, having  a  fine  set  of  buildings  and  all  the 
modern  conveniences  for  carrying  on  farming  so 
as  to  obtain  the  best  results. 

To  the  wife  who  presides  so  plensantly  over  his 
home,  making  it  comfortable  and  attractive  not 
only  to  the  members  of  the  household,  but  to  all 
others,  Mr.  Cox  was  married  near  Somerset,  Ky., 
on  the  4th  of  February,  1885.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Mattie  J.  Saunders,  and  she  is  a  daughter  of 
G.  W.  and  Jane  (Long)  Saunders,  natives,  respect- 
ively of  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  and  residents  of 
the  latter  State.  Two  children,  Mabel  S.  and  11. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


221 


•t 


Charles,  have  come  to  gladden  the  home  and  wedded 
lives  of  our  subject  and  his  amiable  wife.  Prior 
to  her  marriage  Mrs.  Cox  was  engaged  in  teaching 
in  one  of  the  prominent  seminaries  of  Kentucky  for 
three  years. 

Mr.  Cox  in  1873  removed  to  Chicago  and  en- 
gaged in  the  live-stock  commission  business  with 
Robert  Strahorn  <fe  Co.,  drawing  a  salary  of  $1,800 
per  year  for  three  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  returned  to  his  farm,  where  he  has  since 
passed  his  time,  with  the  exception  of  three  months, 
during  which  time  he  was  solicitor  for  B.  F.  Harri- 
son &  Co.,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Cox  is  prompt  and  methodical  in  his  habits, 
which,  combined  with  steady  industry  and  thrifty 
management,  have  been  the  means  of  his  achieving 
an  assured  success  while  yet  in  the  prime  of  life. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  in  good  standing  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  the  record  of  their  lives 
shows  them  to  be  true  Christians.  Mr.  Cox  Is 
conservative  in  his  political  views,  and  coming 
from  a  Democratic  family,  follows  in  the  footsteps 
of  his  forefathers  in  politics. 


J~  l  OHN  .T.  GOODPASTURE.  Men  have  come 
i  to  this  county  from  all  points  of  the  com- 
!  pass,  and  the  most  of  them  have  possessed 
'  those  habits  of  industry  and  perseverence 
which  have  enabled  them  to  build  up  comfortable 
homes  and  become  reputable  and  praiseworthy  cit- 
izens. Second  to  none  in  his  township  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice,  who  is  pleasantly  located  on  sec- 
tion 21,  township  16,  range  11,  where  he  has  a  fine 
farm  of  ICO  acres  and  besides  this  owns  eighty- 
seven  acres  in  another  part  of  the  same  township. 
With  the  exception  of  five  years  spent  in  Nemeha 
County,  Kan.,  he  has  resided  on  this  farm  since 
the  fall  of  1864.  Mr.  Goodpasture  was  born  in 
Overtoil  County,  Tenn.,  about  1815.  of  parents 
who  were  natives  of  Virginia.  His  father,  Abra- 
ham Goodpasture,  after  his  marriage  settled  in  the 
western  part  of  Tennessee  where  lie  lived  until  about 
1826,  then  came  to  Illinois  and  took  a  tract  of  gov- 
ernment land  two  miles  east  of  the  present  city  of 


Jacksonville,  where  he  lived  until  1838.  Then  sell- 
ing out  he  purchased  land  in  township  16,  range  11, 
where  he  built  up  a  comfortable  homestead  and 
died  in  1866,  at  the  age  of  over  eighty  years. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  was  in  her  girlhood 
Miss  Hannah  Williard,  daughter  of  William  Wil- 
liard,  a  Revolutionary  soldier  who  fought  at  the 
battle  of  Yorktownand  in  many  other  engagements 
under  Gen.  Wayne.  He  was  a  favorite  with  his 
commander  and  was  one  of  those  selected  to  assist 
in  the  taking  of  Stony  Point.  He  si>ent  his  last 
years  in  Illinois.  The  mother  of  our  subject  sur- 
vived her  husband  a  number  of  years,  and  died  at 
the  home  of  her  son,  John  J.,  in  1882,  when  quite 
aged. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  little  more  than 
an  infant  when  his  parents  came  to  this  00111113% 
where  he  has  spent  nearly  his  entire  life.  He  was  first 
married  to  Miss  Emily  Long,  a  native  of  his  own 
State,  and  who  like  him  came  with  her  parents  to 
this  county  when  quite  young.  She  became  the 
mother  of  three  children,  and  departed  this  life  at 
the  homestead  in  January,  1849,  while  in  her  prime. 

The  children  of  this  marriage  were  all  daughters; 
Harriet  became  the  wife  of  John  Alexander,  and 
died  in  Kansas,  leaving  one  son;  Hannah  is  the 
widow  of  B.  H.  Job,  and  is  also  a  resident  of  Kan- 
sas; Mary  J.,  is  the  wife  of  William  Lay  ton,  and 
they  reside  on  a  farm  in  Cloud  County,  Kan. 

Our  subject  contracted  a  second  marriage  with 
Miss  Mahala  Ray  born,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who 
came  to  Illinois  in  her  youth  and  after  the  death 
of  her  mother.  Her  father  afterward  died  in  Ten- 
nessee. Our  subject  by  his  present  marriage  is  the 
father  of  three  children,  one  of  whom,  Maggie, 
died  when  an  interesting  young  woman.  Sarah  is 
the  wife  of  D.  K.  McCarthy,  and  they  are  living 
on  a  farm  in  the  same  township  as  our  subji-ct; 
Samuel  married  Miss  Belle  Long,  and  they  also 
occupy  a  farm  not  far  from  the  Goodpasture  home- 
stead. 

Our  subject,  politically,  does  not  confine  himself 
to  party  lines,  but  aims  to  support  the  men  whom 
he  considers  best  qualified  to  serve  the  interests  of 
the  people.  Aside  from  filling  the  office  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace  he  has  had  very  little  to  do  with  public 
affairs,  preferring  to  devote  his  best  efforts  to  his 


222 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


farming  interests.  He  has  one  of  the  pleasantest 
homes  in  the  county  and  one  which  indicates  in  a 
forcible  manner  the  enterprise,  industry  and  good 
taste  of  the  proprietor. 


•  I'        { 

If 


•<lf?  ARKIN  B.  SMITH.  The  enterprise  of  this 
gentleman  has  placed  him  in  the  front  rank 
among  the  successful  farmers  and  stock- 
growers  of  this  county.  He  has  a  fine  estate,  em- 
bracing 573  acres  of  land,  140  in  the  homestead 
proper,  which  is  located  on  section  16,  township 
16,  range  1 1 .  He  has  occupied  this  since  the  spring 
of  1867,  since  which  time  he  has  given  his  atten- 
tion mostly  to  the  breeding  of  fine  horses  and  cat- 
tle, of  which  he  has  a  goodly  assortment,  and  is  in 
the  habit  of  carrying  off  the  blue  ribbons. 

During  his  early  manhood  Mr.  Smith,  having 
much  mechanical  genius,  was  engaged  for  some 
time  as  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  but  farming  being 
more  congenial  to  his  tastes,  he  finally  changed  his 
occupation,  although  this  talent  has  served  him 
well  in  this  direction  also,  and  been  the  means  of 
saving  hundreds  of  dollars.  He  purchased  his  first 
land  direct  from  the  Government  and  this  he  still 
occupies.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this 
county,  coming  to  it  as  early  as  1835,  and  lived 
with  his  parents  at  what  is  now  Glasgow,  south  of 
Winchester,  in  Scott  County,  and  which  place  was 
laid  out  by  his  father.  Scott  was  then  embraced 
in  Morgan  County.  The  family  removed  to  what 
is  now  Morgan,  about  1839. 

A  native  of  Washington  County,  Ky.,  our  sub- 
ject was  born  four  miles  from  the  town  of  Spring- 
field, Jan.  14,  1816,  and  is  the  son  of  Ashford 
Smith,  who  served  under  Gen.  Harrison,  in  the 
War  of  1812,  as  First  Lieutenant  in  the  battle  of 
Tippecanoe.  lie  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  was  the 
son  of  John  Smith,  of  Fredericktown,  where  he 
spent  his  entire  life  engaged  in  farming  pursuits, 
after  having  served  as  a  Captain  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War.  He  married  a  Virginia  lad}-  and  became 
the  father  of  a  large  family. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  when  a  young  man  repaired  to  Spring- 
field, Ky.,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  tanner 


and  currier  and  where  he  lived  for  about  fifteen 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  turned 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  Wash- 
ington County,  Ky.,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Wright, 
daughter  of  William  Wright,  a  Virginian  farmer 
and  an  old  Revolutionary  soldier.  Mr.  Wright 
took  up  his  residence  in  Kentucky,  and  was  there 
married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Burdeen,  and  they  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Washington  County.  In  pay- 
ment for  his  services  as  a  soldier  Mr.  Wright  ob- 
tained a  warrant  for  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  after 
settling  upon  it  occupied  himself  with  its  im- 
provement. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  after  their  marriage 
settled  in  Springfield,  Ky.,  where  the  father  fol- 
lowed his  trade  of  a  tanner  most  of  the  time,  until 
coming  to  Illinois,  in  1835.  Here  he  selected  a 
tract  of  land  in  township  16,  range  11,  where  he 
built  up  a  comfortable  homestead  and  lived  to  be 
eighty-seven  yenrs  old.  The  wife  and  mother  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy -seven,  prior  to  the  demise  of 
her  husband.  Both  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  and  in  politics  Mr.  Smith  was 
an  old  line  Democrat. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  next  to  the  eldest 
of  his  parents'  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five 
daughters.  He  was  quite  young  when  coming  with 
them  to  Illinois,  and  spent  his  life  thereafter  until 
his  marriage,  in  this  county.  His  first  wife.  Miss 
Nancy  J.  Nash,  was  born  in  Coles  County,  this 
State,  but  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  this 
county  when  quite  young,  and  here  was  reared  to 
womanhood.  She  died  at  the  homestead  in  1849, 
in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  one  child,  Isaac  N., 
who  married  Miss  Sarah  Moss,  a  sister  of  George- 
M.  Moss,  whose  biograpln'  will  be  found  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Smith  was  a  sufferer  from 
consumption,  and  was  ill  for  some  time  before  her 
decease.  She  was  a  lady  possessing  many  friends, 
and  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Methodist 
Church. 

Our  subject  in  due  time  contracted  a  second 
marriage,  with  Miss  Martha  Goodpnsture,  who  was 
born  in  Overton  County,  Tenn.,  July  10,  1826. 
She  was  less  than  one  year  old,  when  her  father, 
Abraham  Goodpasture,  came  to  this  county.  A 
further  notice  of  the  family  will  be  found  in  the 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


225 


biography  of  John  J.  Goodpasture,  on  another 
page  in  this  ALBUM.  Mrs.  Smith  received  a  com- 
mon-school education,  and  remained  a  member  of 
the  parental  household  until  her  marriage.  Of  this 
union  there  were  born  twelve  children,  three  of 
whom  are  deceased,  namely:  William,  Melvina  and 
Elvina,  the  two  latter  twins.  The  eldest  son  liv- 
ing, Thomas  J.,  married  Miss  Maude  Zook,  and 
they  live  on  a  farm  in  township  16,  range  11. 
Larkin  B.  married  Miss  Jane  Richardson;  M.  Alice 
is  the  wife  of  John  Ham;  Marshall  married  Miss 
Ada  Morrison  ;  Sydney  married  Miss  Maria  Decker. 
The  above  all  live  in  the  same  township.  Eliza- 
beth J.  is  the  wife  of  Julius  Laughary,  and  they 
live  at  Arenzville,  in  Cass  County.  Lewis  A.  and 
Richard  P.  make  their  home  with  their  parents, 
the  former  engaged  as  a  teacher,  and  the  latter  as- 
sisting his  father  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  Smith  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
Martin  Van  Buren,  and  is  a  sound  Democrat,  first, 
last  and  all  the  time.  He  has  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  occupied  various  other  positions  of  trust. 
He  is  in  all  respects  looked  upon  as  a  representa- 
tive citizen,  one  who  lias  contributed  his  full  quota 
to  the  building  up  of  his  county. 


W.  MILLER,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, and  a  resident  of  Woodson  since  1872, 
was  born  in  St.  Charles  County,  Mo.,  May 
11,  1842.  His  parents,  Robert  and  Magdalene 
Simons)  Miller,  were  natives  of  Virginia,  and  the 
father  a  farmer  by  ocupation.  The  latter  was  born 
Feb.  22,  179G,  and  died  at  his  home  in  St.  Charles 
County,  Mo.,  April  30,  1871,  when  a  little  over 
seventy-five  years  of  age. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  one  of  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  Missouri,  settling  in  St.  Charles  County, 
in  1823.  He  entered  a  tract  of  wild  land,  and  be- 
came prominent  in  that  section,  serving  as  County 
Judge  and  as  a  Representative  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature of  18-19—50.  In  politics  he  was  an  uncom- 
promising Democrat,  and  one  of  the  leaders  of  his 
party  in  that  section.  lie  had  arisen  from  an  hum- 
ble position  in  life  solely  by  the  exercise  of  his 


own  industry  and  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
intelligence,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Rock- 
bridge  County,  Va.,  June  22,  1806.  and  died  at  the 
old  homestead  in  St.  Charles  County,  Mo.,  Feb.  1 1 , 
1881.  She  was  a  lady  possessing  all  the  Christian 
virtues,  and  a  devoted  member  of  the  Old  School 
Presbyterian  Church.  The  parental  household  in-- 
eluded  thirteen  children,  namely:  John,  James, 
Martha,  Mariainne,  Elizabeth,  Nancj',  Adelaide, 
Susan,  Sally;  George  W.,  our  subject;  Anna  T., 
Silas  W.and  Mary  Ellen.  Of  these  John,  Elizabeth, 
Adelaide  and  Nancy  are  deceased.  The  others  are 
residents  mostly  of  Missouri. 

Our  subject  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  in 
his  native  county,  where  he  made  his  home  until  :i 
young  man  of  twenty- three  years.  When  leaving 
the  parental  roof  he  proceeded  to  Jacksonville, 
111.,  where  he  entered  college,  taking  the  full  term 
of  three  years  in  the  scientific  course,  and  was 
graduated  in  1868.  From  college  he  established 
himself  in  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  where  he  commenced 
studying  medicine  under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  B. 
W.  Rogers,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years. 
Subsequently  he  attended  lectures  in  the  Medical 
College  at  St.  Louis,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
on  the  6th  of  March,  1871. 

Dr.  Miller  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Prentice,  this  county,  but  in  December  fol- 
lowing removed  to  Jacksonville,  of  which  he  con- 
tinued a  resident  and  practitioner  until  the  summer 
of  1872i  On  the  19th  of  June,  that  year,  he  estab- 
lished himself  at  Woodson,  where  he  has  since  con. 
tinued  to  reside. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  contracted  matrimon- 
ial ties  July  19, 1871,  with  Miss  Lucy  H.  Galbraith. 
Mrs.  Miller  was  born  March  17,  1845,  in  Jackson- 
ville, 111.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Salty 
(Crume)  Galbraith,  who  were  natives  respectively 
of  Pennsylvania  and  Kentucky.  The  father  was 
born  Jan.  9,  1799,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Jack- 
sonville, III.,  July  28,  1863.  The  mother  was  born 
Jan.  21,  1807,  and  passed  away  eleven  years  after 
the  death  of  her  husband  in  Jacksonville,  Feb.  23, 
1874.  Mr.  Galbraith  was  formally  years  a  copper- 
smith by  trade,  and  with  his  excellent  wife  was  a 
member  in  good  standing  of  the  Christian  Church. 


t 


226 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


f 


They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Miller  was  next  to  the  youngest.  Of  her 
union  with  our  subject  there  were  born  three  chil- 
dren— Sally  Edith,  George  Ernest  and  Grace  Ern- 
estine, all  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 

Mrs.  Miller  departed  this  life  Feb.  6,  1888,  in 
the  forty-third  year  of  her  age.  She  was  a  most 
amiable  Christian  lady,  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
her,  and  a  zealous  worker  in  the  Christian  Church, 
to  which  she  had  belonged  a  number  of  years. 
Possessed  of  fine  musical  talents,  she  was  an  adept 
with  the  violin  and  a  splendid  performer  on  the 
piano  and  organ.  Ever  ready  to  advance  worthy 
enterprises  having  for  their  object  the  social  and 
moral  welfare  of  the  community,  she  cheerfully 
presided  at  the  various  entertainments  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  by  her  pleasant  face  and  loveable  diposi- 
tion  made  herself  a  favorite  with  all,  especially  the 
young.  In  her  death  the  community  lost  one  of 
its  brightest  lights,  and  her  husband  his  most  cher- 
ished friend. 

Politically,  Dr.  Miller  supports  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party.  In  the  Masonic  fraternity 
he  has  held  the  office  of  Past  Master  for  a  period 
of  four  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  to  the  support  of  which  he  contributes 
liberally  of  his  means,  and  in  whose  welfare  he  is 
warmly  interested. 

A  portrait  of  Dr.  Miller  is  worthy  of  an  honored 
place  among  the  prominent  residents  of  Woodson. 


BENJAMIN  DYE  has  been  a  resident  of 
Morgan  County  nearly  thirty  years,  and 
during  that  time  has  been  prosperously  pur- 
suing agriculture  and  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent farmers  of  township  15,  range  10.  Here  he 
has  a  beautiful  home,  replete  with  all  the  modern 
conveniences  and  comforts,  of  a  pleasing  style  of 
architecture  and  constructed  of  brick.  His  farm 
com  prises  a  quarter  of  section  12,  and  it  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  managed  and  most  desirable 
in  tliis  part  of  the  county. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  April 
30,  1828,  in  Miami  Co.  Ohio,  within  five  miles  of 
the  town  of  Troy.  His  father,  Vincent  Dye,  was 


a  native  of  the  same  county,  born  in  the  early  days 
of  its  settlement,  and  after  attaining  to  manhood  he 
undertook  the  pioneer  task  of  constructing  a  farm 
from  the  primeval  forest  in  that  wild,  sparsely  settled 
part  of  the  country.  He  took  unto  him  a  wife, 
Rebecca  Swills,  and  seven  children  blessed  their 
union,  three  of  whom  are  living:  our  subject; 
Maria,  now  Mrs.  Harris,  of  Indiana;  Fanny,  (Mrs. 
Kllidge)  of  Missouri.  In  1832,  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  Tippecanoe  Co.,  Ind.,  and  became  a  pio- 
neer there.  In  1859,  he  made  another  move  and  be- 
came a  pioneer  of  still  another  State,  this  time  set- 
tling in  Bates  County,  Missouri.  He  was  not  allowed 
to  remain  in  undisturbed  possession  of  his  new  home 
very  long,  but  on  account  of  his  strong  union  and 
anti-slavery  sentiments,  which  he  was  too  noble  to 
disguise  even  for  peace  and  safety,  he  was  driven 
out  of  that  county,  and  returning  to  Indiana  in 
1861,  he  died  therein  the  month  of  August,  aged 
sixty-five  years,  and  now  lies  quietly  sleeping  his 
last  sleep  near  Dayton,  Ind.  He  was  a  good  and 
true  man,  whose  honorable,  manly  course  through 
life  merited  the  highest  respect.  His  wife  stayed 
in  Missouri  after  his  departure  to  look  after  their 
property,  and  after  the  close  of  the  war  came  to 
Illinois  and  made  her  home  with  our  subject  till 
she  closed  her  eyes  in  death  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  years. 

Our  subject  inherited  from  his  worthy  parents 
many  sterling  traits  of  character  that  have  made 
him  a  strong,  manly  man,  true  to  those  high  princi- 
ples that  they  inculcated  by  precept  and  example. 
He  was  a  child  of  four  years  when  he  was  taken 
from  the  beautiful  scenes  of  his  early  home  to  In- 
diana, and  there,  near  Dayton,  seven  miles  from 
LaFayette,  where  his  father  took  up  new  land,  he 
grew  to  manhood,  obtaining  a  good,  practical  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools.  After  his  school- 
days were  over  he  engaged  with  his  father  in  farm- 
ing till  lie  attained  his  majority,  when  he  worked 
on  a  farm  for  some  one  else  at  first,  and  after  a 
little  had  a  farm  of  his  own.  He  began  with  eighty 
acres  of  timber  land,  which  lie  improved  into  a  fine 
farm  before  he  left  it,  and  erected  a  good  frame 
house  and  other  buildings.  When  he  first  started 
out  in  life,  desiring  a  companion  and  helpmate,  Mr. 
Dye  asked  Miss  Sarah  Bugher  to  share  his  fate  and 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


227      , 


fortunes  with  him,  and  they  were  united  in  mar- 
riage in  June,  1850.  Mrs.  Dye  is  an  Indianian  by 
birth,  born  about  six  miles  south  of  Delphi,  the 
county  seat  of  Carroll  County,  in  1 829,  and  she  lived 
under  the  parental  roof  till  her  marriage.  Her 
father,  Samuel  Bugher,  was  a  native  of  Miami 
County,  Ohio,  and  was  there  married  to  Miss 
Nancy  Sehaeffer,  who  was  born  near  Troy,  that 
State.  They  moved  to  Indiana  at  the  same  time 
that  the  parents  of  our  subject  did,  and  lived  there 
till  after  the  marriage  of  their  daughter  and  our 
subject,  when  they  went  to  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Sehaef- 
fer died  there,  and  his  wife  also,  her  death  proceeding 
his.  He  was  always  a  farmer  and  also  owned  and 
managed  a  mill. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dye  were  born  twelve  children, 
ten  of  whom  are  living,  four  of  them  born  in  In- 
diana, and  all  have  received  good  school  advan- 
tages and  are  well-bred.  Ollie  Ann,  is  now  Mrs. 
Ezra  Brown,  of  Cowley  County,  Kansas;  Eugene, 
who  lives  at  home,  married  Margaret  Miller,  and 
they  have  two  daughters;  Belle  and  Rebecca  are  at 
home,  the  latter  a  teacher;  Sampson  is  in  Cowley 
County,  Kan.;  Nancy  and  Rhoda  are  at  home; 
Lewis  is  farming  with  his  father;  Benjamin,  Jr., 
and  John  are  at  home. 

Mr.  Dye  became  a  man  of  prominence  in  his 
Indiana  home,  although  he  avoided  politics,  and 
he  served  in  all-  the  School  and  various  District 
offices.  On  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
partjr  he  bravely  took  sides  with  it  and  advocated 
its  principles,  although  he  knew  that  in  doing  so  in 
that  part  of  the  country  where  he  was  then  resid- 
ing his  very  life  was  in  danger,  the  pro-slavery 
element  predominating  and  the  Southern  senti- 
ment very  strong.  He  incurred  the  hatred  and 
animosity  of  his  neighbors,  who  called  him  a  "black 
abolitionist,"  and  pitched  on  to  him  and  he  barely 
escaped  having  serious  trouble.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  militia  or  home  guards,  Companj'  B,  10th  Ind. 
and  accompanied  his  regiment  to  Virginia  at  the 
time  of  the  call  for  "100  day"  volunteers.  Prior 
to  going  on  this  expedition  Mr.  Dye  deemed  it  ex- 
pedient to  sell  his  property  in  Indiana,  and  did  so 
in  the  spring  of  1801.  But  he  did  not  come  to 
Morgan  County,  this  State,  till  the  fall  of  1861, 
when  he  bought  his  present  farm,  the  land  of 


which  was  improved  to  some  extent,  and  he  has 
ever  since  been  a  valued  resident  of  this  township. 
His  removal  to  this  place  was  made  with  teams  and 
it  took  ten  days  to  accomplish  the  journey. 

In  the  twenty-eight  years  that  have  elapsed 
since  our  subject  came  here  to  dwell  among  the 
kindly,  hospitable  people  of  this  township,  he  has 
shown  himself  an  open-hearted,  generous,  public- 
spirited  citizen,  one  who  is  ever  on  the  side  of  the 
right,  ready  to  succor  the  needy  and  unfortunate, 
and  who  has  at  heart  the  good  of  the  community. 
He  and  his  wife  are  highly  esteemed  in  social  cir- 
les,  and  for  a  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F. 


ffiSAAC  HALE.  The  snug  farm  of  120  acres 
belonging  to  this  gentleman  is  pleasantly  lo- 
/ii  cated  on  section  31,  township  16,  range  12,  and 
comprises  land  which  he  cleared  from  the  wilder- 
ness mostly  with  his  own  hands,  building  up  a 
comfortable  homestead.  He  has,  in  common  with 
the  men  around  him,  labored  early  and  late,  and  is 
recognized  as  possessing  all  the  qualities  of  a  use- 
ful and  worthy  member  of  his  community.  lie  is 
a  native  of  Hancock  County,  Ky.,  and  was  born 
Aug.  24,  1823. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  William  and 
Catherine  (Snyder)  Hale,  who  were  probably  born 
and  reared  in  Virginia,  and  removed  thence  to 
Kentucky  at  an  early  da3r.  The  father  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and,  after  the  conflict 
had  ended,  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits. Isaac  remained  in  Kentucky  until  the  fall 
of  1845,  then  emigrated  to  this  State  and  settled  in 
what  is  now  known  as  Cass  County,  where  he  lived 
until  the  spring  of  1859.  Then,  crossing  the  Mis- 
sissippi, he  established  himself  in  Saline  County, 
Mo.,  where  he  sojourned  about  two  and  one-half 
years,  and  then,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  made  his  wa}- 
to  Central  Illinois  and  settled  upon  a  part  of  the 
land  which  he  now  owns  and  occupies. 

The  first  purchase  of  Mr.  Hale  in  this  county 
was  eighty  acres,  mostly  covered  with  timber, 
which  he  cleared  and  brought  to  a  state  of  culti- 
vation. His  labors,  however,  were  interrupted  by 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  and,  after  watching 


f 


228 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


f 


the  conflict,  be  finally  enlisted,  March  18,  1865,  in 
Company  K,  28th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  ordered 
with  his  regiment  to  Mobile.  In  July  following 
he  was  among  those  who  crossed  the  Gulf  to 
Mexico  with  the  view  of  enforcing  the  Monroe 
Doctrine.  The  war  had  now  closed,  and  he  soon 
after  returned  to  this  county,  since  which  time  he 
has  given  his  close  attention  to  his  farming  in- 
terests. 

Mr.  Hale  was  married  in  Kentucky,  Jan.  9, 
1845,  to  Miss  Lurissa  J.  Lake,  who  was  born  in 
Perry,  Ind.,  but  was  reared  in  Kentucky.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Mary  Lake.  This  union 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  eight  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living:  Minor  P.  is  a  resident  of  Kansas; 
Mary  C.  is  the  wife  of  C.  AV.  Hyde,  of  Meredosia 
Precinct;  Martha  J.  become  the  wife  of  Milton 
Sibert,  of  Jacksonville;  William  J.  is  a  resident  of 
Meredosia;  Israel  L.  resides  on  the  homestead; 
Charles  T.  makes  his  home  at  Meredosia;  Harriet 
II.  is  the  wife  of  David  Burruss,  of  Meredosia;  and 
David  H.  died  when  nine  months  old. 

A  man  essentially  the  architect  of  his  own  fort- 
une, Mr.  Hale  has  labored  under  many  disadvan- 
tages, but  was  endowed  by  nature  with  the  quali- 
ties of  industry  and  perseverance,  which  have 
placed  him  in  a  good  (wsition  among  his  fellow- 
men.  His  education,  which  was  quite  limited,  was 
conducted  in  the  primitive  log  school-house  of 
Kentucky  on  the  subscription  plan.  The  temple  of 
learning  in  its  furnishings  was  widely  different 
from  the  buildings  of  the  present  day,  the  floor 
being  made  of  puncheon  and  the  seats  and  desks  of 
slabs  with  home-made  wooden  legs.  Light  was  ad- 
mitted through  greased  paper,  which  was  stretched 
along  the  aperture  formed  by  sawing  out  a  log  on 
one  side  of  the  building,  and  a  huge  fireplace  occu- 
pied nearly  one  end  of  the  structure;  the  chimney 
was  built  outside  of  earth  and  sticks. 

The  Western  country  at  that  time  was  less  de- 
veloped than  the  Blue  Grass  regions,  and  Mr. 
Hale  has  been  the  interested  witness  of  the  extra- 
ordinary changes  taking  place  around  him.  He  is 
now  serving  as  a  School  Trustee  in  a  district  of 
well-educated  and  civilized  people,  whose  chil- 
dren con  their  lessons  in  a  shapely  and  well-fur- 
nished building  from  an  abundance  of  books.  In 


Mr.  Hale's  boyhood  one  book  usually  went  through 
the  family,  and  was  used  until  worn  out.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  politically,  and  in  favor  of  all  enterprises 
set  on  foot  for  the  general  good  of  the  people.  The 
duties  of  life  began  with  him  at  the  early  age  of 
five  years,  when  he  was  set  to  work  in  the  tobacco 
fields  for  his  father,  and  from  that  time  on  knew 
little  rest  or  recreation. 

While  with  the  army  in  Mexico  Mr.  Hale  was 
principally  on  picket  duty,  and  was  elected  Cor- 
poral. The  experience  was  a  useful  one,  full  of 
interest,  and  upon  which  he  looks  back  with  the 
feeling  that  it  afforded  him  opportunities  for  ob- 
servation of  men  and  a  section  of  country,  and 
which,  from  actual  experience,  he  can  retain  in  his 
memory  belter  than  if  he  had  read  it  from  books. 


OHN  LEACH  is  a  well-known  agriculturist 
of  Morgan  County,  and  owns  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  farms  on  the  "Mound  Road." 
three  miles  nearly  due  west  from  Jackson- 
ville. The  buildings  on  this  farm  are  of  the  kind 
that  exhibit  the  character  of  the  owner.  Every- 
thing about  them  denotes  skill,  intelligence  and  in- 
dustry. Mr.  Leach  is  one  of  the  few  men  in  this 
world  who  believes  that  the  best  is  the  cheapest. 
His  farm  is  well  stocked  with  good  fattening  grades 
of  cattle,  and  he  feeds  a  large  number  of  cattle  and 
hogs  for  the  market.  He  also  deals  in  mules  and 
horses. 

The  home  farm  of  our  subject  consists  of  388 
acres,  every  acre  of  which  is  in  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. He  also  owns  112  acres  of  good  land  in 
one  farm,  and  another  lot  of  175  acres,  both  highly 
improved.  In  another  part  of  the  township  he  has 
a  40-acre  lot  in  grass,  and  besides  all  this  land  he 
is  the  owner  of  twenty  acres  of  fine  timber.  In 
Scott  County  he  also  has  a  farm  of  174  acres  of 
well-improved  land.  Mr.  Leach  is  a  firm  believer 
in  the  principle  of  underdraining  land,  and  has  sev- 
eral miles  of  tiling  on  his  different  farms.  He 
thinks  that  money  spent  in  this  direction  will  bring 
large  returns  on  the  capital  invested.  Mr.  Leach's 
homestead  is  an  original  purchase  made  by  his 
father  from  the  Government,  the  latter  having  en- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


229 


tcred,  in  1829,  a  quarter-section  of  land,,  upon 
which  his  son's  house  now  stands, and  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 
His  name  was  John  Leach,  Sr.,  and  he  was  born  in 
Yorkshire,  England,  as  were  his  father  and  mother. 

John  Leach,  Sr.,  was  reared  as  a  farmer  in  his 
native  country.  He  married  Miss  Ann  Duckies, 
daughter  of  John  Duckies.  After  the  senior  Leach 
was  married  he  commenced  farming,  and  so  contin- 
ued until  lie  died.  Three  children  were  born  to 
them:  Mary,  who  died  at  Lynnville,  after  having 
been  married  twice;  Sarah  was  married  three  times, 
and  died  in  this  county  at  the  age  of  thirty-six 
years.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  youngest 
of  the  three  that  were  born  in  England.  His  birth 
occurred  March  2;">,  1823.  In  the  spring  of  1829, 
the  father,  mother  and  three  children  sailed  from 
Liverpool  on  the  ship  "John  Wells,"  and  after  a 
voyage  of  six  weeks  and  two  days  landed  at  Phila- 
delphia, whence  they  came  by  land  and  water  to 
Morgan  County.  This  country  then  being  new, 
the  family  endured  many  hardships,  so  that  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Leach  became  nearly  discouraged,  and  contem- 
plated returning  to  their  mother  country.  The 
clouds  soon  lifted,  however,  and  everything  was 
bright  for  them  until  they  died.  Mrs.  Leech  sur- 
vived her  husband  for  several  years.  She  died 
about  1876,  being  nearly  ninety  years  old,  and  in 
possession  of  her  full  faculties  of  mind  and  body 
up  to  the  time  she  was  called  away.  The}'  were 
members  of  the  English  Church,  and  the  senior 
Mr.  Leach,  politically,  was  a  Whig. 

After  the  father  and  mother  of  John  Leach,  Jr., 
came  to  this  country  they  became  the  parents  of 
one  child,  Eliza,  who  married  Daniel  White.  She 
died  at  Oxville,  Scott  Co.,  III.,  leaving  no  children. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood  at 
home,  and  was  from  the  start  a  successful  business 
man.  He  was  married,  in  Morgan  County,  to  Miss 
Mary  Bealby,  who  was  born  in  Lynnville,  111.,  in 
1835.  Her  father  Samuel  Uealby,  was  a  native  of 
England,  whence  he  went  to  Jamaica,  and  operated 
a  coffee  plantation  near  Kingston.  There  he  mar- 
ried, and  soon  after  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  locating  at  Lynnville,  III.,  and  there  lived 
until  he  died.  Mrs.  Leach's  mother  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-four  years,  consequently  she  was  left 


an  orphan  young  in  life.  She  is  the  mother  of 
eleven  children,  two  of  whom,  Ettie  and  Tillie, 
are  deceased.  The  latter  died  when  a  promising 
young  lady;  Ettie  was  the  wife  of  Stephen  S. 
Knowles,  of  Jacksonville,  and  she  died  when  in 
her  twenty-sixth  year;  Georgiana,  the  wife  of 
William  Coultas.  now  deceased,  is  living  on  West 
State  Street,  Jacksonville;  Eliza  is  the  wife  of  Jud 
Hoston,  and  they  are  living  on  a  farm  in  Morgan 
County;  John  married  Nellie  Den  by;  Edward  is 
unmarried,  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Scott 
County;  Allie  is  a  farmer  of  Morgan  County; 
while  Ilattie,  Laura,  Frank  and  Leslie  are  at  home. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leach  are  prominent  factors  in  so- 
ciety, of  the  community  in  which  they  live,  and  are 
universally  respected  for  their  qualities  of  rnind  and 
heart.  Mr.  Leach  is  a  reliable  Republican,  and  has 
held  numerous  local  offices,  which  lie  has  filled  with 
his  usual  pains-taking  manner. 


OBERT  HILLS  is  a  general  farmer  and 
stock  raiser,  and  is  pleasantly  located  on 
section  32,  township  15,  range  11,  at  which 
place  he  owns  a  well-improved  farm  of  170 
acres.  Mr.  Hills  has  been  successful,  and  is  well 
and  favorably  known  as  a  first-class  farmer.  He 
has  resided  on  this  farm  continuously  since  his 
marriage. 

Mr.  Hills  came  to  this  country  in  1857,  from 
Durham,  England,  where  he  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Gainford,  Jan.  20,  1840.  He  came  of  Scotch 
ancestry,  his  grandfather,  Robert  Hills,  having 
come  from  Scotland  with  his  parents  when  a  small 
boy.  His  grandfather  spent  the  inos'.  of  his  life  in 
Durham  and  Yorkshire  as  a  farmer,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years,  and  was  buried  in  Durham 
County.  He  married  Sarah  Gibson,  a  native  of 
England,  who  lived  and  died  there.  It  is  a  note- 
worthy fact  that  the  family  are  very  long-lived 
people.  The  grandfather  spoken  of,  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  and  all  lived 
to  be  nearly  seventy  years  or  older,  and  some  as 
old  as  eighty  years.  The  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  notice,  Edmund  Hills,  was  one  of  the  younger 


T 


230 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


of  tliis  remarkable  family  of  thirteen  children.  They 
were  all  well  known  as  temperance  people  of  good 
habits,  and  high  moral  qualities.  Edmund  Hills 
grew  up  in  the  county  where  he  was  born,  and  be- 
gan life  as  an  English  farmer  usually  does,  and  is 
still  living  in  Durham  County,  over  seventy  years 
of  age,  and  is  stout  and  active.  He  was  married 
to  Mary  Howe,  of  English  birth  and  parentage, 
and  born  in  Durham  County,  where  she  has  since 
lived.  Edmund  Hills  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  are  well  thought  of  in  their 
community.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
eldest.  In  the  family  of  children  there  were  five 
sons  and  seven  daughters,  and  of  these  four  sons 
and  six  daughters  are  still  living.  Robert,  two 
brothers  and  a  sister  are  residents  of  the  United 
States,  and  all, are  married. 

Robert  Hills,  of  whom  this  biography  is  written, 
was  reared  in  his  native  country,  and  on  April  22, 
1857,  he  started  for  America,  taking  passage  at 
Liverpool  on  the  Steamship  "Kangaroo,"  of  the  In- 
man  line,  and  after  a  voyage  of  thirteen  days, 
landed  at  New  York  City,  when  he  immediately 
set  his  face  westward  and  came  to  Morgan  County. 
At  this  time  he  was  under  age,  and  began  life  in 
his  new  home  as  a  laborer.  He  continued  in  this 
occupation  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  at 
the  bride's  home,  in  this  township,  April  27,  1862, 
Miss  Sarah  Allinson  becoming  his  wife.  She  was 
born  on  the  old  Allinson  homestead  on  section  2, 
township  15,  range  11.  She  is  the  eldest  child  of 
Adam  Allinson,  who  was  born  not  many  miles  from 
Gould,  in  Yorkshire,  England,  in  1801.  He  came 
of  English  ancestry,  and  was  the  son  of  Adam  Alli- 
son, who  had  been  a  blacksmith  and  veterinary  sur- 
geon, and  who  was  married  to  an  English  lady  of 
his  native  shire,  to  whom  was  born  two  children — 
Thomas  and  Adam,  Jr.  Thomas  Allinson  learned 
the  trade  of  his  father,  that  of  blacksmith,  and  when 
yet  a  young-man  left  his  home  for  America,  being 
the  first  of  his  family  to  cross  the  sea,  this  being 
about  the  year  1819.  For  a  time  he  lived  in  South- 
ern Indiana,  and  latet  his  father,  mother  and 
brother  Adam  came  over,  in  1820,  and  joined  him. 
The  father  of  Thomas  and  Adam  died  soon  after 
landing  in  Indiana,  being  then  an  old  man.  In 


1821  the  younger  brother,  Adam,  father  of  Mrs. 
Hills,  constructed  a  primitive  Hatboat,  which  lie 
launched  on  the  Wabash  River,  placed  all  his 
worldly  possessions  thereon,  and  started  down  the 
river.  He  floated  down  the  Ohio  to  Cairo,  and 
then  poled  his  boat  up  the  Mississippi  River  to 
Naples.  On  his  way  up  the  Illinois  River  to  reach 
Naples,  he  passed  through,  what  to  him  was  a  very 
lonely  country.  He,  however,  set  out  for  Jackson- 
ville, and  in  the  same  year  began  to  look  around 
for  some  of  the  rich  Government  land  that  was 
then  to  be  had  in  this  county.  He  found  what  he 
wanted,  and  preempted  the  land  on  which  the 
County  Poor  Farm  and  the  Illinois  State  College 
are  located,  but  later,  to  procure  just  the  home  he 
wanted,  he  came  on  to  township  15,  range  11,  and 
preempted  several  hundred  acres  of  land.  He 
here  found  the  most  eligible  building  spot  in  the 
county,  on  a  knoll  of  considerable  elevation,  over- 
looking a  large  scope  of  country,  and  here  he  built 
his  first  house  before  he  was  yet  married.  He  has 
built  and  re-built  since,  until  his  now  beautiful 
homestead  stands  as  a  monument  to  his  memory. 
His  death  occurred  in  1880,  he  having  reached  the 
age  of  fourscore.  It  was  soon  after  he  had  come 
to  this  county  that  the  mother  and  an  older  brother, 
Thomas,  came  on  and  joined  him.  Thomas  located 
the  property  where  Mr.  Robert  Hills  now  lives, 
and  made  that  his  home  until  1856,  when  he  went 
to  Macon  County,  III.,  and  purchased  1300  acres  of 
railroad  land  and  improved  it.  He  there  died,  in 
1863,  at  a  ripe  old  age.  The  mother  of  the  two 
boys,  Thomas  and  Adam,  lived  with  the  latter  until 
her  death,  which  occurred  some  years  after  she 
came  to  Morgan  County,  aged  sixty-six  years. 

After  Adam  Allinson  had  come  to  this  county  he 
married  Miss  Mary  Norwood,  who  was  a  native  of 
Yorkshire,  and  whose  parents,  Robert  and  Sarah 
Norwood,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1827,  and 
made  a  settlement  in  Morgan  County.  Here  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Norwood  lived  and  died,  the  former  dying  in 
1836,  of  cholera,  the  period  when  that  disease  was 
epidemic  in  Illinois;  his  wife  dying  some  years 
later.  Mr.  Norwood  was  a  miller,  and  ran  the  mill 
which  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Allinson,  had  built,  which 
is  probably  the  first  one  erected  in  this  county.  Its 
motive  power  was  supplied  by  oxen,  eight  or  ten 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


231 


of  these  animals  treading  a  wheel  forty  feet  in 
diameter.  The  customers  of  this  mill  came  from 
sixty  miles  around. 

Mrs.  Mary  Allinson  was  a  young  woman  when 
her  parents  came  to  America.  She  died  in  1874, 
some  years  before  her  husband,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
six  years.  She  attended  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  was  a  good  mother  and  neighbor. 
Three  of  her  six  children  are  now  deceased : 
Thomas,  Sr.;  Thomas,  Jr.;  and  Ann,  who  was  the 
wife  of  John  Funk.  She  died  in  Morgan  County, 
leaving  two  sons.  The  living  children  are:  Mrs. 
Hills;  Mary,  wife  of  George  Bramham,  and  the 
youngest  of  the  family,  Adam,  whose  biography  ap- 
pears in  another  part  of  this  volume.  Mrs.  Hills, 
is  the  mother  of  four  children,  one  of  whom,  Rob- 
ert, is  deceased;  he  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years,  and  was  a  bright  young  man.  The  living 
are  as  follows:  Leonard  married  Sarah  McFarlane; 
the}'  are  living  on  a  farm  in  Morgan  County. 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Packard,  lives  on  a  farm 
near  Franklin;  Adam  E.  is  at  home,  and  a  bright 
bov.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hills  attend  the  Methodist 
Kpiscopal  Church,  and  politically  Mr.  Hills  believes 
that  the  Republican  party  is  right. 


JAMESON,  Sheriff  of  Morgan 
County,  became  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
Jacksonville  over  thirty  years  ago,  in  the 
fall  of  1856.  He  has  consequently  witnessed  its 
transformation  from  an  unimportant  village  to  its 
present  wealth  and  prosperity.  He  first  opened  his 
eyes  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  in  North- 
nniberlandshire,  England,  Feb.  17,  1837,  and  is  the 
son  of  George  and  Mary  (Chat)  Jameson,  who  were 
also  of  English  birth  and  parentage.  The  father 
followed  blacksmithing  through  life,  and  departed 
hence  in  1851),  at  Wales.  The  mother  survived 
her  husband  a  period  of  twenty-seven  years,  re- 
maining a  widow,  and  passed  away  at  Ilexham,  in 
Northumberland,  England,  in  March,  1886.  There 
were  only  two  children  in  the  family,  both  sons,  of 
whom  George  is  the  only  one  living.  His  brother, 
John,  met  with  a  violent  death  in  England,  having 
been  run  down  on  a  railroad  track  and  instantly 


killed.     He  was  a  contractor  by  occupation,   and 
fifty  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  commenced  work  at 
lilacksmithing  in  the  shop  of  his  father  when  a  lad 
of  thirteen  yeais.  He  was  thus  occupied  six  years, 
and  when  a  youth  of  nineteen  crossed  the  Atlantic, 
settling  first  in  Toronto,  Canada,  where  he  remained 
three  months.  Then  coming  to  the  States,  he  made 
his  way  at  once  to  'this  county,  where  he  worked 
as  a  journeyman  blacksmith  until  the  spring  of 
1859.  Then  opening  a  shop  he  began  business  in 
a  modest  manner,  and  has  still  continued  thus  em- 
ployed, being  very  successful,  and  having  usually 
from  six  to  ten  men,  including  three  of  his  sons. 
These  latter  now  have  the  general  charge  of  the 
business.  Mr.  Jameson  has  been  quite  prominent 
in  local  affairs,  being  first  elected  Alderman  of  the 
Third  Ward  and  holding  this  office  two  terms. 
He  was  elected  County  Sheriff  in  1886,  and  was  the 
second  Republican  elected  to  this  office  in  Morgan 
County.  He  has  had  four  deputies — John  G. 
Loomis,  William  D.  Matthews,  A.  G.  Austin  (who 
died  in  August,  1887,)  and  W.  T.  Lay  ton.  He 
also  has  a  turnkey,  Charles  E.  Goodrich. 

Mr.  Jameson  sometime  ago  wisely  invested  a 
portion  of  his  capital  in  land,  purchasing  a  farm  of 
420  acres,  four  miles  south  of  the  city.  This  is  un- 
der a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  provided  with 
all  modern  improvements.  It  is  operated  by  a 
tenant.  The  residence  of  Mr.  Jameson,  which, 
with  its  surroundings,  comprises  one  of  the  finest 
dwellings  in  this  city,  is  located  at  the  corner  of 
Harding  and  Morton  streets,  and  has  in  connection 
with  it  three  acres  of  ground.  Surrounding  the 
residence  are  beautiful  shade  and  ornamental  trees, 
the  buildings  are  in  the  modern  style  of  architect- 
ure, and  the  whole  forms  a  lovely  home.  Presiding 
over  its  domestic  affairs  is  a  very  estimable  lady, 
formerly  Mrs.  James  Spires,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Novenlber,  1886. 

Mr.  Jameson  was  first  married  in  1860,  when 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  to  Miss  Mary  JaneCoul- 
tas,  who  was  born  at  Lj'nnville,  this  county,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  William  and  Jane  Coultas,  who 
were  numbered  among  the  prominent  residents  of 
the  county.  Of  this  union  there  were  born  nine 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Jennie, 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


i 


Mr?.  Spires,  is  a  resident  of  Jacksonville  and  the 
mother  of  one  child,  a  son,  George;  William  L. 
married  Miss  Neil  Seymour,  and  they  live  in  Jack- 
sonville; John  R.,  George,  Grace  and  Frank  are  all 
residents  of  Jacksonville. 

Mr.  Jameson  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
Lincoln,  and  since  that  time  has  uniformly  given 
his  support  to  the  Republican  party.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Mrs.  Mary  Jameson 
departed  this  life,  at  her  home  in  Jacksonville,  in 
1879.  It  has  been  remarked  of  her  by  those  who 
knew  her  best,  that  she  was  an  "  every-day  Chris- 
tian." A  kind  wife  and  a  devoted  mother,  she 
sought  only  the  good  of  those  around  her.  She 
had  been  for  many  years  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  adorned  her 
profession  in  her  daily  walk  and  conversation. 

Considering  the  fact  that  Mr.  Jameson  came  to 
this  county-  poor  in  purse  and  without  any  other 
resources  than  his  stout  heart  and  willing  hands,  in 
noting  his  position  among  men  to-day  it  will  be 
acknowledged  that  he  merits  the  plaudit  of  "  well 
done."  Not  only  has  he  given  strict  attention  to 
his  own  business  affairs,  but  he  has  signalized  him- 
self as  a  liberal-minded  and  public-spirited  citizen, 
giving  cheerful  assistance  to  the  projects  set  on 
foot  having  for  their  object  the  general  good  of 
the  community.  He  has  twice  revisited  his  native 
land,  taking  in  also  Scotland  and  France. 


RS.  HANNAH  E.  DUNAVAN,  widow  of 
the  late  James  W.  Dunavau,  is  a  woman 
of  more  than  ordinary  force  of  character 
and  business  capacity,  and  is  numbered 
among  the  successful,  substantial  agriculturists  of 
Morgan,  her  native  county.  She  comes  of  sterling 
New  England  stock,  and  is  a  worthy  daughter  of  a 
pioneer  family.  After  her  husband's  death  she 
bought  the  fine  farm  cm  which  she  lives,  which  is 
beautifully  located  on  section  24,  township  15, 
range  10,  three  miles  from  the  centre  of  the  public 
square  in  Jacksonville. 

Timothy  Chamberlain,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  the  historical  old  city  of  Salem,  Mass., 
and  lived  there  until  after  his  marriage  with  Miss 


Mary  Dennis.  He  subsequently  moved  to  this 
State  and  located  in  this  county.  Here  his  wife 
died  after  the  birth  of  ten  children, and  Mr.  Cham- 
berlain afterward  married  Miss  Julia  Fairweather 
and  our  subject  was  the  only  child  born  to  them. 
Mrs.  Chamberlain  was  the  daughter  of  Richard 
Fairweather,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  a  land- 
owner there  and  here.  The  father  of  our  subject 
took  up  a  tract  of  raw  land,  and  by  persevering  in- 
dustry and  the  aid  of  his  good  wife,  he  built  up  a 
comfortable  home,  in  which  he  passed  his  remain- 
ing days,  until  death  called  him  hence  in  July, 
1872.  His  widow  survived  him  until  Jan.  25, 
1888,  when  she  too  passed  away,  dying  at  the 
home  of  her  daughter.  They  were  people  who 
were  well  known  and  widely  respected  for  their 
many  kindly  traits  of  character. 

Their  daughter,  of  whom  we  write,  was  born  July 
8,  1846,  in  this  county,  on  the  parental  homestead, 
on  the  Vandalia  Road,  three  miles  from  Jackson- 
ville. Her  education,  begun  in  the  local  schools, 
was  completed  in  that  cit}'.  From  her  mother  she 
received  a  careful  training  in  all  that  goes  to  make 
a  good  housewife,  remaining  at  borne  until  the  time 
of  her  marriage.  Jan.  13,  1862,  her  union  with 
James  W.  Dunavau,  a  worthy  young  man  of  this 
county,  was  duly  solemnized.  In  the  happy  years 
that  followed  six  children  were  born  into  their 
pleasant  home, all  of  whom  are  living:  Julia  Ellen 
married  Silas  T.  Whitehead,  who  died  Jan.  25, 
1888.  leaving  her  with  one  child,  Ellen  Mabel,  and 
they  are  now  living  with  our  subject;  Mary  Eliza- 
beth married  Richard  Phillips,  a  farmer  by  occu- 
tion,  living  one  mile  north  of  her  mother's  home; 
Mattie  Jane  married  Peter  C.  Maddox,  of  this  town, 
and  they  have  one  child;  Lute  D.,  James  II.  and 
May  are  at  home  with  their  mother.  Mr.  Dunavan 
was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  born  in  tJie  town  of 
Hopkinsville  Feb.  26,  1839.  His  father,  Wyan  J. 
Dunavan,  was  also  a  native  of  Kentucky.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1846,  he  emigrated  to  these  parts  with  his 
family,  and  established  himself  at  his  trade  of  a  car- 
penter, in  town,  and  was  a  resident  here  until  death. 
His  son  James  was  a  child  of  seven  years  when  he 
came  to  Morgan  County  with  his  parents,  and  his 
boyhood  and  youtli  were  passed  in  Jacksonville, 
his  education  being  conducted  in  its  schools.  He 


RESIDENCE  OF  F.  C.  HOMES, SEC. 2.  T.ia.-R.a    MORGAN  Co. 


RESIDENCE  OF  JOHN  E.BAYLISS^SEC.H.  Iie.-R.i2   MORGAN  Co 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


23.5 


early  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  was  en- 
gaged at  it  as  a  contractor  and  builder  until  two 
years  after  his  marriage,  when  he  moved  onto  a 
farm  with  his  family,  and  turned  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  living  mostly  in  Morgan 
County.  His  death,  Jan.  6,  1886,  'was  a  severe 
blow  to  the  interests  of  his  community,  which  then 
lost  an  upright,  sober-minded  citizen,  who  had  had 
its  welfare  at  heart;  his  family  lost  the  kindest  of 
husbands  and  most  devoted  of  fathers,  and  his 
neighbors  a  true  friend.  By  steady  and  well- 
directed  industry  he  accumulated  a  competence, 
and  left  his  family  in  comfortable  circumstances. 
Mrs.  Dunavan  is  a  notable  manager,  and  after 
her  husband's  demise  she  invested  some  of  her 
money  in  this  farm,  which  comprises  141  acres  of 
land,  and  is  finely  located,  its  nearness  to  the  me- 
tropolis of  this  region  making  it  a  valuable  piece 
of  property  to  own,  aside  from  its  excellent  im- 
provements and  highly  cultivated  soil.  Here  she 
has  established  a  cosy  home,  where  she  and  her 
children  live  in  peace  and  contentment,  enjoying 
all  the  comforts  of  a  well  ordered  household.  Mrs. 
Dunavan  rented  her  farm  one  year  and  moved  into 
town,  but  with  that  exception  has  lived  here  since 
purchasing  the  place.  She  is  a  consistent  and  val- 
ued member  of  the  Centenary  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Jacksonville,  and  it  is  the  united  testi- 
mony of  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  knowing  her 
that  she  is  a  truly  good  woman,  of  fine  character 
and  large  heart,  that  evinces  itself  in  many  kind 
deeds  for  the  benefit  of  those  about  her. 


li'OHN  E.  BATLESS  deserves  more  than  a 
passing  notice  in  reviewing  the  lives  and 
labors  of  the  representative  men  of  this 
county.  It  may  be  a  sordid  sentiment  which 
gives  prominence  to  the  man  who  has  been  success- 
ful in  the  accumulation  of  dollars  and  cents,  but  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  these  contribute  greatly  to 
the  comfort  and  happiness  of  mankind;  and  he  who 
has  been  successful  in  his  efforts  in  this  direction, 
is  involuntarily  accorded  a  dignity  and  respect  to 
which  he  is  undeniably  entitled.  Mr.  Bayless,  a 
self-made  man,  who  began  life  at  the  foot  of  the 


ladder,  dependent  upon  his  own  resources,  is  now 
the  owner  of  380  broad  acres,  comprising  one  of 
the  most  valuable  farms  in  Morgan  County,  and 
pleasantly  located  on  section  14,  township  16, 
range  12.  He  began  as  a  general  agriculturist,  but 
of  late  years  has  been  engaged  in  stock-raising,  and 
has  realized  from  this  industry  alone  a  snug  fortune. 

A  Kentuckian  by  birth,  Mr.  Bayless  first  opened 
his  eyes  to  the  light  in  Mason  County,  in  the  Blue 
Grass  Region,  on  the  24th  of  April,  1826,  and  is  the 
son  of  Ezra  and  Annie  (York)  Bayless,  who  were 
natives  of  the  same  State  as  their  son.  The  father 
died  when  our  subject  was  a  mere  boy,  and  his 
mother  passed  away  when  he  was  a  youth  of  fifteen 
or  sixteen  years.  They  had,  however,  in  the  mean- 
time removed  to  Franklin  County,  Ind.  John  E., 
about  1845-46,  came  to  this  county  and  sojourned 
in  Jacksonville  Precinct  about  two  years,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Indiana,  lived  there  two 
years,  and  then  came  back  to  this  county,  of  which 
he  has  since  been  a  resident.  About  1855-56  he 
purchased  ninety-five  acres  of  land,  the  nucleus  of 
his  present  homestead,  and  which  he  had  prior  to 
this  time  operated  upon  as  a  renter.  He  labored  early 
and  late  for  several  years,  improving  his  land  and 
cultivating  the  soil,  and  was  greatly  prospered.  He 
invested  his  surplus  capital  in  additional  land,  thus 
placing  it  where  it  could  not  be  carried  off  by  the 
absconding  bank  cashier,  until  he  attained  to  his 
present  large  possessions.  The  family  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  occupied  a  small  frame  house,  until 
Mr.  Bayless  erected  his  present  residence,  which  is 
represented  in  this  volume,  and  which  is  a  very 
tasteful  and  commodious  structure,  and  with  its 
surroundings  very  nearly  approaches  the  ideal 
country  home. 

Mr.  Bayless  was  wedded  March  10, 1853,  to  Miss 
Melissa  J.  Green,  who  was  born  in  this  county 
May  3,  1836.  Her  parents,  William  and  Catherine 
(Long)  Green,  were  natives  of  Tennessee,  and  came 
to  this  county  during  its  pioneer  days.  Their 
family  consisted  of  nine  children.  The  father  died 
in  Iowa,  and  the  mother  in  Morgan  County,  111. 

The  household  circle  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bayless  was 
completed  by  the  birth  of  five  children:  Luther  F., 
who  married  Miss  Addie  Johnson,  is  farming  the 
home  place;  Dora  V.,  the  wife  of  W.  F.  Deterding; 


236 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


I 


Chalmers  D.,  Nellie  and   Marcus  D.;  the  latter  is 
deceased. 

Mr.  Bayless  came  to  this  county  without  means 
or  other  resources  than  his  strong  muscles  and 
courageous  heart,  together  with  those  principles  of 
honor  and  integrity  in  which  he  had  been  trained 
by  his  excellent  mother.  He  experienced  his  full 
share  of  the  difficulties  of  pioneer  life,  bringing 
his  land  from  a  state  of  nature  to  its  present  pro 
ductive  condition,  and  he  himself  perfected  all  the 
improvements  which  we  behold  to-day.  These  have 
involved  a  large  amount  of  labor,  time  and  money, 
but  lie  rightly  considers  that  it  has  been  capital 
well  invested.  While  his  personal  interests  have 
absorbed  the  greater  part  of  his  time  and  attention, 
he  has  in  the  meantime  maintained  a  warm  interest 
in  the  progress  of  his  adopted  county,  and  con- 
tributed as  opportunity  has  offered  to  the  further- 
ing of  those  enterprises  calculated  for  the  best 
good  of  its  people.  Mrs.  Bayless  has  been  the 
efficient  counselor  and  helpmate  of  her  husband, 
and  has  labored  with  him  in  the  accumulation  of 
their  property.  They  enjoy  an  extended  acquaint- 
ance in  this  county,  and  welcome  under  their  hos- 
pitable roof  its  best  people.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
stanch  Republican.  He,  his  wife,  and  daughter, 
Mrs.  Deterding,  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church,  at  Concord. 


RED  C.  HOMES.  The  Homes  family  have 
been  represented  in  the  United  States  for 
several  generations  and  in  Illinois  for  nearly 
fifty  years.  William  Homes,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, and  a  native  of  Boston,  Mass.,  was  a  man  of 
excellent  education,  and  came  to  this  State  in  his 
youth.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Illinois  Col- 
lege, after  which  he  identified  himself  with  the  min- 
istry of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  pastor  of 
a  congregation  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  until  about  185G. 
Then  becoming  interested  in  the  legal  profession 
he  studied  and  practiced  law  at  the  same  time,  and 
finally  drifted  into  the  newspaper  business,  becom- 
ing connected  with  the  editoral  staff  of  the  Mis- 
souri Republican,  the  lending  Democratic  paper  of 
that  State.  Later  he  was  employed  as  an  Attor- 


ney  for  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  1864  he  went  to  California,  on 
business,  and  was  absent  two  years.  Upon  his  re- 
turn he  again  became  connected  with  the  Republican 
and  died  in  its  employ  in  1  869.  In  early  life  he 
was  a  Whig,  but  later  joined  the  Democracy,  and 
although  not  a  politician,  always  maintained  a 
warm  interest  in  questions  of  national  importance. 

Mrs.  Julia  R.  (Salter)  Homes,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  a  native  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and 
the  daughter  of  Cleveland  J.  Salter,  who  was  the 
first  child  of  that  name  in  the  United  States,  and 
whose  parents  were  natives  of  England.  She  is 
still  living  and  resides  near  Philadelphia,  Pa.  The 
parental  household  included  seven  children,  namely 
—Fred  C.,  William  F.,  Henry  B.,  Frank  K.,  Julia 
B.,  Mary  L.,  and  John  C.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Henry  Homes,  was  a  member  of  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Homes  &  Homes,  hardware  mer- 
chants. The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Springfield,  III.,  May  18,  1844,  while  his  mother 
was  on  a  visit  to  that  place.  The  family  were  then 
living  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  there  remained  until 
the  boy  was  eleven  years  old.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  attended  the  common  school,  and  after  pur- 
suing his  studies  a  short  season  at  Palmyra,  Mo., 
repaired  to  Springfield,  III.,  where  he  studied  three 
years,  and  then  went  East,  to  Andover,  Mass.,  and 
spent  two  years.  Later  he  passed  the  same  length 
of  time  on  his  grandfather's  farm  in  Waverly,  111. 
In  the  meantime  the  family  made  their  home  at  St. 
Louis,  although  sending  the  summer  months  out 
of  the  city. 

Upon  attaining  his  majority  our  subject  repaired 
to  New  Haven,  Conn.,  where  he  attended  school 
three  years.  In  1865  he  joined  the  family  at  St. 
Louis,  and  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  hardware  store  until 
1869,  when  he  came  to  this  county  and  established 
himself  in  Waverly  Precinct  on  a  farm,  that  he 
now  owns  and  occupies,  but  then  the  property  of 
his  uncle.  In  1871  he  took  unto  himself  a  wife  and 
helpmate,  Miss  Myra  A.,  daughter  of  Orlando  and 
Martha  (Pickctt)  Wadhams,  and  born  near  Wav- 
erly in  Sangamon  County.  In  due  time  his  uncle, 
Charles  L.  Ives,  presented  Mr.  Homes  with  the 
farm  and  in  addition  to,  agricultural  pursuits  he 
has  carried  on  qnite  a  flourishing  lumber  business 


f 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


237 


in  Waverly.  His  homestead  lies  just  north  of  tlie 
cor[>orale  limits  of  the  town  and  embraces  IfiO 
of  land  with  excellent  improvements.  It  is  repre- 
sented in  this  volume,  and  is  a  remarkably  pleasant 
place,  and  the  frequent  resort  of  the  best  people  of 
this  part  of  the  county. 

The  five  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Homes 
were  named,  respectively:  Charles  I.,  Susie  W., 
Fred  C.,  Jr.,  Myra  W.,  and  Mary  L.  Our  subject, 
politically,  is  a  sound  Republican,  and  in  religi- 
ous matters  is  a  Congregntionalist. 


AMUEL  KII,LAM.  After  a  busy  life,  and 
the  battle  against  the  world  has  been  won, 
it  is  pleasurable  to  see  the  winner  retire  and 
take  his  ease,  and  such  is  the  case  of  Sam- 
uel Killam.  His  fine  farm  is  situated  on  section  27, 
township  15,  range  1  1,  where  he  has  lived  since  his 
father  first  purchased  the  land  from  the  Govern- 
ment in  1829.  Here  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has 
passed  most  of  his  life  in  active  work  as  a  general 
farmer  and  stock-raiser.  At  one  time  he  was  the 
owner  of  about  a  half-section  of  land,  but  he  lias 
given  away  the  most  of  it  to  his  children,  only  re- 
taining ninety-six  acres  as  a  homestead,  which  is 
known  as  the  Killam  Mound  Farm.  This  place  is 
situated  on  an  eminence,  and  overlooks  the  city  of 
Jacksonville,  four  miles  away.  Mr.  Killam  has  al- 
ways been  regarded  as  one  of  the  substantial  and 
intelligent  farmers  of  this  county,  and  he  has  sus- 
tained that  reputation  admirably. 

Mr.  Killam  is  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England, 
and  was  born  at  Sackhouse,  Dec.  8,  1  808.  He  is 
the  son  of  John  Killam,  and  the  grandson  of  Samuel 
Killam,  who  died  when  about  sixty  years  of  age. 
The  latter  married  Ann  West,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two  years.  The  Killams  in  those  days, 
were  members  of  the  old  English  Church.  John  Kil- 
lam, father  of  the  one  whose  name  heads  this  sketch, 
grew  up  in  his  native  shire,  and  in  his  younger  days 
followed  mechanical  pursuits,  being  a  general  me- 
chanic and  millwright.  He  was  married  in  York- 
shire, to  Elizabeth  Parsley,  and  to  her  was  born 
four  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  came  to 
America  with  their  parents.  They  embarked  at 


Hull,  on  April  14,  1829,  on  the  vessel  "Trenton," 
and  after  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks  and  four  days, 
which  was  somewhat  tempestuous,  they  landed  at 
(Quebec.  This  country  then  possessed  but  few  rail- 
roads, so  the  journey  from  Quebec  to  Illinois  was 
a  tedious  one,  but  they  finally  reached  Morgan 
County,  July  21,  1829.  Very  soon  after  their  ar- 
rival the  family  located  on  land  which  .is  now  oc- 
cupied by  Samuel  Killam.  John  Killam  atone  time 
owned  a  large  tract  of  land  in  this  county,  and  be- 
came comfortably  well-off.  Here  he  made  his  home 
until  he  died  in  1845,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years. 
He  was  an  industrious  and  ambitious  man,  and  en- 
joyed a  good  reputation  among  his  neighbors.  In 
person  he  was  an  athlete,  and  was  capable  of  per- 
forming a  great  deal  of  hard  work,  which  was  one 
of  the  essential  qualifications  of  a  farmer  in  the 
early  days  of  Illinois.  Politically,  he  acted  with 
the  Whig  party.  His  wife,  and  the  mother  of  Sam- 
uel, passed  away  about  six  years  after  his  death,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 

Samuel  Killam,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  written, 
was  the  second  of  a  family  of  five  children,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  were 
married,  and  Samuel  is  the  only  one  now  living. 
He  grew  up  to  be  of  age  before  he  left  England, 
and  with  his  natural  mechanical  ability,  he  there 
soon  mastered  the  trade  followed  by  his  father,  that 
of  a  millwright.  After  his  arrival  in  this  country, 
he  pursued  his  trade,  and  so  continued  for  seven  or 
eight  years,  and  his  reputation  as  a  mechanic  in  this 
part  of  Illinois,  is  of  the  highest.  He  was  married 
in  Morgan  County,  to  Miss  Margaret  Haxby,  who 
was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  was  born 
Feb.  10,  1819.  She  was  the  youngest  daughter  of 
six  children  born  to  William  and  Ann  (Brewis) 
Haxby,  also  natives  of  Yorkshire.  William  Haxby 
was  the  son  of  William  Haxby,  Sr.,  a  farmer  who 
lived  and  died  in  Yorkshire,  his  death  occurring  in 
1797.  He  was  then  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  had 
married  a  Yorkshire  lady  by  the  name  of  Minnie 
Willis,  who  survived  her  husband  for  sometime. 
They  lived  on  a  farm  which  they  owned,  being  very 
well-to-do  people.  The  Haxbys  were  all  members 
of  the  English  Church.  William  IT.,  the  father  of 
Mrs.  Killam,  was  one  of  three  children  born  to  his 
parents.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  spent  the  earlv  por- 


238 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


*T 


lion  of  his  life  at  this  vocation  in  his  native  land, 
where  he  married,  and  became  the  father  of  three  sons 
and  five  daughters.  On  May  7th,  1834,  this  fam- 
ily took  passage  on  the  "Victoria,"  at  Whitby,  and 
started  for  America,  and  after  a  voyage  of  five  weeks 
and  five  days,  landed  at  Quebec.  They  at  once  came 
to  what  is  now  Winchester,  Scott  Co.,  111.,  where  they 
located  on  a  farm,  and  lived  for  nine  years,  until 
1843,  when  Mr.  Haxby,  with  his  wife  and  family, 
changed  locations  by  going  to  Greene  County,  III.; 
and  settling  on  a  farm  near  Whitehall.  In  the  next 
year,  1844,  Mrs.  Haxby  died,  after  which  her  hus- 
band lived  with  his  children  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Mrs.  Killam's,  Dec.  1st,  1867,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years.  He  was  always  closely 
connected  with  the  English  Church,  and  was  a 
strong  believer  of  the  old  Whig  party. 

Of  the  family  of  nine  children  born  to  the  par- 
ents of  Mrs.  Killam,  she  is  one  of  the  younger,  and 
of  whom  four  are  living:  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Dan- 
iel Avery,  who  lives  at  Whitehall,  111.;  William  is 
a  resident  of  Plattville,  Colo.,  and  is  a  drug  and 
hardware  merchant;  he  married  Elizabeth  Rowen ; 
Thomas  took  to  wife,  Mary  Evans,  and  lives  in 
Rapid  City,  Dak.,  on  a  ranch. 

Mrs.  Killam  had  the  benefit  of  being  reared  by 
prudent  and  conscientious  parents,  and  her  father 
and  mother  were  counted  as  people  whose  motives 
were  entirely  laudable.  After  she  came  to  this 
country  she  stayed  at  home  until  she  attained  ma- 
turity. She  is  the  mother  of  ten  children,  two  of 
whom  are  deceased:  Henrietta  B.  died  in  infancy; 
Alfred  married  Elizabeth  Lee;  they  settled  in  Ma- 
coupin  County,  111.,  where  on  May  16,  1871,  he 
was  killed  during  a  violent  storm  by  a  stroke  of 
lightning.  His  two  horses  were  killed  at  the  same 
time.  His  widow  and  several  children  yet  survive 
him. 

The  living  children  of  Mrs.  Killam  are:  John 
W.,  who  resides  on  a  farm  in  this  county;  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Ellen  Scott;  Mary  J.,  wife  of  John  Clary, 
also  lives  on  a  farm  in  this  county.  Thomas  H.  is 
a  farmer  and  stock-raiser  at  Washington  Center, 
Mo.;  he  married  Miss  Lydia  Clark,  a  graduate  of 
Jacksonville  College.  Maggie  married  Charles 
Gibbs;  they  are  living  on  a  farm  in  Scott  County, 
111.  Fannie  E.  is  at  home,  Clara  A.  is  the  wife  of 

.*. : 


William  Hounsley;  they  reside  on  a  farm  in  Ma- 
coupin  County,  III.;  George  S.  married  Miss  Bird- 
sail.  Mrs.  Killam  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Part  of  her  children  are  also 
members  of  the  same  church.  She  is  a  woman  of 
remarkable  strength  of  character. 


•ILLIAM  C.  OWEN.  In  the  spring  of 
1840,  this  gentleman,  then  in  the  prime  of 
a  vigorous  young  manhood,  came  to  Mor- 
gan County,  and  marrying  shortly  after,  he  and 
his  bride  began  life  together  in  the  humblest  way, 
and  by  their  united  thrift,  financial  ability,  and 
judicious  management,  they  have  accumulated 
wealth.  The  little  log  cabin  in  which  they  once 
lived  has  given  place  to  a  commodious,  beautiful 
home,  replete  with  all  the  modern  comforts  and 
conveniences  that  go  to  make  life  worth  living. 
The  forty  acres  of  land  presented  to  them  by  Mrs. 
Owen's  father  was  in  their  hands  but  the  nucleus 
of  one  of  the  most  extensive  farms  in  the  county, 
and  to-day  they  own  1,600  acres  of  land  of  un- 
surpassed fertility,  finely  located  in  township  16 
north,  range  8  west. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Tennessee,  coming  of 
good  pioneer  stock,  that  was  among  the  earliest 
settlers  of  that  State.  His  paternal  ancestry  was 
born  in  North  Carolina,  his  grandfather,  William 
Owen,  being  of  Welsh  descent,  his  father  coming 
to  America  from  Wales,  before  the  Revolution  and 
settling  in  Anson  County,  N.  C.  The  grandfather 
was  reared  and  married  in  the  place  of  his  nativ- 
ity, Elizabeth  Fare  becoming  his  wife.  In  1789, 
they  removed  to  Hawkins  County,  Tenn.,  their  son, 
James,  father  of  our  subject,  being  a  babe  of  six 
months  at  that  time.  In  that  region  they  reared 
their  family  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  and 
there  spent  the  last  years  of  a  busy,  useful  life. 
The  grand  father  became  very  prosperous  and  was  a 
large  laud-owner,  having  a  tract  on  the  Tennessee 
River  four  miles  square. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  in  the 
pleasant  pioneer  home  of  his  parents,  and  after  at- 
taining man's  estate  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Mordecai  Lanter.  She  was  born  in 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


239 


Virginia  near  the  famous  natural  bridge  over 
Cedar  Creek.  To  her  and  her  husband  came  the 
following  children :  Elizabeth,  who  married  Abra- 
ham Uinehart;  Nancy  the  wife  of  Archibald  Hous- 
ton; William  C.,  of  whom  we  write;  and  James  L. 
Feb.  6,  1830,  the  parents  with  their  family  started 
for  the  wilderness  of  Floyd  County,  Ind.,  our  sub- 
ject then  being  eleven  years  old.  The  father  took 
up  land,  thirty  acres  of  which  had  been  cleared  in 
the  heavy  timber,  and  vigorously  entered  upon  the 
pioneer  task  of  improving  a  farm.  The  mother 
died  in  that  home  Aug.  8,  1835,  before  she  had 
scarcely  passed  the  meridian  of  life.  The  father 
died  in  Henderson  County,  111.,  Oct.  20,  1845,  he 
having  removed  to  that  county  a  few  years  before. 

In  the  spring  of  1840,  our  subject  came  to  Mor- 
gan County,  and  on  the  28th  day  of  the  following- 
ing  June  he  took  one  of  the  most  important  steps 
of  his  life  by  his  marriage  on  that  date  to  Miss 
Mary  .1.,  a  daughter  of  Z.  W.  and  Elizabeth  Flinn, 
whereby,  he  gained  one  of  the  most  helpful  of  wives. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  and  his  wife  wentto  Mc- 
Donough  County,  where  they  lived  eighteen 
months,  and  returning  to  this  locality  in  1842, 
have  resided  here  ever  since.  Our  subject  has 
met  with  more  than  ordinary  success  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  calling,  and  owns  a  good  deal  of  val- 
uable proper!}'.  He  paid  $50,000  for  a  farm  in 
Sangamon  County  for  his  son,  James,  and  also  pre- 
sented his  daughter  Almarinda,  now  Mrs.  Andrew 
Harris,  with  a  fine  farm  of  270  acres  near  Virginia, 
in  Cass  County.  Six  children  have  blessed  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Owen.  Their  daughter, 
Damaris,  lives  with  her  brother  James,  both  being 
unmarried.  Their  son  Josiah  W.,  lives  near  Ash- 
land, in  Cass  County.  Anna  E.  is  the  widow  of 
Charles  Butler,  who  was  drowned  in  a  fish-pond  in 
this  county,  nearly  fourteen  years  ago,  and  she 
with  her  two  sons,  Robert  and  Leonard,  live  with 
our  subject  and  his  wife.  Their  daughter  Mary, 
is  now  Mrs.  Edward  Goff,  of  this  township.  Mr. 
Owen  makes  a  speciality  of  cattle-feeding,  shipping 
about  200  head  a  year,  and  his  farm  is  well  stocked 
with  cattle,  horses  and  hogs  of  good  grades. 

As  pioneers,  though  not  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Morgan  County,  it  lias  been  the  good  for- 
tune of  our  subject  and  his  wife  to  contribute 

<•  I 


largely  to  the  development  of  its  agricultural  re- 
sources, and  so  to  its  material  advancement  in  other 
directions,  and  it  gives  us  pleasure  to  represent 
them  in  this  BIOGRAI-FIHJAL  AMIUM.  Mr.  Owen  is 
a  man  of  broad  public  spirit,  and  his  hand  is  felt 
in  all  enterprises  that  will  in  any  way  benefit  the 
community.  He  and  his  wife  have  nearly  reached 
the  golden  mile-stone  that  marks  a  wedded  life  of 
half  a  century,  and  the  most  of  that  time  has  been 
passed  in  this  county  and  among  these  people  who 
know  them  well  and  hold  them  in  true  regard  and 
veneration  for  the  rectitude  of  their  course  and  for 
characters  unblemished  by  acts  unworthy  of  them 
as  kind  neighbors  and  true  friends. 


HARLES  B.  JOY.  Those  who  are  familiar 
with  history  and  biography  can  scarcely 
fail  to  notice  the  fact  that  the  most  solid 
and  substantial  families  are  they,  who,  reaping 
wisdom  from  the  maxim,  that,  "a  rolling  stone 
gathers  no  moss,"  have  clung  to  the  property  of 
their  forefathers,  each  generation  effecting  addi- 
tional improvements,  and  usually  increasing  its 
value.  An  extended  residence  always  gives  dig- 
nity to  a  family  or  individual,  and  this  fact  is  finely 
illustrated  in  the  subject  of  this  notice,  who  occu- 
pies the  old  homestead,  comprising  land  which  was 
entered  by  his  paternal  grandfather,  John  Joy,  in 
1837,  from  the  Government.  Here  Charles  B. 
was  born,  Jan.  31,  1859,  and  here  he  has  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life.  He  is  the  owner  of  320 
acres  of  cultivated  land,  besides  forty  acres  of  tim- 
ber, and  also  operates  the  farm  of  his  mother,  com- 
prising 150  acres.  To  successful!}-  conduct  these 
various  interests,  requires  no  small  amount  of 
judgment  and  management,  and  the  indications 
are  that  Mr.  Joy  is  proving  himself  quite  equal  to 
the  task. 

While  carrying  on  general  agriculture,  Mr.  Joy, 
is  likewise  largely  interested  in  fine  stock,  es- 
pecially horses,  having  the  celebrated  young  stal- 
lion, "Mayroc,"  a  registered  animal  No.  15,819, 
three  years  old  and  imported  one  year  ago  by  J.  W. 
Ramsey,  the  noted  breeder  of  Springfield,  111.  This 
animal  weighs  about  1,700  pounds,  has  a  coat  of 


i     240 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


shining  black,  and  has  already  made  for  himself  an 
enviable  reputation.  Mr.  Joy  has  also  a  number  of 
thorough-bred  mares,  and  in  fact  is  able  to  exhibit 
some  of  the  best  specimens  of  the  equine  race  in 
this  county.  All  his  operations  are  characterised 
by  that  thoroughness,  method  and  system  which  is 
indispensable  to  and  is  almost  invariably  followed 
by  success. 

The  Joy  family  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume,  and  is  recognized  as  occupying  a  leading 
position  in  its  social  and  business  circles.  Charles 
B.,  our  subject,  Ls  the  son  of  John  P.  and  Jane  B. 
(Bridgeman)  Joy.  The  maternal  grandparents 
of  our  subject  were  also  natives  of  the  Buckeye 
State,  where  Grandfather  B.,  carried  on  farming 
and  died.  The  mother,  later,  came  to  the  home  of 
her  daughter  in  this  county,  where  her  death  took 
place.  To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there  were 
born  four  children,  two  of  whom — Walter  and 
Clarence  died  in  infancy.  James  Allen,  the  elder 
brother  of  our  subject,  is  a  resident  of  Pueblo, 
Col.,  where  he  is  engaged  as  a  wholesale  grocer;  he 
is  also  interested  in  a  stock  ranch  in  Arizona. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  at  the  parental  homestead,  his  life  passing  in 
a  comparatively  uneventful  manner,  until  assum- 
ing the  graver  duties  attendant  upon  man's  estate. 
He  is  more  than  ordinarily  intelligent,  keeps  him- 
self well  posted  upon  current  events,  and  in  politics 
gives  his  unqualified  support  to  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  to  which  his  mother  belongs,  and  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  rising  young  men  of  this 
county.  His  mother,  who  has  now  .nearly  attained 
her  threescore  years,  makes  her  home  in  Jackson- 
ville, with  our  subject. 


t 


YMAN  F.  JOY.  The  subject  of  this  notice 
is  full  worthy  of  mention  in  connection 
with  the  early  history  of  this  county,  to 
which  lie  came  during  the  period  of  its  early  settle- 
ment when  a  lad  five  years  of  age.  The  journey 
thither  was  performed  overland  by  team  from  Pitts- 
field,  N.  II.,  and  the  Joy  family  settled  in  a  small 
log  cabin  which  they  occupied  until  enabled  to 


build  a  better  dwelling.  In  the  meantime  the  father 
occupied  himself  in  developing  the  land  which  he 
had  purchased,  and  for  a  few  years  they  endured 
all  the  difficulties  of  life  on  the  frontier.  Industry 
and  economy  in  due  time  placed  them  upon  solid 
ground,  and  the  result  of  their  labors  and  sacrifices 
was  a  well-regulated  homestead,  and  a  large  meas- 
ure of  the  comforts  of  life. 

Our  subject  is  of  excellent  New  England  ances- 
try, and  the  grandson  of  James  Joy,  who  was  born 
in  Durham,  N.  H.,  and  was  a  blacksmith  and  ship 
builder  by  trade.  He  also  engaged  considerably  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  man  of  much  force 
of  character,  active  and  enterprising  and  prominent 
in  his  community.  He  lived  to  be  eighty  3'ears  of 
age,  and  spent  his  last  days  retired  from  active  life 
at  Groton,  Mass.  In  the  meantime,  however,  ho, 
in  1837,  had  visited  Illinois,  and  by  entry  and  pur- 
chase secured  about  1,000  acres  of  land  on  sections 
4  and  5,  township  15,  range  11,  this  county.  At 
this  time  very  little  of  the  land  in  this  region  had 
been  turned  by  the  plowshare.  Grandfather  Joy 
began  making  improvements,  but  after  a  time  re- 
turned to  the  old  Granite  State,  and  sent  his  three 
sons,  John,  the  eldest,  and  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, Charles,  and  Sylvester,  to  finish  what  he  had 
begun.  John  Joy  was  practically  the  manager  of 
the  property,  and  upon  a  part  of  this  he  lived  and 
labored  the  remainder  of  his  life.  lie  finally  be- 
came the  owner  of  480  acres,  which  he  improved 
into  a  good  homestead,  and  where  his  death  took 
place  in  February,  1879.  He  had  been  very  suc- 
cessful, and  made  a  specialty  of  stock-raising,  from 
which  he  realized  a  good  fortune. 

John  Joy,  like  his  father,  was  also  a  native  of 
Durham,  N.  II.,  and  at  an  early  age  learned  to 
handle  the  blacksmith  tools  in  his  father's  shop,  and 
also  assisted  the  latter  in  carrying  on  the  farm.  lie 
was  married  in  London,  his  native  State,  to  Miss 
Judith  Baclielder,  who  was  a  native  of  that  place, 
and  the  daughter  of  an  old  New  England  family, 
who  were  prominently  connected  with  the  Con«rc- 

O 

gational  Church.  The  parents  of  our  subject,  after 
their  marriage,  lived  in  New  Hampshire  about  five 
years,  then  equipped  themselves  for  the  long  jour- 
ney to  Illinois.  The  trip  occupied  one  month,  and 
upon  reaching  this  county,  they  settled  upon  apart  i  >j 


T 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


241 


of  the  land  which  grandfather  Joy  had  entered 
from  the  Government,  and  John  Joy  prosecuted 
farming  uninterruptedly tuntil  his  decease,  which  oc- 
curred in  1879.  The  wife  and  mother  lived  about 
twelve  years  after  coming  to  this  State,  passing 
away  when  only  about  forty  years  of  age,  and 
leaving  an  only  child,  our  subject.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  from  her 
youth. 

John  Joy,  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  was 
twice  married,  and  the  homestead  is  now  owned  by 
his  third  wife,  by  whom  he  became  the  father  of 
two  children  :  Charles  B.,  who  remains  at  the  home- 
stead, and  James  A.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery 
trade,  and  furnishing  railroad  supplies  in  Pueblo, 
Colo.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  these 
boys,  was  Jane  Bigger.  She  is  a  resident  of  Jack- 
sonville, and  is  now  past  sixty  years  of  age. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  learned  his  letters  in 
the  old  Granite  State,  and  later  attended  the  primi- 
tive schools  of  this  county  for  a  time,  and  when 
sufficiently  advanced  in  his  studies,  became  a  stu- 
dent of  Illinois  College.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
also  learned  farming  in  all  its  details,  and  chose 
this  for  his  vocation.  In  1855  he  took  unto  him- 
self a  wife  and  helpmate,  Miss  Angelica  Hazelton. 
This  lady  was  born  in  Vermont,  March  10,  1838, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Weatli- 
erby)  Hazelton,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Green 
Mountain  State,  and  of  excellent  New  England  an- 
cestry. They  came  to  Illinois  in  1838,  and  located 
on  land  near  Chapin.  There  the  wife  and  mother 
died  in  middle  life.  Mr.  Hazelton  was  married  a 
second  time,  and  finally  removed  to  Mt.  Hope,  Mc- 
Lean County,  this  State,  where  he  died  when  about 
fort3r-five  years  old.  Of  his  first  marriage  there 
were  only  two  children:  Angelica  and  Mary  Ann; 
the  latter  is  now  deceased.  Of  his  second  marriage 
there  was  no  issue.  The  Ilazeltons  were  ranked 
among  the  best  families  of  that  time,  and  their 
daughter,  Mrs.  Joy,  is  a  lady  of  more  than  ordinary 
worth  and  intelligence.  She  was  left  an  orphan 
when  quite  young,  and  her  early  advantages  were 
quite  limited,  but  she  has  made  the  most  of  her  op- 
portunity, and  is  at  once  recognized  as  a  lad}'  of 
refinement  and  cultivated  tastes. 

Seven  children  came  to  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


Joy,  two  of  whom — John  P.,  and  Arthur  B.,  (twins) 
died  in  infancy.  Minnie  the  eldest  daughter,  is  the 
wife  of  Albert  Rice,  who  is  farming  near  Arnold, 
this  county;  they  have  two  children,  Harry  J.,  and 
Florence.  Mrs.  Rice  received  an  excellent  educa- 
tion, completing  her  studies  in  the  Methodist  Col- 
lege. Miss  Nettie  Joy  completed  her  education  at 
Creston,  Iowa;  Edward  F.,  attended  school  at  Gales- 
burg.  Walter  died  April  11,  1889;  Ruth  B.  All 
all  are  at  home  with  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Rice. 

Politically,  Mr.  Joy  is  a  sound  Republican,  and 
in  religions  matters  is  with  his  excellent  .wife,  an 
active  member  of  the  Joy  Prairie  Congregational 
Church,  in  the  councils  of  which  Mr.  Joy  has  al- 
ways taken  an  active  part,  and  is  numbered  among 
its  chief  pillars. 


ARL  POND.  The  wealth  of  Morgan  County 
consists  largely  of  its  farm  property,  and 
they  who  have  redeemed  the  primitive  soil 
from  its  original  condition,  have  perhaps  accom- 
plished more  than  any  other  class  of  men  in  bring- 
ing it  to  its  present  proud  position  among  the  com- 
munities of  the  Great  West.  The  subject  of  this 
notice  has  been  in  no  wise  behind  his  neighbors  in 
thrift,  enterprise,  and  industry,  and  is  able  to  look 
over  200  acres  of  finely  cultivated  land,  which  the 
labor  of  his  own  hands  has  made  valuable.  He  now 
enjoys  a  comfortable  income  from  the  products  of 
the  soil,  and  sitting  under  his  own  vine  and  figtree, 
is  enabled  to  look  around  him  with  a  pardonable 
degree  of  satisfaction.  Not  only  has  his  life  been 
characterized  by  diligence  and  prudence  in  the  ac- 
cumulation of  this  world's  goods,  but  such  has  been 
his  course  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow-men,  that 
he  has  secured  their  unqualified  respect.  He  is  one 
of  the  oldest  farmers  of  this  precinct,  and  his  prop- 
erty is  located  on  section  22,  township  10,  range  12. 
A  native  of  Erie  County,  Pa.,  Mr.  Pond  was 
born  Feb.  9,  1829,  and  is  the  son  of  Martin  J.  and 
Amanda  (Simons)  Pond,  the  father  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, and  the  mother  of  New  York  State.  The 


4 


,       242 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


paternal  ancestors  of  our  subject,  were  of  English 
descent.  The  Pond  family  can  be  traced  back  to 
three  brothers  who  left  England  prior  to  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  in  which  it  is  believed  they  partici- 
pated, and  after  its  close,  settled  in  New  England. 
The  father  of  our  subject  later  served  in  the  War 
of  1812. 

About  1838,  when  our  subject  was  a  lad  of  nine 
years,  his  parents,  leaving  Connecticut,  emigrated 
to  Illinois,  and  for  a  short  time  resided  in  Sanga- 
mon  County.  Thence  they  removed  to  Brown 
County,  where  they  sojourned  two  years,  and  in 
1841  came  to  this  county,  where  the  father  secured 
the  land  which  his  son  Carl  now  owns  and  occu- 
pies. He  first  entered  ICO  acres  from  the  Govern- 
ment, upon  which  there  had  been  no  improvements 
whatever,  it  lying  as  the  Indians  had  left  it.  The 
story  of  the  years  which  followed,  has  been  too  of- 
ten told  in  this  work,  to  need  repetition  here.  Suf- 
fice it  to  say  that  the  Pond  family  endured  their 
full  share  of  privation  and  hardship,  and  in  due 
time  received  the  legitimate  reward  for  their  labors. 
The  father  departed  hence  about  1865.  Five  of 
the  eight  children  comprising  the  parental  house- 
hold are  still  living,  namely:  Annie,  Melissa,  Mrs. 
Kinney,  a  widow  of  Concord;  Alfred  a  resident  of 
Menard  County;  Carl  Jr.,  and  Harriet  (Mrs.  Thorn- 
dyke),  of  Concord.  The  deceased  are:  Lovina,  Lor- 
etta,  and  Cyrus. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  well-educated 
man,  with  excellent  business  capacities,  and  became 
quite  prominent  in  his  adopted  county,  serving  as 
Township  Trustee,  and  occupying  other  positions 
of  trust.  He  for  a  time  after  coming  here,  taught 
school  during  the  winter  seasons,  and  interested 
himself  in  all  the  projects  tending  to  benefit  the 
people.  He  voted  the  straight  Republican  ticket, 
after  the  organization  of  this  party,  and  was  widely 
and  favorably  known  thoughout  this  region.  In 
his  death  the  community  lost  one  of  its  most  valu- 
able men. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  the  subscription  school,  and  assisted  his 
father  in  the  development  of  a  new  farm,  remain- 
ing under  the  home  roof  until  ready  to  establish 
domestic  ties  of  his  own.  lie  was  married  Feb.  19, 
1857,  to  Miss  Mamlious  Moore,  a  native  of  West 


Virginia,  and  who  was  born  July  29,  1832.  Mrs. 
Pond  was  the  daughter  of  William  and  Keziah 
Moore,  who  left  the  Old  Dominion  at  an  early  day, 
and  settled  in  Cass  County,  this  State.  They  were 
farmers,  and  lived  and  died  in  Cass  County,  in  the 
same  home  where  they  first  settled.  Of  this  mar- 
riage there  were  born  twelve  children,  eleven  of 
whom  are  living:  Xavier  married  Alice  Clark,  of 
Cass  Count}-,  and  he  was  also  a  resident  of  the  same 
place;  William,  Katie;  Charles  married  Nettie  Web- 
ster, and  is  a  farmer  in  this  precinct;  Edward  mar- 
ried Florence  Wildy,  he  is  also  a  farmer  of  this 
township;  Frank,  Nina,  Truman,  Halcyon,  Royal, 
and  Arthur  G.,  are  at  home  with  their  parents. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Pond  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  of  Irish  descent.  The  mother  was 
born  in  Ohio,  and  traced  her  ancestry  to  Scotland. 
To  them  there  were  born  thirteen  children,  twelve 
of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Manilious,  the  wife 
of  our  subject;  Nelson^  a  resident  of  Cass  County; 
Nancy  F.,  the  wife  of  Alfred  Pond,  of  Menard 
County;  Robert  B.,  of  Cass  County;  Thomas  S.  of 
Washington  County,  Kan.;  Amanda  (Mrs.  Robert 
McNeal),  of  Cass  County;  William  A.,  of  Mont- 
gomery Count}-,  Iowa;  John,  of  Phelps  Count}', 
Neb.;  Charles  in  Morgan  County;  Ulysses  G.  in 
Phelps  County,  Neb. ;  Adelaide,  the  wife  of  George 
Wubker,  of  Montgomery  County,  Iowa;  Alma,  of 
Cass  Count}-,  this  State;  Calvin  died  when  an  in- 
fant. Mr.  Moore  died  in  1865.  He  mny  be  most 
properly  classed  among  the  pioneers  of  Illinois,  as 
he  settled  in  Cass  County  about  1835,  and  there 
both  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days. 
The  mother  survived  her  husband  for  a  period  of 
twenty  years,  remaining  a  widow,  and  died  in  1884. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  The  father  had  served  as  Township 
Trustee,  and  was  a  man  of  good  judgment,  and  ex- 
cellent business  capacity.  Mr.  Pond,  politically, 
is  a  live  Republican,  as  are  also  all  his  children,  and 
has  served  in  the  capacity  of  School  Director,  but 
further  than  this  has  carefully  avoided  the  respon- 
sibilities of  office.  His  brother,  Cyrus,  served  in 
the  Union  army  three  years  during  the  late  Civil 
War.  During  Mr.  Pond's  long  life,  he  has  always 
been  a  temperate  man,  never  having  indulged  in 
intoxicating  liquors  or  tobacco  in  any  form. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


243 


H.  NERGENAH.  The  farming 
— ,  and  stock-raising  interests  of  Morgan  Coun- 
ty  have  a  leading  representative  in  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice,  who  in  1881  established  himself 
on  section  21,  township  16,  range  12.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  this  county,  and  was  born  June  6,  1857. 
His  parents  were  George  II.  and  Henrietta  (Froh- 
witter)  Nergenah,  who  were  natives  of  Germauy, 
and  are  supposed  to  have  emigrated  to  America 
some  time  in  the  forties.  George  II.  Nergenah, 
Sr.,  was  born  Sept.  12,1805,  in  Hanover,  Bissen- 
dorf,  Germany.  He  died  Dec.  1,  1870. 

The  father  of  our  subject  had  been  twice  mar- 
ried, and  lost  his  first  wife  at  sea  while  crossing  the 
Atlantic.  Of  this  union  there  had  been  born  two 
children,  only  one  of  whom  is  living,  a  son,  Henry, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Meredosia  Precinct.  Mary 
died  about  1876.  Mr.  Nergenah  married  his  sec- 
ond wife  in  this  county,  and  became  the  father  of 
six  children:  Louisa,  the  wife  of  Frederick  Till- 
man;  William,  living  in  this  county;  George  H., 
our  subject;  Annie  deceased;  Lizzie  and  Minnie, 
the  latter  the  wife  of  Frederick  Nagel. 

George  H.  Nergenah,  Sr.,  for  a  number  of  years 
after  his  arrival  in  this  county,  prosecuted  fanning 
on  rented  land,  and  finally  settled  in  Bethel 
Precinct.  He  encountered  the  usual  hardships  of 
pioneer  life,  struggled  successfully  with  the  ele- 
ments of  a  new  soil,  and  was  numbered  among  the 
leading  German  residents  of  this  community.  lie 
lived  to  be  over  sixty  years  of  age,  and  rested 
from  his  earthly  labors  Dec.  1,  1870.  He  belonged 
to  the  German  Lutheran  Church,  and  was  always 
in  warm  ej'inpathy  with  the  institutions  of  his 
adopted  country.  After  becoming  a  naturalized 
citizen  he  identified  himself  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  was  the  uniform  encourager  of  those  en- 
terprises tending  to  benefit  the  people  at  large. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  reared  to  manhood 
on  the  farm,  and  has  been  an  eye  witness  of  the  many 
changes  occurring  since  his  boyhood.  He  acquired 
his  education  in  the  public  school,  and  by  reading 
and  observation  has  kept  himself  well  posted  upon 
all  matters  of  general  interest.  He  attained  to  a 
strong  and  healthy  manhood,  and  when  ready  to 
establish  domestic  ties  of  his  own,  was  married, 
Dec.  5,  1888,  after  reaching  the  thirtieth  year  of 


his  age,  to  Miss  Louie  I.  Whorten,  the  wedding 
taking  place  at  the  bride's  home  in  Concord  Pre- 
cinct. 

Mrs.  Nergenah  was  born  Jan.  18th,  1868,  in 
Morgan  County,  111.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Mi- 
chael L.  Whorten,  a  sketch  of  whom  appeai-s  else- 
where in  this  volume.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Nergenah, 
after  their  marriage,  settled  on  the  farm  where  they 
now  live,  and  which  comprises  eighty  acres  of 
well  improved  land,  with  a  snug  residence,  and  the 
outbuildings  required  by  the  progressive  and  en- 
terprising agriculturist.  Mr.  Nergenah,  politically, 
is  a  stanch  Democrat,  like  his  father  before  him, 
and  serves  as  a  School  Director  in  his  district.  He 
is  public-spirited  and  liberal  in  his  ideas,  and  is 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  rising  men  of  his  com- 
munity— one  who  is  destined  in  the  near  future  to 
make  his  mark  therein.  Religiously,  he  belongs  to 
the  Lutheran  Church. 


RS.  EDWARD  LAMBERT.  This  lady, 
by  reason  of  her  relations  to  her  late  hus- 
band, and  also  for  her  own  personal  worth, 
is  most  certainly  worth}'  a  place  in  a  vol- 
ume of  this  description.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Hannah  Denby,  and  she  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Eleanor  (Condor)  Denby,  who  were  natives  of 
Yorkshire,  England.  Her  father  was  extensively 
engaged  in  farming  in  his  native  country,  but,  be- 
lieving that  America  offered  a  larger  field  and 
greater  opportunity  for  success,  he  came  to  this 
country  and  ultimately  settled  in  Morgan  County, 
arriving  here  in  the  year  1834.  He  made  his  home 
about  six  miles  west  of  the  city  of  Jacksonville, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  continued  to  live 
upon  it  until  his  death.  The  family  circle  included 
four  children,  only  two,  however,  are  living. 
These  are  Mrs.  Lambert,  who  is  the  eldest  of  the 
family,  and  her  brother  Thomas,  who  carries  on 
the  original  farm  and  homestead. 

Mrs.  Lambert  made  her  home  with  her  parents 
until  her  marriage,  which  occurred  when  she  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  Her  husband  was  like- 
wise a  native  of  Yorkshire,  where  he  was  born  in 
the  year  1818.  lie  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Lam- 


-4* 


244 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


bert,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  and  settled  in 
Scott  County  in  the  year  1834.  In  his  youth  Ed- 
ward Lambert  learned  the  trade  of  a  butcher,  and 
upon  coming  to  Jacksonville  continued  to  follow 
the  same.  This  he  did  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  the  year  1869.  Their  family  circle  in- 
cluded ten  children,  of  whom  only  one  son,  Ed- 
ward C.,  survives.  This  son  received  in  marriage 
the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Short,  of  the  Illinois 
Female  College,  and  their  home  has  been  graced  by 
the  presence  of  two  children,  who  bear  the  names 
Annie  W.  and  Edward  L. 

Mr.  Edward  Lambert,  Si1.,  was  connected  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  many  years. 
He  was  engaged  in  business  as  a  butcher,  and  erected 
the  fine  structure  that  stands  on  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  the  public  square,  where  he  did  business  for 
several  years.  He  was  a  man  of  large  interest  in 
the  advancement  of  the  city  and  county,  and  was  at 
all  times  ready  to  help  in  any  worthy  enterprise. 
He  settled  with  his  wife  in  this  district  when  Jack- 
sonville was  but  a  hamlet  of  no  great  pretensions, 
and  together  they  watched  with  pride  its  rapid 
growth,  its  increased  importance  and  wealth,  and 
its  high  position  in  the  rank  of  cities. 

Mrs.  Lambert  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  her 
married  life  in  the  city,  and  is  well  known  therein. 
She  is  everywhere  held  in  the  highest  regard,  as 
was  also  her  husband.  She  has  been  attached  to 
the  Methodist  Church  since  her  youth,  and  has 
been  a  member  and  regular  communicant  of  the 
same  for  nearly  half  a  century.  The  present  com- 
panion of  her  home  is  Mrs.  John  Watson,  the 
sister  of  her  late  husband,  who  has  made  her  home 
with  her  for  about  ten  years. 


J~|OHN  W.  BROCKHOUSE,    one  of  the  pres- 
I    ent     County     Commissioners    of     Morgan 
County,  was  born  March.  28,    1851,  in  this 
Country.     He  is  one  of  the  young  men  who 
has  inherited  to  a  large  extent  the  virtues  of  his 
parents,   and    who  exhibits    in  his  life,  the  fact  that 
"blood  will  tell."     He  is  a  son  of  Herman  G.  and 
Mary  E.  Brockhouse,   both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Hanover,    Germany.     They  came   to    Morgan 


County  some  forty-five  years  ago,  and  settled  on 
section  25,  township  16,  range  12.  Coming  to 
this  country  when  land  was  cheap,  and  when  they 
could  have  their  choice,  they  were  exceedingly 
fortunate,  but  notwithstanding  all  this  they  were 
obliged  to  suffer  privations  and  to  do  many  things 
to  get  along  in  this  world  that  would  discourage 
the  generation  that  came  after  them.  The  elder 
Brockhouse  resided  upon  the  farm  that  he  first 
located,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Politically. 
he  was  a  Democrat,  and  had  great  influence  in  his 
neighborhood.  As  sufficient  evidence  that  he  was 
more  than  an  ordinary  man,  it  would  only  be  nec- 
essary to  state  that  when  he  landed  in  this  county 
he  had  just  $35  and  when  his  labors  ended,  an  in- 
ventory of  his  estate  developed  the  fact  that  he 
had  left  to  his  heirs  a  property  worth  $40,000. 
When  he  first  came  here  he  erected  a  log-cabin  in 
which  he  lived  for'  several  years,  but  later  he  built 
a  better  home  and  erected  barns  sufficient  to  carry 
on  a  large  farm.  His  wife  died  several  years  be- 
fore he  did.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  living:  Herman,  who  is  a 
resident  of  Scott  County;  Annie,  wife  of  John 
Schumaker,  of  this  county;  John  W. ;  Maggie  wife 
of  William  Negenah;  they  reside  in  Concord 
Precinct;  Carrie,  wife  of  Gottlieb  Schumaker,  of 
this  county;  Eliza,  wife  of  Emil  Schultz,  of  Christ- 
ian County,  111. 

John  W.  Brockhouse  was  reared  to  manhood  in 
a  comparatively  new  country,  and  has  seen  Morgan 
County  take  long  strides  in  its  march  to  prosper- 
ity. He  received  his  education  in  the  subscription 
schools  of  the  early  days  of  Illinois.  For  the  in- 
formation of  the  generation  now  living,  it  may 
be  said  that  in  the  pioneer  days,  and  before  Hie 
present  excellent  common-school  system  came  into 
practice,  the  settlers  would  pay  the  teacher  a  stated 
amount  for  each  scholar,  and  the  school  house  was 
generally  built  of  logs,  all  combining  in  the  expense 
of  its  erection.  The  teacher  generally  '-boarded 
'round."  This  system  led  to  many  complications 
which  have  been  eradicated  by  the  present  excellent 
methods,  and  an  education  secured  in  the  old  \\i\\, 
was  generally  gained  under  manifold  difficulties. 
Our  present  school  system,  is  without  a  doubt  ;is 
near  perfection  as  it  can  Tte  made,  and  the  child 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


245 


who  grows  to  manhood  now  without  securing 
knowledge,  is  himself  to  blame.  The  parents  of 
to-day  are  better  able  financially,  to  give  their 
children  proper  learning  than  the  pioneers  of  fifty 
years  ago  were.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  there- 
fore, is  principally  self-educated.  By  constant  and 
intelligent  reading  he  has  become  what  would  be 
called,  a  fairly  well-posted  man.  He  was  married 
Oct.  20,  1874,  to  Miss  Caroline  N.  Weiser,  a  native 
of  Cass  County,  111.  Her  parents  were  Nicholas 
and  Flilkie  Weiser.  By  this  union  there  were  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living — Laura,  Alfred, 
and  Edward.  Francis  is  deceased. 

Mr.  Brockhousc  is  the  owner  of  280acresof  well- 
improved  land.  The  buildings  thereon  are  of  the 
best  and  in  full  keeping  with  this  magnificent  place, 
and  the  owner  is  considered  to  be  among  the  best 
farmers  in  Concord  Precinct.  He  settled  on  this 
farm  shortly  after  his  marriage,  and  has  continued  to 
reside  here  since.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 
In  the  fall  of  1886  he  was  elected  a  Commissioner 
of  Morgan  County  for  a  term  of  three  years.  lie 
has  filled  this  office  with  fidelity  and  is  reckoned 
as  one  of  the  hard-working  intelligent  men  of  the 
Board.  He  belongs  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 


«' 


f 


O1IN  S.  RANSDELL.  Among  the  men  who 
looked  upon  Central  Illinois  in  its  pioneer 
days,  the  subject  of  this  notice  deserves 
more  than  a  passing  mention.  He  is  one  of 
those  whom  nature  endowed  with  more  than  ordi- 
nary capacities,  especially  in  those  moral  qua'ities 
which  go  to  make  up  a  reliable,  kindly  and  substan- 
tial character.  It  needs  but  a  glance  at  Mr.  Rnns- 
dell  to  read  his  character — that  of  a  gentleman  to 
the  manner  born — who  has  a  natural  aversion  to 
everything  mean  or  contemptible,  and  whose  life 
has  been  in  all  respects  one  worthy  of  imitation. 
The  reputation  which  he  bears  among  his  neighbors 
is  "like  apples  of  gold  set  in  pictures  of  silver," 
and  they  who  have  known  him  best  have  the  high- 
est appreciation  of  his  true  character. 

Mr.  Ransdell  was  at  one  time  the  owner  of  nearly 
200  acres  of  land  in  Woodson  Precinct,  composed 


of  timber  and  prairie,  but  later  he  parted  with  a 
portion  of  his  real  estate,  and  has  now  a  snug  farm 
of  160  acres,  where  he  is  spending  his  declining 
years,  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  of  life.  He 
does  but  little  active  labor,  renting  out  the  most  of 
his  land.  He  occupies  a  neat  and  comfortable  res- 
idence, which  is  flanked  by  all  the  other  necessary 
buildings  required  for  the  successful  prosecution  of 
agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  home  of  his  building 
up  he  has  spent  many  peaceful  years,  and  it  is  to 
be  hoped  that  the  future  will  add  still  further  to 
his  honor  and  contentment. 

A  native  of  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  and  the  sec- 
ond in  a  family  of  nine  children,  our  subject  was  * 
born  Feb.  20,  1812.  He  lived  in  the  Blue  Grass 
State  until  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  years,  and 
then  the  whole  family  set  out  for  Illinois,  locating 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  this  county,  where  they 
all  remained  with  the  exception  of  our  subject, 
who  soon  afterward  returned  to  his  native  State. 
In  the  latter  he  sojourned  for  a  period  of  eight 
years,  engaged  as  a  carpenter.  He  then  rejoined 
his  father's  family  in  Apple  Creek,  this  county,  re- 
mained there  about  a  year,  then  settled  upon  the 
land  comprising  his  present  farm.  While  carry  ing 
on  its  improvement  and  cultivation,  he  also  contin- 
ued working  as  a  carpenter. 

Mr.  Ransdell  was  married  at  Georgetown,  Scott 
Co.,  Ky.,  Feb.  15,  1841,  to  Miss  Tabitha  Grimsley. 
This  lady  was  born  in  Fairfax  County,  Va.,  Nov. 
18,  1819,  and  by  her  union  with  our  subject  be- 
came the  mother  of  four  children,  all  daughters: 
Sarah  E.,  Mattie  A.,  Mary  A.  and  Laura  V.  The 
latter  died  Nov.  24,  1859.  The  others  are  located 
respectively  in  Jacksonville,  Terre  Haute,  Ind., 
and  Woodson  Precinct.  Sarah  E.  is  the  wife  of 
D.  C.  Green,  of  Township  14;  Mattie  A.,  Mrs.  Will- 
iam R.  Rontt,  is  a  resident  of  Jacksonville;  Mary 
A.,  Mrs.  Wills,  is  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  William 
Grimsley,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Ransdell,  was  also  a 
native  of  Fairfax  County,  Va.,  and  married  Miss 
Rebecca  Ogden,  a  native  of  the  same  count}',  where 
they  spent  their  entire  lives. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ransdell  are  both  members  in  good 
standing  of  the  Christian  Church.  Our  subject, 
politically  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  Clay, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  reliable  members  of  the 


f 


246 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


Republican  party.  He  and  his  wife  are  widely  and 
favorably  known  in  this  county,  and  number  their 
friends  by  the  score,  and  their  hospitable  home  is 
the  frequent  resort  of  its  best  people. 

—5 5— 

Ms        *r 


J~/UDGE   OWEN  P.  THOMPSON,    Presiding 
i    Officer  of  the  County   Court,  is  a  native  of 
!    this    county,   within    whose  limits    he  has 
1    spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life.     He  is  still 
a  young  man,  having  been  born  Feb.  3,  1852,  and  is 
the  son  of  James  B.  and  Mary  (McGnier)   Thomp- 
son, who   were  natives  respectively   of  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
Bernard  and  Mary  (Phillips)  Thompson,  natives  of 
Ohio,'  where  they  lived  until  1834,  engaged  in 
farming  pursuits.  James  B.  continued  a  resident 
of  the  Buckeye  State  until  1834,  when  he  came  to 
Illinois,  locating  in  Bethel  Precinct,  thia  county, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  engaged 
in  farming.  He  became  the  father  of  a  large 
family,  was  an  honest  and  industrious  citizen,  and 
a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party.  In 
1886  he  abandoned  active  labor,  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  Jacksonville,  where  he  is  now  living  in 
retirement,  having  attained  to  the  good  old  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  The  devoted  wife  and  mother 
passed  away  in  1881,  aged  sixty-seven.  Their 
family  of  six  children  included  three  sons  and  three 
daughters.  The  parents  early  in  life  identified 
themselves  with  the  Protestant  Methxlist  Church, 
with  which  the  mother  continued  until  her  death, 
and  of  which  the  father  remains  a  member. 

The  brothers  and  sisters  of  our  subject  are  lo- 
cated as  follows:  Clark  M.  is  teaching  in  Win- 
chester, Scott  County;  Mary,  Mrs.  Crawford,  is  a 
resident  of  Colorado;  Sarah,  Mrs.  McPherson,  of 
McPherson  County,  Kan. ;  Ella  is  unmarried,  and 
continues  the  companion  of  her  father;  Perry  C.  is 
a  practicing  physician  of  Jacksonville;  Owen  P. 
was  the  youngest  child.  The  latter  remained  upon 
the  farm  with  his  parents  until  a  youth  of  nineteen 
years,  acquiring  a  practical  education,  and  then 
commenced  teaching.  This  he  followed  two  years, 
then  wishing  to  perfect  himself  further  in  the  pro- 


fession, attended  the  Normal  School  at  Blooming- 
ton  two  terms.  He  subsequently  taught  in  Morgan 
County  five  years. 

Young  Thompson  had  ere  this  chosen  the  pro- 
fession of  law  for  his  future  vocation,  and  now 
entering  the  Law  School  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  took  a 
full  course,  and  was  graduated  in  1876.  He  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  in  his  native 
county,  establishing  himself  at  Jacksonville,  where 
he  has  since  continued.  He  gave  evidence  at  an 
early  period  in  his  career  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability,  and  iu  1886  was  chosen  for  his  present  re- 
sponsible office.  lie  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, a  Knight  of  Pythias,  and  belongs  to  the 
order  of  United  Workmen. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Ruddick,  a  native  of  Jackson 
County.  Ind.,  became  the  wife  of  our  subject  on  the 
31st  day  of  May,  1883,  the  wedding  being  cele- 
brated at  the  home  of  the  bride  in  Jacksonville,  111. 
Mrs.  Thompson  was  born  Jan.  2,  1837,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Solomon  and  Elizabeth  Ruddick,  who 
were  natives  of  Ohio.  She  is  a  lady  of  excellent 
education,  and  a  graduate  of  the  Illinois  Female 
College  at  Jacksonville,  where  she  completed  her 
studies  in  1878.  Of  her  union  with  Judge  Thomp- 
son there  have  been  born  two  children — Mai^y  R. 
and  Perry  P. 


J1  AMES  PORTER.     The  subject  of  this  notice, 
|    who  is  living  in  single  blessedness  on  a  snug 
j    little    farm   of    120   acres    on   section  36  in 
Woodson  Precinct,  came  to  this  region  when 
a  youth  of  sixteen  years,  in  the  fall  of   1834.     He 
was     accompanied    by    his   parents,    William    and 
Sarah   (Tingle)    Porter,  and   remained   with  them 
until  their  decease.     William  Porter  departed   this 
life  March  7,  1843,  and  the  mother,  who  only  sur- 
vived her  husband   four  and  one-half  3'ears,  died 
Sept.  13,  1848. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  natives  of  Dela- 
ware, whence  they  removed  in  their  youth,  prior 
to  their  marriage,  to  Kentacky.  After  uniting  their 
hearts  and  fortunes  the}'  settled  in  Scott  County, 
that  State,  and  lived  there  Until  their  removal  to 


r 


t 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


247 


Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1834.  The  father  secured  a 
tract  of  land,  and,  with  the  aid  of  his  son,  built  up 
n  comfortable  homestead,  where  both  parents  spent 
their  last  days.  Their  household  consisted  of  six 
children.  James,  our  subject,  was  born  in  Scott 
County,  Ky.,  Aug.  14,  1818,  and  there  received 
the  most  of  his  education  in  the  common  school. 
He  grew  up  a  dutiful  son  and  an  industrious  youth, 
following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  honored  father, 
and  being  mostly  engaged  in  farming  pursuits. 
'I  he  old  homestead  is  now  occupied  by  himself  and 
younger  sister  Nancy,  and  our  subject  secured  his 
farm  in  1875.  He  has  erected  a  neat  and  commo- 
dious dwelling,  and  his  barn  and  other  outbuild- 
ings are  well  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  general 
agriculture.  There  is  no  fault  to  be  found,  what- 
ever, with  his  career  as  a  man  and  a  citizen,  ex- 
cepting the  fact  that  he  has  never  thought  best  to 
take  unto  himself  a  wife  and  helpmate.  His  do- 
mestic affairs  are  presided  over  by  his  sister 
Nancy. 

Politically,  Mr.  Porter  affiliates  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  he  has  been  for  many  years  a 
member  in  good  standing  of  the  Christian  Church. 
No  man  has  watched  with  warmer  interest  the 
growth  and  development  of  his  adopted  county, 
and  lie  has  contributed  his  full  quota  in  bringing 
it  to  its  present  condition. 


WILLIAM  FOESYTHE.  It  is  conceded  the 
world  over,  that  among  all  the  nations  of 
the  globe  there  is  none  better  than  that 
which  traces  its  origin  to  the  Lnnd  of  the  Thistle. 
The  Scotch  nationality  is  the  synonym  of  all  that 
is  honorable,  high-minded  and  praiseworthy,  and 
everv  man  who  can  lay  claim  to  that  country  as  his 
own,  Ins  something  of  which  to  be  proud.  Among 
these  fortunate  individuals  is  the  subject  of  this 
biography,  who  was  born  in  Scotland,  as  likewise 
was  his  honored  father,  William  Forsythe,  Sr.  The 
latter,  a  native  of  Dumfrieshire,  was  there  reared 
to  man's  estate,  and  married  one  of  its  most  estima- 
ble maidens,  Miss  Mary  llyslop.  They  never  left 
their  native  shire,  living  and  dying  in  the  land 


which  gave  them  birth.  They  were  the  parents  of 
two  children  only — Nicholas  and  William,  oursub- 
ject;  the  former  of  whom  is  now  deceased. 

Our  subject,  like  his  father,  a  native  of  Dum- 
frieshire, first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  Feb.  4, 
1825,  and  spent  his  early  life  upon  his  father's 
farm,  coming  to  America  in  1850,  when  a  man  of 
twenty-five  years.  He  landed  in  New  York  City, 
and  for  two  years  thereafter  was  occupied  at  farm- 
ing in  that  State.  He  then  emigrated  to  the  Pa- 
cific Slope,  and  spent  six  years  in  California,  en- 
gaged chiefly  in  agricultural  pursuits.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  this  time  he  re-visited  his  native  Isle, 
and  after  spending  a  few  months  among  the  friends 
of  his  childhood,  returned  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  in  this  county,  in  June,  1858.  For  several 
months  thereafter  Mr.  Forsythe  was  employed  on 
the  farm  belonging  to  the  Insane  Asylum,  then  em- 
barked in  agriculture  on  his  own  account,  renting 
a  farm  near  Murrayville,  upon  which  he  operated 
five  years  with  such  good  results  that  he  finally 
bought  a  farm  near  Woodson,  and  has  since  de- 
voted his  time  and  attention  to  its  improvement 
He  has  erected  a  good  set  of  buildings,  which,  with 
their  surroundings,  form  one  of  the  most  attractive 
homesteads  in  this  part  of  the  county.  All  its  be- 
longings suggest  peace  and  plenty,  and  indicate  in 
a  forcible  manner  the  thrift  and  industry  of  the 
proprietor. 

The  marriage  of  William  Forsythe  and  Miss  Jes- 
sie Wilson  took  place  at  the  bride's  home  in  Jack- 
sonville, March  20,  1860.  Mrs.  F.  is  the  daughter 
of  John  and  Margaret  (Tulloch)  Wilson,  who  were 
also  natives  of  Scotland,  where  they  spent  their  en- 
tire lives.  She  was  the  second  in  a  family  of  three 
children,  and  was  born  in  Nairnshire,  March  28, 
1834.  She  came  to  America  alone,  in  1856.  Of 
her  union  with  our  subject  there  have  been  born 
seven  children,  viz.:  John  H.,  Mary  N.,  William 
U.  (deceased),  Edwin  J.,  Margaret  T.,  Allen  E., 
and  Luella  B.,  deceased.  John  married  Miss  Rosa 
Ungluab,  and  resides  near  Woodson,  occupied  at 
farming;  Mar}7  N.  is  with  the  Simmons  hardware 
firm  of  St.  Louis,  as  stenographer;  the  three  sur- 
viving remain  at  home  with  their  parents;  William 
1).  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  months,  and  Luella 
when  less  than  two  years  old. 


I 


248 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


Mr.  Forsythe,  politically,  is  a  sound  Republican, 
but  aside  from  serving  as  School  Director  in  bis 
district  has  little  to  do  with  public  affairs,  prefer- 
ring to  give  his  time  and  attention  to  his  farm  and 
his  family.  Both  Tie  and  his  excellent  wife  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  Mr. 
T.  has  officiated  as  an  Elder  for  many  years,  and 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  religious  work.  He  is 
the  friend  of  education,  and  is  uniformly  to  be 
found  the  encourager  of  those  enterprises  calcu- 
lated to  elevate  society  and  build  up  the  county. 


YLVANUS  SCOTT.     This  well-to-do  citi- 
zen, the  son  of  Eneas  Scott,  who  is  repre- 
sented elsewhere  in  this  work,  is  established 
on  a  good  farm  of   120  acres,  occupying  a 
part  of  section  34,  township  14,  range  9.     He  car- 
ries on  general  agriculture,  and  has  about  him  all 
the  conveniences   and  appliances  of  a   well-regu- 
lated country  estate.    He  is  an  upright  and  reliable 
citizen,  a  sound    Democrat  politically,  and  a  man 
who  prefers  to  give  his  best  efforts  to  his  farm  and 
his    family    than    to  mingle  with    the    turmoil  of 
public  life. 

Our  subject  was  born  Sept.  14,  1842,  in  Eliza- 
beth, N.  J.,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  this 
county  in  1854,  when  a  lad  of  twelve  years.  They 
settled  in  township  14,  range  9,  where  the  father 
carries  on  farming.  Sylvanus  was  reared  to  man's 
estate  under  the  home  roof,  and  was  married  June 
9,  1869,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Doris  worth,  a  lady  of 
English  birth  and  parentage,  who  emigrated  to 
America  with  her  parents  in  1854,  they  settling  in 
this  count}'.  Mr.  Dodsworth  is  now  deceased,  and 
his  widow  was  subsequently  married  to  Dawson 
Darley,  who  is  also  deceased,  and  Mrs.  Darley  occu- 
pies the  old  homestead  in  township  14,  range  10. 
To  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Scott  there  were  born  two 
children — Elizabeth  and  Thomas. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  were  named 
respectively:    Edward    D.,  Sarah    L.,  Gilbert    W., 
Ira    Eneas,    Rhoda    H.,  Winfield   W.,  Annie,  and 
Alfred  E.     Mrs.  Scott  is  a  member  in  good  stand- 
\  •    ing  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  Durbin, 


and  both  our  subject  and  his  wife  enjoy  the  friend- 
ship of  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances.  They  have 
a  pleasant  home  and  everything  to  make  life  com- 
fortable and  desirable. 


ILLIAM  WAGGONER  is  a  representative 
fanner  and  stock  raiser  of  Morgan  County. 
He  was  born  in  Perry  County,  Pa.,  Aug. 
14,  1840,  and  received  his  education  at  the  public 
schools  of  that  old  commonwealth. 

William  Waggoner,  Sr.,  was  also  born  in  Perry 
County,  Pa.,  Oct.  C,  1805.  He  lived  in  Pennsyl- 
vania until  he  grew  to  man's  estate,  and  then  re- 
moved to  La  Salle  County,  III.,  but  becoming 
dissatisfied  with  the  country  he  returned  to  Perry 
County,  Pa.,  thence  removing  across  the  mountains 
to  Cumberland  County,  in  the  same  State.  His 
wife  died  at  the  latter  place.  In  1856  he  came  to 
Morgan  County,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  240  acres, 
all  improved.  This  time  he  removed  with  the  in- 
tention of  making  Illinois  his  future  home,  an 
action  which  he  never  regretted.  William  Wag- 
goner, Sr.,  was  the  father  of  eleven  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Peter,  Catherine,  Eliza- 
beth, Anna,  Emma  and  William.,  Jr. 

Peter  married  Elizabeth  Patterson,  of  Morgan 
County,  and  is  a  farmer  and  stockman.  They  have 
three  children  —  Mabel,  Mary  and  Ruth;  Catherine 
married  James  Magill,  also  of  Morgan  County,  who 
is  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren —  Owen,  Lloyd,  Charles  and  Alice;  Elizabeth 
married  Marshall  W.  Green,  a  farmer  of  Mori;:m 
County;  Anna  married  Luther  Magill,  now  de- 
ceased. Mrs.  Magill  lives  in  Jacksonville,  and  is 
the  mother  of  five  children  —  Nellie,  Louis,  William, 
Leonard  and  Clara;  Emma  is  single,  and  lives  with 
William,  Jr. 

Our  subject  married  Annie  Grimes,  of  Greene 
County,  111.,  Dec.  22,  1880.  Mrs.  AVaggoner  was 
born  Oct.  16,  1847.  Her  father  and  mother,  John 
and  Mary  Ann  Grimes,  are  of  Kentucky  nativity, 
their  parents  having  come  from  England. 

Mr.  Waggoner,  whose  name  appears  at  the  head 
of  this  sketch,  is  now  living  upon,  and  owns  the 
homestead  purchased  by  his  father,  and  is  making 


249  T 

A 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


a  signal  success  of  the  business  of  general  farming 
and  stock  raising.  He  takes  great  pride  in  raising 
good  grades  of  cattle,  horses  and  hogs,  and  for 
these  he  always  receives  the  highest  market  price, 
lie  is  a  thorough  fanner  and  business  man,  and  is 
well  thought  of  in  his  community.  He  enlisted  as 
a  volunteer  in  the  101st  regiment  of  Illinois  Infan- 

O 

try,  commanded  b\'  Col.  Charles  Fox,  Capt.  Sylves- 
ter I,.  Moore  being  his  company  commander.  His 
enlistment  occurred  in  August,  1862.  and  he  was 
discharged  at  .St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  July,  1863,  for  dis- 
ability, lie  was  taken  prisoner  at  Holly  Springs, 
Miss.,  and  paroled  after  being  in  captivity  but  a 
few  hours.  His  regiment  was  exchanged  on  the 
day  of  his  discharge.  Mr.  Waggoner  is  a  working 
member  of  Matt  Starr  Post  No.  378,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Jacksonville.  He  is  a  Republican  in  polities,  lie 
was  a  brave  soldier,  is  a  good  citizen,  well  spoken 
of  by  his  acquaintances,  and,  in  fact,  as  has  been 
said  of  another  person,  "He  will  stand  without 
hitching." 


HARLES  A.  BARNES,  States  Attorney,  a 
gentleman  young  in  years,  has  already  a 
good  start  in  the  legal  profession  and  the 
business  world.  lie  is  bright  and  capable,  and 
there  is  every  reason  to  suppose,  jvist  entering  upon 
a  successful  and  honorable  career.  A  native  of  Il- 
linois, he  was  born  in  the  then  struggling  town  of 
Alton,  Madison  County,  July  4,  1855.  His  par- 
ents were  Rev.  William  and  Eunice  O.  Hub  bard 
(Barnes)  natives  of  Massachusetts,  the  father  a 
graduate  of  Yale  College  of  1839,  and  a  clergyman 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  for  many  years  had 
charge  of  a  congregation  in  the  city  of  Hoston,  but 
on  account  of  failing  health  he,  in  1853,  came  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  in  Alton.  lie  preached  there 
five  or  six  years,  coming  to  Jacksonville  in  I860. 
He  is  now  living  in  retirement  in  this  city.  The 
wife  and  mother  passed  to  her  long  home  in  1872. 
leaving  a  family  of  four  children.  The  eldest  of 
these,  William  H.,  is  now  a  Judge  of  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court  in  Arixona;  Nathan  H.,  a 
resident  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  holds  a  Lieutenant's 


commission  in  the  United  States  Navy;  Mary  A., 
wife  of  Mr.  M.  V.  B.  Elison,  is  a  resident  of  Free- 
port,  111. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  after  leaving  the 
primary  schools,  entered  the  Illinois  College  at 
Jacksonville,  and  later  Michigan  State  University 
at  Ann  Arbor,  and  was  graduated  from  the  law 
department  of  the  latter  in  1878.  He  at  once  set- 
tled in  Jacksonville,  where  he  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  company  with  his 
brother,  William  II.,  continuing  there  until  he  was 
chosen  to  his  present  position  in  the  fall  of  1884. 
He  was  first  appointed  City  Attorney  in  1882, 
serving  one  year,  and  elected  States  Attorney  in 
1884,  which  position  he  has  since  held.  Politically, 
he  votes  the  straight  Democratic  ticket,  and  so- 
cially, is  a  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  K.  of  P. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject,  Thomas 
and  Sarah  (Evans)  Barnes,  were  natives  of  Dela- 
ware. Grandfather  Barnes  in  1809  removed  to 
the  vicinity  of  what  was  afterward  Portsmouth, 
Ohio,  where  he  engaged  extensively  in  fanning, 
and  where  his  death  took  place  in  1818.  His  esti- 
mable wife  survived  him  many  years,  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1834,  and  was  a  resident  of  Marshall  County 
at  the  time  of  her  death,  which  occurred  when  she 
was  about  eighty  years  old.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
Nancy,  Mrs.  Dever,  of  Lacon,  now  ninety  years  of 
age;  Henry,  of  Sannemin,  Livingston  County, 
aged  eighty  six  years,  and  Rev.  William,  father  of 
our  subject,  who  is  seventy-two  years  old.  The 
Barnes  family  is  of  Scotch  ancestry,  while  the 
Evans'  trace  their  origin  to  Wales. 


OIIN  HANSON.  In  the  coming  years  when 
|  perhaps  the  grandchildren  of  the  pioneers  of 
Morgan  County  will  be  gathered  together  in 
social  intercourse  to  talk  of  the  old  times,  it 
will  be  gratifying  to  them  to  be  able  to  peruse  the 
records  which  are  now  being  snatched  from  obliv- 
ion, and  there  will  appear  to  them  a  certain  charm 
in  beholding  the  names  of  their  sires  in  vivid  black 
and  white,  as  connected  with  the  incidents  of  the 
early  settlement  of  this  county.  The  Rauson  fam- 


250 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


4 


ily  from  its  known  prominence  and  importance 
cannot  properly  be  left  out  of  this  category,  and 
the  subject  of  this  notice — one  of  its  most  worthy 
members — deserves  more  than  a  passing  mention 
as  ti  man  who  has  redeemed  a  portion  of  the  primi- 
tive soil,  and  built  up  one  of  the  most  desirable 
homesteads  in  his  precinct.  He  is  recognized  as  a 
thorough  and  skillful  farmer,  and  has  added  in  no 
small  degree  to  the  extent  and  value  of  the  taxable 
property  therein  contained. 

The  offspring  of  a  good  family,  our  subject  is 
the  son  of  James  Uanson,  a  native  of  Sheffield, 
England,  who  emigrated  to  America  a  single  man, 
and  later  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Richardson,  a 
sister  of  Vincent  Richardson,  of  this  county.  After 
their  marriage  the  young  people  settled  not  far 
from  the  home  of  the  Richardsons,  and  the  father 
of  our  subject  since  that  time  has  been  a  resident 
of  this  county,  and  continuously  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  The  wife  and  mother  died  at  the 
old  homestead  in  Jacksonville,  June  18,  1881.  The 
parental  household  included  seven  sons  and  four 
daughters,  of  whom  John,  our  subject,  was  the  sec- 
ond born.  He  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light 
at  the  old  homestead,  near  Lynnville,  Jan.  27, 
1836,  and  was  there  reared  to  man's  estate.  He 
remained  a  member  of  his  father's  household 
until  taking  up  his  abode  in  township  14,  in 
1862. 

Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  our  subject, 
then  a  man  of  twenty-five  years,  and  full  of  his 
plans  for  the  future,  laid  aside  his  personal  inter- 
ests, and  enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier,  Sept.  2,  1861, 
in  Company  K,  27th  Illinois  Infantry.  After  serv- 
ing four  months,  mostly  in  the  army  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, he  was  obliged  to  accept  his  honorable  dis- 
charge on  account  of  disability.  After  his  return 
home  he  gave  his  attention  exclusively  to  agricult- 
ural pursuits,  in  which  he  has  since  been  engaged. 
Four  years  later  he  was  married,  May  23,  1865,  at 
the  home  of  the  bride,  four  miles  west  of  Jackson- 
ville, to  Miss  Ann  E.  Killam.  Mrs.  Ranson  was 
born  near  Liberty  Church,  on  the  1st  of  October, 
1813,  and  is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
(Hall)  Killam,  who  were  natives  of  England,  and 
are  now  deceased. 

In    the  spring  of  1862,  prior  to   his   marriage, 


Mr.  Hanson  settled  in  township  14,  and  is  now  the 
owner  of  440  broad  acres,  nearly  the  whole  of 
which  has  been  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. In  addition  to  general  agriculture  he  is  quite 
largely  engaged  as  a  stock-dealer,  and  from  this 
industry  has  reaped  quite  a  little  fortune.  His 
farm  buildings  are  commodious  and  substantial, 
and  he  avails  himself  of  the  latest  improved  ma- 
chinery in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  It  has  taken 
years  of  labor,  and  involved  an  outlay  of  thousands 
of  dollars  to  bring  his  homestead  to  its  present  con- 
dition, and  it  is  scarcely  excelled  by  any  in  Mor- 
gan County  in  point  of  actual  value. 

Only  three  of  the  five  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ranson  are  now  living,  viz:  James  W.,  Sam- 
uel E.  and  Charles  L.  The  eldest  is  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  and  the  youngest  fifteen,  and  they  all 
remain  under  the  home  roof.  Mr.  Ranson,  politi- 
cally, votes  the  straight  Republican  ticket,  and, 
socially,  is  identified  with  the  G.  A.  R. 


ARDIN  D.  COOPER,  a  thorough-going  and 
IK  wide-awake  business  man,  and  proprietor  of 
"  the  well-known  general  mercantile  house  at 
Chapin,  needs  but  little  introduction  to  the 
people  of  Morgan  County.  Our  subject  is  the  son 
of  John  D.  Cooper,  who  first  established  the  busi- 
ness now  so  ably  carried  on  by  his  son  Hardin.  Mr. 
Cooper,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Sumner  County,  Tenn., 
on  the  20th  of  December,  1809.  His  father,  George 
W.  Cooper,  emigrated  to  Morgan  County,  of  this 
State,  in  November,  1829,  and  settled  in  township 
16,  range  11  (Concord),  and  was  accompanied  in 
this  journey  by  his  son,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
who  was  then  about  twenty  years  of  age. 

On  the  23d  of  January,  1836,  John  I).  Cooper 
married  Miss  Margaret  Willard,who  bore  him  four 
children,  as  follows:  Martha  E.,  widow  of  D.  M. 
Brunson,  of  Eldorado,  Kan.;  Hester  Ann,  wife  of 
the  Hon.  Lewis  Hanback,  ex-Member  of  Congress, 
of  Kansas;  William  M.  was  a  soldier  in  the  late 
Civil  War,  and  held  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  on  the 
staff  of  Gen.  N.  B.  Buford;  he  was  a  partner  of  his 
father  in  the  store,  from  1866  to  1876,  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  One  other  child,  George,  died  in  in- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


251 


fancy.  Being  left  a  widower  lie  subsequently  re- 
married, on  the  28th  of  September,  1847,  the  lady 
being  Margery  A.  Risley,  by  whom  he  became  the 
father  of  the  following  children:  Mary  A.,  Hardin 
and  Ida.  His  settlement  at  Chapin  dates  from  1 847. 
Shortly  afterward  he  began  to  do  business  as  men- 
tioned above,  and  continued  as  the  sole  proprietor 
until  he  took  our  subject  into  partnership  with  him, 
and  retaining  his  interest  in  the  firm  until  his  de- 
cease, on  the  5th  of  February,  1880. 

The  subject  of  this  writing  was  born  in  Chnpin, 
III.,  Dec.  27,  1849.  He  received  his  education  and 
was  reared  in  his  native  county,  becoming  his 
father's  clerk  and  helper  in  the  store  at  an  early 
age.  He  attended  the  High  School  at  Jacksonville, 
and  developed  an  aptitude  for  study  that  has  been 
of  great  assistance  to  him  as  a  man  of  business.  In 
1888  Mr.  Cooper  had  so  progressed  in  business, 
and  prospered  financially,  that  he  purchased  the  in- 
terests of  all  the  heirs  to  the  business  as  left  by  his 
fathei,aml  became  sole  proprietor.  On  Nov.  1, 
1877,  he  became  the  husband  of  Miss  Belle  Nuely. 
There  has  been  given  to  them  a  daughter,  whose 
name  is  recorded  as  Julia  N.,  and  who  was  born 
Oct.  11,  1888.  She  has  made  the  home  the  brighter 
and  happier  by  her  presence. 

The  store  of  our  subject  is  quite  large,  and  car- 
ries a  stock  consisting  of  dry  goods  of  all  kinds, 
also  a  full  line  of  boots,  shoes  and  hats;  there  is 
also  a  grocery  department,  and  one  is  sure  to  find 
everything  in  the  line  of  hardware,  and  in  fact 
anything  that  is  usually  carried  by  similar  well- 
managed  stores  in  the  country.  The  stock  carried 
is  at  no  time  of  less  value  than  $8,000,  and  his  sales 
average  over  120,000  annually.  The  reputation  of 
our  subject  as  a  man  of  business  is  in  keeping  with 
his  high  character,  previous  training,  and  the  ex- 
ample of  his  respected  father,  who  established  the 
business. 

Mr.  Cooper  as  a  loyal  citizen  is  deeply  interested 
in  the  political  aspect,  and  gives  considerable  time 
to  the  understanding  of  govennental  questions.  lie 
is  a  firm  adherent  and  cordial  friend  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  but  is  first,  a  man,  and  afterward  a 
politician,  and  therefore  never  sacrifices  principle 
to  policy.  For  fourteen  years  he  was  Postmaster 
of  Chapin,  and  throughout  that  lengthy  period 


earned  the  heartiest  esteem  of  tlie  people,  owing  to 
the  well  nigh  perfect  manner  in  which  every  duty 
connected  therewith  was  performed.  He  has  re- 
cently been  re-appointed  Postmaster,  and  will  again 
assume  the  duties  of  that  office. 


NN  C.  CURTS,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Ann  C.  Parker,  is  a  native  of  Incoming 
County,  Pa.,  and  was  born  May  19,  1832. 
Her  parents  came  to  Sangamon  County, 
111.,  in  1837.  Her  father,  in  conjunction  with  his 
farm,  carried  on  the  blacksmithing  business.  He 
was  born  April  21,  1801,  and  died  Sept.  25,  1807, 
and  was  interred  in  the  cemetciy  at  Island  Grove, 
Sangamon  Co.,  111.  The  mother  of  our  subject, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Carson,  was  a 
native  of  Philadelphia.  Her  father  was  a  lawyer. 
Mrs.  Curts,  whose  name  is  at  the  head  of  this 
sketch,  is  proud  of  the  fact  that  the  grandfather  of 
her  husband  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
and  that  he  lived  to  the  age  of  one  hundred  years. 
The  father  of  Mrs.  Curts  had  a  family  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living,  namely:  Hen-, 
riette,  Sarah  J.,  Emma  and  Ann  C.  Henriette  is 
single,  and  is  a  teacher  of  the  High  School  in  Ilum- 
boldt  County,  Cal. ;  Sarah  J.  married  John  Rich- 
mond, of  Ohio,  who  is  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser 
in  Brown  County,  Neb.,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren— Lulu  and  John;  Emma  married  James  Man- 
son,  of  Waverly,  111.,  who  is  a  merchant,  and  they 
have  five  children — Clara,  William,  Eva,  Frank, 
Nellie;  Ann  C.,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  written, 
married  George  Curts  (deceased)  in  Sangainon 
County,  111.,  in  1869. 

Our  subject's  husband  commenced  life  as  a  farmer, 
in  Morgan  County,  this  State,  and  continued  in 
that  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Feb. 
12,  1885.  He  was  a  very  successful  farmer,  a  man 
of  good  repute,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Christian  Church.  He  was  the  father  of  eight 
children,  all  of  whom  are  dead  except  George  W; 
he  married  Miss  Nellie  Comstock,  who  died  in 
1882,  leaving  three  children — Marriette,  Margaret 
and  Oveta;  George  is  now  engaged  in  super- 
intending the  old  farm  for  his  mother.  Mrs.  Curts 


~ 


4- 

,  .     252 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


iiihcritctl  200  acres  of  land  from  the  estate  of 
her  husband,  there  being  900  acres  in  all.  It  is  in  a 
good  state  of  cultivation,  with  tine  buildings;  is 
well  stocked,  and  is  a  home  of  which  any  one 
might  be  proud.  She  is  a  lady  who  has  many 
friends,  who  admire  her  many  good  qualities  of 
heart,  and  her  son  is  looked  upon  as  a  model 
fanner. 

Mr.  C  urts  while  living  was  a  prominent  Demo- 
crat, and  took  great  interest  in  public  affairs.  He 
was  in  politics  for  principle,  not  office. 


T        ' 

T 


fir==»KANCIS  M.  HENDERSON,  a  son  of  one 

f^gft  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  this  county,  is 
now  numbered  among  its  most  prominent 
and  well-to-do  citizens.  He  was  reared  amid  the 
wild  scenes  of  pioneer  life  and  in  that  atmosphere 
imbibed  the  love  of  freedom  and  those  sentiments 
of  sterling  integrity  which  have  made  him  a  man 
upright  and  praiseworthy  in  his  dealings  with  his 
fellows,  and  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  the  pro- 
jects and  enterprises  which  have  brought  his  na- 
tive county  to  its  present  state.  ~By  watching  its 
growth  and  development  he  has  practically  grown 
up  with  it  and  contributed  his  full  quota  in  mak- 
ing it  what  it  is. 

The  property  of  our  subject  embraces  a  well- 
regulated  farm  of  140  acres  pleasantly  located  on 
section  36,  township  16,  range  12.  It  became  his 
in  its  undeveloped  condition,  and  he  lias  expended 
years  of  labor  and  hundreds  of  dollars  in  effecting 
the  improvements  upon  it  and  bringing  the  soil  to 
that  fertile  condition  which  has  rendered  it  highly 
productive  and  valuable.  Notwithstanding  the 
amount  of  labor  he  has  accomplished,  he  is  still  in 
his  prime,  having  been  born  Dec.  15,  1837,  and  it 
is  to  be  hoped  will  enjo\r  many  more  years  of  the 
comfort  and  satisfaction  to  which  he  is  entitled  as 
the  reward  of  his  honest  toil. 

(  )ur  subject  is  the  offspring  of  a  good  family,  be- 
in"'  the  son  of  Silas  and  Sarah  (Gorham)  Hender- 
son, the  father,  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  moth- 
er of  New  York  State.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
was  born  either  in  Virginia  or  Maryland,  and  emi- 
grated to  this  county  about  1824-25,  settling  in 

4* 


township  16,  range  12,  and  in  what  is  now  known 
as  Arcadia  Precinct.  He  had,  however,  prior  to 
this  resided  in  Ohio  for  a  short  time.  When  com- 
ing to  Illinois  the  laud  in  this  portion  of  the  State 
had  scarcely  been  opened  for  settlement,  and  was 
not  in  the  market.  Shortly  afterward  he  returned 
to  Ohio  to  dispose  of  some  property  there,  when 
he  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  died  the  eleventh 
day  after  his  arrival  there.  He  had  journeyed  the 
whole  of  the  way  from  Illinois  to  Ohio  on  horse- 
back. After  his  death  his  family  remained  in  Illi- 
nois, ami  entered  the  land  when  it  came  into  market 
and  about  two  miles  east  of  which  grew  up  the 
present  village  of  Arcadia. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  Silas  Henderson 
purchased  the  interest  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  es- 
tate, and  entering  additional  land  effected  further 
improvements,  but  finally  sold  out  and  removed  to 
the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  section  31,  town- 
ship 16,  range  11,  and  there  lived  for  the  long  pe- 
riod of  thirty-four  years.  There  also  his  death 
took  place  Aug.  17,  1886.  His  was  the  life  of  the 
typical  pioneer,  during  which  lie  labored  early  and 
late  in  the  building  up  of  his  homestead,  and  at 
his  death  left  an  estate  valued  at  $60,000.  He 
had  been  a  useful  man  in  his  community,  en- 
couraging its  worthy  enterprises  and  shedding 
around  him  a  healthy  moral  influence. 

Silas  Henderson  and  his  estimable  wife  became 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  namely:  Francis  M., 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Alderson,  of  this 
county;  Lucretia  J.,  Mrs.  George  W.  Renshler; 
Stephen  G.,  of  Missouri;  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Ja- 
cob Savel,  of  Ringgold  County,  Iowa;  Ellen,  Mrs. 
Felix  Brown,  of  Missouri;  Heni\y  C.,  also  living  in 
that  State;  Phebe  M.,  the  wife  of  Charles  Craig,  of 
Cass  County,  Mo.  These  were  the  children  of  the 
first  wife.  After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  our 
subject  Mr.  Henderson  was  married  a  second  time, 
to  Caroline  Furrer,  and  there  was  born  one  son, 
Allen,  who  is  married  and  a  resident  of  Nodaway 
County,  Mo.  He  was  a  Whig  during  his  early 
manhood,  and  upon  the  abandonment  of  the  old 
party  cordially  endorsed  Republican  principles. 
He  voted  for  Gen.  Harrison  in  1840.  He  enjoys  a 
large  acquaintance  throughout  the  county,  and  was 
noted  for  his  sterling  worth  and  integrity.  His 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


253 


first  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  a  most 
estimable  lady  and  a  member  in  good  standing  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Francis  M.  Henderson  of  this  sketch  spent  his 
boyhood  and  youth  variously  employed  about  the 
farm,  and  during  the  winter  season  pursued  his 
studies  in  the  typical  log  school  house  of  the  prim- 
itive times.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  in 
the  Union  army  one  year,  met  the  enemy  in  battle 
at  Fredrickstown,  Mo.,  and  was  engaged  in  several 
skirmishes  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  llth  Mis- 
souri Infantry.  Prior  to  this  he  had  been  married 
Jan.  22,  1863,  to  Miss  Emily  Berry.  Mrs.  Hender- 
son was  born  in  Illinois,  and  of  her  union  with  our 
subject  there  are  two  children — a  son  and  a  daugh- 
ter, Silas  M.  and  Lulu. 

Mr.  Henderson,  following  the  footsteps  of  his 
honored  sire,  uniformly  votes  the  straight  Repub- 
lican ticket,  and  has  served  as  a  School  Director  in 
his  district  for  a  period  of  nine  years.  As  an  ex- 
soldier,  he  belongs  to  Chapin  Post,  G.  A,  R.  in 
which  he  is  Junior  Vice  Commander.  He  is  also 
identified  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  at  Concord.  Of 
late  years  he  has  given  considerable  attention  to 
stock-growing  and  lias  ample  means  to  carry  out 
his  plans  and  purposes  after  the  most  approved 
modern  methods. 


S  WILCOX.  The  farming  and  stock- 
raising  interests  of  Morgan  County  are 
finely  represented  by  Mr.  Wilcox,  who  owns 
250  acres  of  land,  comprising  his  homestead  in  this 
county,  and  190  acres  in  Sangamon  County.  The 
whole  has  been  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  is  supplied  with  the  buildings  necessary 
for  carrying  on  agriculture  easily  and  profitably. 
Mr.  Wilcox  makes  a  specialty  of  stock-raising,  es- 
pecially horses,  and  keeps  fifteen  brood  mares, 
comprising  some  of  the  most  valuable  animals  in 
this  section.  His  residence  and  its  surroundings 
form  one  of  the  most  attractive  homes  in  the 
township,  and  he  is  regarded  as  a  man  represent- 
ing its  most  important  interests. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  active  agriculturists  of 
this  county  are  operating  not  far  from  the  place  of 


their  birth,  as  is  the  case  of  our  subject,  who  was 
born  in  Sangamon  County,  this  State,  June  28, 
1831.  lie  was  given  a  common-school  education, 
and  in  his  boyhood  became  familiar  with  farm  pur- 
suits. His  father,  Ellis  Wilcox,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, about  1792,  where  he  lived  until  reaching 
man's  estate.  He  was  then  married  to  Miss  Ann 
Lewis,  of  South  Carolina,  who»e  parents  had  re- 
moved to  Kentucky,  and  the  young  people  contin- 
ued residents  of  the  Blue  Grass  State  for  some  time 
after  their  marriage.  They  finally  emigrated  to 
Macoupin  County,  III.  The  father  of  our  subject 
was  married  in  1820,  and  settled  in  Sangamon 
County,  this  State,  where  they  lived  five  years. 
Next  they  took  up  their  residence  in  this  county, 
and  the  mother  died  in  187C.  The  father  is  still 
living  with  his  son  in  Sangamon  County,  and  has 
arrived  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety -seven  years. 
Upon  coming  to  this  county  he  first  secured  eighty 
acres  of  land,  to  which  he  added  by  degrees  until 
he  was  the  owner  at  one  time  of  700  acres.  The 
parental  family  included  six  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  viz. :  Josiah  L.,  John  F.,  Charles  II., 
and  Thomas. 

Josiah  Wilcox  was  first  married  to  A  lace  Parker, 
of  Sangamon  County,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  one  child — Joseph.  After  the  death  of  his  wife 
he  was  married  to  Fanny  Patterson,  and  he  is  now  a 
practicing  physician  and  surgeon  of  Springfield; 
they  have  three  children — D wight,  Annie  and  Au- 
gustus. John  E.  was  first  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Ray,  now  deceased;  his  second  wife  was  Fanny 
Scott,  of  this  county,  also  deceased,  and  who  be- 
came the  mother  of  five  children.  His  present  wife 
was  formerly  Fanny  Meachan;  they  have  no  chil- 
dren. Charles  married  Miss  Carrie  Caruthers,  and 
they  live  on  a  farm  in  Sangamon  County;  they 
have  two  children — Lew  and  Warren.  Samuel 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty -one  years. 

Our  subject  was  married,  in  1856,  to  Mrs.  Cath- 
erine (Ruble)  Fox.  Her  father,  Jesse  Ruble,  was  of 
German  descent,  and  came  from  Tennessee  to  Illi- 
nois at  an  early  day.  The  record  of  their  ten  chil- 
dren is  as  follows:  Charles  was  born  Dec.  10, 
1856;  Albert,  July  23,  1858;  Benjamin  was  born 
Jan.  20,  1860,  and  died  March  8,  1888;  Mary  Ann 
was  born  Aug.  27,  1861;  William,  May  7,  18G3;  < 


' 


254 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


Francis  was  born  March  14,  1867,  and  died  July 
18,  1885;  RuthS.  was  born  Sept.  22,  1872;  Thomas 
Aug.  22,  1874;  and  Katie  E.,  Feb.  18,  1877, 
Charles  married  Miss  Susan  Kuhns,  of  Sangamon 
County,  and  is  operating  as  a  lumber  merchant  and 
agricultural  implement  dealer  at  New  Berlin.  He 
has  four  children — Mary,  Henry,  Edith  and  Benja- 
min. Albert  married  Carrie  Wilcox.  of  Saugamon 
County,  and  lives  in  Macoupin  County,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  Percheron  horses; 
they  have  three  children — Hattie  L.,  Bertha  and 
Dora. 

Ellis  Wilcox  upon  coming  to  this  county  began 
at  first  principles  in  the  accumulation  of  a  compe- 
tence, for  he  possessed  no  capital  excepting  his 
string  hands  and  resolute  will.  He  was  a  man  who 
persevered  through  every  difficult}',  and  being 
honorable  and  upright  in  his  dealings  secured  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him. 
Thomas,  our  subject,  is  apparently  following  in  his 
footsteps,  and  is  perpetuating  the  reputation  of  the 
family  in  a  most  praiseworthy  manner.  Both  he 
and  his  excellent  wife  are  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Wilcox  is  a 
Steward,  and  one  of  its  chief  pillars,  lie  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  a  man  who  keeps  himself 
well  informed  upon  current  events,  while  at  the 
same  time  he  carefully  avoids  the  responsibilities 
of  oflice,  having  about  all  one  man  can  attend  to 
properly,  in  the  management  of  his  extensive  farm- 
ing interests. 


Y  FROST  CARRIEL,  M.  D.,  Super- 
intendent and  Physician  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
\\^  tral  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  at  Jacksonville, 
(^§)  is  a  man  remarkable  in  many  respects,  and 
seems  both  by  nature  and  education  admirably 
adapted  to  discharge  in  a  proper  manner  the  duties 
of  his  responsible  position.  His  office  is  no  sine- 
cure, as  anyone  at  all  acquainted  with  its  peculiar 
duties  may  readil}'  understand,  and  he  has  brought 
to  it  that  tact,  patience  and  intelligence  so  nec- 
essary to  a  proper  treatment  of  an  unfortunate 
class  of  people.  He  is  recognized  both  by  the  citi- 
zens of  Central  Illinois  and  his  brethren  of  the 


medical  fraternity,  as  being  the  right  man  in  the 
right  place. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  born  in  Charles- 
ton, N.  II.,  Aug.  20,  1830,  and  at  an  early  age  was 
graduated  from  one  of  the  academic  institutions  of 
his  native  State.  Soon  afterward  lie  began  the 
study  of  medicine  at  Springfield,  Vt.,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1857  was  graduated  with  honor  from  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York 
City.  Such  had  been  his  close  application  to  his 
books,  and  his  habit  of  observation  was  so  thor- 
ough and  concentrated,  that,  immediately  upon 
leaving  college,  he  was  appointed  Attendant  Phy- 
sician at  the  New  Jersey  State  Lunatic  Asylum, 
located  at  Trenton,  and  which  position  he  held 
until  the  summer  of  1870. 

Dr.  Carriel  at  an  early  period  in  his  life  became 
deeply  interested  in  the  treatment  of  insanity,  and 
determined  to  make  it  a  specialt}'.  With  this  end 
in  view  he  spent  nearly  the  whole  year  of  1 860  among 
the  insane  hospitals  of  England,  Ireland,  Scotland, 
and  France.  In  July,  1870,  he  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  his  present  position.  At  that  time  this 
was  the  only  asylum  for  the  insane  in  the  State, 
and  it  contained  450  patients.  It  has  now  under 
its  fostering  care  930  patients,  while  there  are  scat- 
tered throughout  the  State  four  other  asylums,  and 
in  addition  several  private  institutions  for  the 
treatment  of  this  peculiar  and  rapidly  increasing 
malady. 

While  a  resident  of  New  Jersey  Dr.  Carriel  was 
married,  May  C,  1862,  to  Miss  Mary  K.  Buttolph, 
daughter  of  the  then  Superintendent  of  the  New 
Jersey  State  Insane  Asylum.  Mrs.  Carriel  died  in 
1873,  leaving  three  sons:  The  eldest,  Harry  B.,  is 
practicing  medicine  in  Chicago,  111.;  Horace  A. 
runs  a  cattle  ranche  in  Texas;  and  Frank  B.  is  a 
student  at  Jacksonville.  The  Doctor  contracted  a 
second  marriage  in  1875,  with  Miss  Mary  L.  Tur- 
ner, daughter  of  Professor  J.  B.  Turner,  of  Jack- 
sonville. Both  he  and  Mrs.  Carriel  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

In  his  reading  and  researches  Dr.  Carriel  reports 
that  among  the  insane  of  this  State  the  sexes  are 
about  equally  divided.  Educated  people  are  less 
liable  to  insanity  than  are  the  uneducated.  The 
fact  that  insanity  is  on  the  increase  is  attributed 


•r 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


255 


largely  to  the  foreign  population,  which  comprises 
nineteen  percent  of  the  whole,  while  among  the 
insane  forty-five  per  cent  are  of  foreign  birth.  Of 
the  large  number  of  patients  at  Jacksonville  not 
over  100  are  thought  to  be  curable.  Dr.  Carriel, 
who  has  no  superior  in  the  treatment  of  this  disease, 
estimates  that  recent  cases  of  insanity  are  largely 
curable.  If  taken  in  hand  within  'three  months  from 
its  development,  seventy  per  cent,  are  curable.  If 
allowed  to  run  six  months,  the  per  cent,  would  be 
reduced  to  fifty.  If  allowed  to  run  twelve  months, 
not  to  exceed  twenty-five  per  cent  could  be  cured, 
and  if  two  years  intervene  the  case  may  be  classed 
as  wholly  incurable. 


1  ' 

•t 


LFRED  C.  THOMPSON.  This  gentleman, 
who  is  well  known  among  the  business 
men  of  Jacksonville  and  vicinity,  operates 
as  a  machinist  and  steam  fitter,  having  his 
works,  which  were  established  in  1875,  at  No.  734 
Railroad  street.  •  Formerly  in  connection  with  this, 
was  a  brass  and  iron  foundry,  which  the  proprie- 
tor discontinued  in  1881.  He  commands  a  first- 
class  patronage  from  the  people  of  Morgan  County, 
and  occupies  a  position  among  its  solid  men. 

A  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  July  15,  1829,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Mary  (Coates)  Thompson,  who  spent  their 
entire  lives  in  their  native  England.  The  father  was 
engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business,  and  the 
parental  household  included  fourteen  children,  all 
of  whom  lived  to  be  men  and  women,  but  it 
is  a  sad  and  singular  fact  that  of  this  large  family 
Alfred  C.  is  the  only  one  living.  The  father  de- 
parted this  life  when  about  ninety-five  years  of  age, 
and  the  mother  at  the  age  of  ninety.  The  broth- 
ers and  sisters  mostly  remained  in  England  during 
their  lifetime. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  brought  to  America  by  a  pa- 
ternal uncle,  when  a  little  lad  eight  years  of  age. 
They  settled  in  Philadelphia,  and  that  same  year 
the  uncle  died,  leaving  no  family,  and  the  boy  was 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources  without  friends  or 
money.  Young  as  he  was,  however,  he  proved 
equal  to  the  emergency,  and  scorned  to  accept 


charity.  He  ran  errands  for  five  cents,  keeping  an 
eye  continually  to  business,  and  first  made  his  bed 
in  a  livery  stable.  After  a  time,  as  his  honesty  be- 
came apparent,  he  was  allowed  a  buffalo  robe  on 
the  office  floor.  He  felt  quite  rich  when  he  had 
made  twenty-five  cents  a  day. 

In  due  time  young  Thompson  secured  a  steady- 
job  in  the  sheriff's  office,  sweeping  out,  operating 
as  errand  boy,  and  making  himself  generally  use- 
ful. When  fourteen  years  of  age,  still  continuing 
in  the  Quaker  City,  he  began  his  apprenticeship  as 
a  machinist,  serving  three  years.  He  worked  two 
years  as  a  journeyman  in  Philadelphia,  then,  desir- 
ous of  a  change  of  location,  made  his  way  to  Bel- 
videre,  N.  ,1.,  where  he  worked  a  3rear,  then  started 
for  the  West.  After  reaching  the  State  of  Indiana 
he  located  in  LaFayette,  and  found  employment  in 
the  gas  works  at  that  point.  A  year  later  he  was 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  operating  as  foreman  in  the  ma- 
chine  shops  of  Johnson  &  Mayne. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  employed  by  the  above  firm 
a  period  of  three  years,  then  going  south  into  Ken- 
tucky was  given  charge  of  the  extensive  smelting 
works  in  Bullitt  County.  Thence  a  year  later  he 
went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion in  the  gas  factory,  and  during  his  stay  there 
constructed  the  Telescope  Gas  Holder,  which  at- 
tracted considerable  attention  among  the  craft.  In 
the  fall  of  1853  we  find  him  again  locating  in  the 
West,  with  headquarters  at  Chicago,  and  in  employ- 
ment on  the  lakes  as  engineer.  In  the  fall  of  1858 
he  was  engaged  as  a  gas  fitter  in  Peoria,  111.,  where 
he  established  a  thriving  business,  adding  foundry 
work,  steam-fitting  and  machine  shops,  and  giving 
employment  to  forty  men.  Here  he  transacted  an 
extensive  business  until  the  fall  of  1875,  when  he 
sold  out,  and  coming  to  Jacksonville  embarked  in 
the  enterprise  which  has  here  proved  likewise  suc- 
cessful. 

Mr.  Thompson  while  a  resident  of  Detroit,  Mich., 
was  married,  July  4,  1853,  to  Miss  Eleanor  Trus- 
ler.  Mrs.  Thompson  was  born  in  August,  1828,  in 
Bath,  England,  and  was  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Jane  Trusler,  who  were  natives  of  England,  and 
are  now  deceased.  Her  father's  family  included 
twelve  children,  seven  now  living,  and  mostly  resi- 
dents of  Canada  and  the  United  States.  Of  her 


'    256 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


union  with  our  subject  there  were  born  one  son  and 
three  daughters,  three  living:  Mary  .1.,  Mrs.  Hick- 
liable,  of  Kansas,  is  the  mother  of  four  children; 
Martha  J.,  Mrs.  Runkel,  is  a  resident  of  Jackson- 
ville, and  the  mother  of  four  children — Alfred, 
Eleanor,  Fritz,  and  one  deceased;  Alfaretta  C., 
Mrs.  Howe,  of  Jacksonville,  is  the  mother  of  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Myrtle.  Mrs.  Eleanor  Thomp- 
son departed  this  life  at  her  home  in  Pekin,  111., 
in  September,  1873. 

Our  subject  contracted  a  second  marriage,  March 
1,  1873,  with  Miss  Edith  Smith,  at  that  time  a  resi- 
dent of  Pekin,  111.  This  lady  was  born  about  Au- 
gust, 1847,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Arnold  and 
Jeauette  Smith,  who  were  natives  of  New  England, 
and  are  now  living  in  Kansas.  This  marriage  has 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  five  children — Eleanor, 
Emeline,  Alfred  C.,  John  A.,  and  Edward  C.,  de- 
ceased. The  family  residence  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  East  College  avenue,  No.  604,  and  with  its  sur- 
roundings forms  one  of  the  attractive  homes  of  the 
city.  Mr.  Thompson,  socially,  belongs  to  the 
1.  O.  O.  F.,  and  politically,  is  a  stanch  adherent  of 
the  Democratic  party.  As  a  self-made  man  he  has 
built  up  for  himself  an  admirable  record,  and  illus- 
trated in  his  career  the  results  of  perseverance  and 
industry  in  a  marked  degree. 


jE  AArOOD  is  a  native  of  Morgan  Coun- 
u ,  and  was  born  Dec.  .10,  1844.      He  is  in 
the  possession  of  a  good  education  acquired 
at  the  public  schools  and  by  intelligent  reading. 

Samuel  AVood,  the  father  of  George,  was  born  in 
Madison  County,  Ky.,  Oct.  13,  1813,  and  came  to 
Morgan  County  with  his  father,  Richard  AVood, 
who  was  a  native  of  A'irginia.  These  people  were 
truly  pioneers  of  Morgan  County.  Samuel  AVood 
commenced  life  without  any  money,  but  succeeded 
in  building  up  a  comfortable  fortune.  He  at  one 
time  held  the  olflce  of  Judge  and  was  commonly 
addressed  as  such.  He  married  Mrs.  Martha  Smith, 
widow  of  Harvey  Smith,  and  to  this  union  were 
born  eight  children.  Their  record  is  as  follows: 
Elizabeth  was  born  Sept.  24,  1834,  and  died  July 
27,  1844;  David  was  born  April  4,  1838;  Milton 


t 


was  born  Sept.  4,  1839;  Iven  was  born  Feb.  24, 
1841.  Julia  A.  was  born  June  17,  1847;  Richard 
was  born  Oct.  7.  1851 ;  James  was  born  March  16, 
1833;  while  the  record  of  George  appears  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  sketch. 

David  married  Eliza  Godley.  They  are  living 
on  a  farm  in  Morgan  County,  and  have  six  children 
four  of  whom  are  living:  Martha,  Samuel,  Ballard 
and  Richard.  Lizzie  and  Iven  are  dead.  Lizzie, 
married  Andrew  Slice.  She  died  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, Bertha  and  Albert.  Ballard  married  Ruth 
Cole  and  they  reside  in  Morgan  County.  Samuel 
was  married  to  Anna  Ilubbs.  She  died  leaviug 
one  child.  When  Samuel  married  the  second  time 
it  was  to  Mary  Duncan.  Iven,  brother  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  married  Mary  Calm.  They  had 
eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living:  Charles. 
Minnie,  Samuel,  Arthur,  Lizzie  and  Homer.  Ju- 
lia married  James  B.  Beekrnan,  a  farmer  of  Mor- 
gan County,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mary.  Rich- 
ard married  Martha  Purvis,  of  Maeoupin  County. 
He  is  farming  in  this  county,  and  they  have  had 
five  children,  three  of  whom  are  living:  Adelia, 
Grace  and  Myrtle.  Nellie  and  an  infant  are  de- 
ceased. James  married  Mary  Eldred  of  Greene 
County,  111.  They  are  now  living  in  Morgan  County, 
and  engaged  in  farming. 

George  AVood  married  Emily  C'ox  of  Morgan 
County.  She  was  born  Sept.  10,  1847,  and  was 
born  and  reared  in  this  county.  Her  parents  were 
natives  of  Kentucky.  In  this  family  are  six  child- 
ren: Mary,  Julia,  Hettie,  John  W.,  Hubert  and 
Emily,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Ma- 
ry married  Jerry  Cox,  who  is  dead;  Julia  married 
Ansel  Buchanan,  a  farmer  of  Morgan  County;  Ilet- 
tie  married  John  Johnson.  They  have  four  child- 
ren: Edith,  Homer,  Francis,  and  Howard.  John  AV. 
married  May  Ray.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Freddie,  Ray  and  an  unnamed  babe.  Hu- 
bert married  Winnie  Sclmun,  of  Morgan  County. 

George  AVood  was  married  Jan.  14,  1867,  and 
is  the  father  of  four  children:  Walter  AV.,  James  B. 
Laura  B.,  and  Milton  M.  Walter  W.  married  Sa- 
rah Wilson,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  in  this  coun- 
ty. The  balance  of  the  children  fire  at  home  with 
their  parents. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  commenced  life  on  a 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


257 


farm  of  200  acres  of  well-improved  land,  and  as  the 
years  have  gone  by,  he  has  been  constantly  adding 
to  the  original  tract  until  he  now  owns  a  farm  of 
the  magnificent  proportions  of  1,000  acres.  He 
does  a  general  farming  business  and  takes  pride  in 
breeding  horses,  among  which  are  the  Hamiltonian, 
Grade  Norman  and  Black  Hawk  breeds.  He  also 
raises  stock  for  the  market.  It  is  rare  that  he  has 
less  than  fifty  horses,  250  head  of  cattle  and  100 
head  of  hogs  feeding  on  his  farm. 

Mr.  Wood  is  not  affiliated  with  any  church,  but 
is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows.  Politically,  he 
believes  in  the  Democratic  party  and  is  a  worker 
for  its  principles,  although  he  never  seeks  office. 


• 

f 


f,™  USTIN  B.  GREEN.  There  is  probably  no 
Oi  finer  farm  in  township  14,  range  10  west, 
than  the  Green  homestead,  which  com- 
prises 400  acres  of  finely  cultivated  land, 
improved  with  a  set  of  substantial  frame  buildings. 
Mr.  Green,  besides  being  a  thorough  and  skillful 
agriculturist  and  a  leading  stock-raiser,  is  one  of 
the  representative  men  of  this  county,  one  compris- 
ing a  section  of  its  bone  and  sinew,  and  who  has  in 
the  accumulation  of  a  competence  added  largely 
to  the  wealth  and  importance  of  his  precinct.  The 
importance  of  the  influence  of  such  men  in  a  com- 
munity cannot  be  over-estimated,  for  his  own  thrift 
and  enterprise  has  provided  a  stimulus  to  scores 
around  him,  who  have  thus  been  encouraged  to 
emulate  his  example. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  fourth  child  of 
his  parents,  was  born  at  the  old  homestead  east  of 
Jacksonville  in  this  county,  June  26,  1837,  and  was 
reared  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm.  He  re- 
mained a  member  of  the  household  until  about 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  when  he  established  do- 
mestic ties  of  his  own  and  settled  in  township  14, 
range  9,  where  he  sojourned  nine  years.  Thence 
he  removed  to  his  present  farm.  His  education 
was  conducted  chiefly  in  the  common  school,  and 
his  boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  largely  in  the 
lighter  employments  around  the  homestead. 

On  the  12th  of  February,  1861,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Austin  P>.  Green  and  Miss  Mary  J. 


Rector,  the  wedding  taking  place  at  the  bride's 
home  near  Jacksonville.  Mrs.  Green  was  born  near 
the  homestead  where .  she  was  married,  April  1 7, 
1842,  and  is  the  daughter  of  James  S.  and  Minerva 
J.  (Morton)  Rector,  the  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  and  the  latter  near  Jack- 
sonville, this  county,  April  25,  1824.  After  their 
marriage,  which  occurred  at  the  Morton  homestead 
near  Jacksonville,  Mr.  Rector  engaged  in  farming 
near  the  city.  In  the  fall  of  1879  they  removed 
to  Pettis  County,  Mo.,  where  the  father  died,  July 
14,  1881 ;  the  mother  is  still  living  and  makes  her 
home  with  our  subject.  They  were  the  parents  of 
thirteen  children,  seven  daughters  and  six  sons, 
and  Mrs.  Green  was  the  eldest  born. 

The  household  circle  of  our  subject  and  his  ex- 
cellent wife  was  completed  by  the  birth  of  eight 
children,  viz.:  Flora  J.,  Klroy  C.,  James  M.,  Charlie 
8.,  Elmer  A.,  Lelia  M.,  Minnie  R.  and  Clark  L. 
They  form  a  bright  and  interesting  group,  are  re- 
ceiving careful  home-training,  and  will  be  given  the 
education  suitable  to  their  position  in  life.  Mrs. 
Green  is  a  very  intelligent  lady,  hospitable,  kind 
and  generous,  and  contributes  her  full  share  toward 
making  her  home  one  of  the  most  attractive  spots 
to  be  found.  She  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  greatly  respected  where- 
ever  known.  Our  subject,  politically,  is  a  decided 
Repuolican,  but  mixes  very  little  with  public 
affairs,  holding  only  the  office  of  School  Director 
in  his  district. 

Stephen  Green,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  and  when  reaching 
man's  estate  was  married  to  Miss  Cynthia  Rigo-s, 
who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  near  the  Tennessee  line. 
John  Green,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  a  native  of  Virginia,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood.  He  was  possessed  of  more  than  ordin- 
ary intelligence,  and  at  an  early  age  began  to  have 
his  doubts  concerning  the  institution  of  slavery, 
and  finally,  on  account  of  this  turned  his  back  upon 
his  native  State,  and  moved  into  the  free  State  of 
Ohio.  He  married  a  lady  of  German  ancestry, 
Miss  Susanna  Winter,  and  they  finally,  in  1822, 
after  the  birth  of  several  children,  including  the 
father  of  our  subject,  removed  to  Illinois,  and  set- 
tled about  four  miles  east  of  Jacksonville,  this 


•  '     258 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


county.  Grandfather  Green  occupied  himself  as  an 
agriculturist  mostly,  but  being  a  man  of  deep  piety 
gave  largely  of  his  time  to  the  Master's  service, 
officiating  as  an  ordained  minister  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Both  he  and  his  excellent  wife  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  days  at  the  homestead  which 
they  built  up  in  this  county. 

On  the  mother's  side  of  the  house  Grandfather 
Scott  Riggs  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  where 
it  is  probable  he  was  married,  and  he  removed 
thence  to  Tennessee.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  and,  like  Grandfather  Green,  a  minister  of 
the  Christian  Church.  About  1824  or  1825  he 
came  with  his  family  to  Illinois,  settling  in  what  is 
now  Scott  County,  about  fourteen  miles  west  of 
Jacksonville.  He  took  up  his  land  and  there  with 
his  excellent  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 

To  Stephen  and  Cynthia  (Riggs)  Green  there 
were  born  eight  children,  live  sons  and  three 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living.  The  mother 
departed  this  life  in  Jacksonville,  April  16,  1879. 
Stephen  Green  survived  his  wife  ten  years,  passing 
away  at  the  home  of  his  daughter  about  five  miles 
northeast  of  Jacksonville,  Jan.  4,  1889. 

Col.  Joseph  Morton,  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Green,  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  day  and 
took  an  active  part  in  political  affaiis.  He  served 
two  terms  in  the  Illinois  State  Legislature,  and  one 
term  as  State  Senator.  He  married  a  Kentucky 
lady,  Miss  Mary  O'Dell,  and  spent  the  latter  part 
of  his  life  in  Illinois  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  In  1830  and  1835  he  took  the  census  of 
Morgan  and  Scott  counties.  He  became  the  owner 
of  a  good  property,  and  was  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  this  region. 


W>ILLIAM  I).  HENRY,  President  of  the  Vil- 
lage Board  of  AVoodson,   Postmaster  and 
v  „      Justice  of   the   Peace,  has  been  intimately 
identified   with  the  interests  of  this  county  for  a 
period  of  fifty  years.     His  birthplace  was  Bourbon 
County,  Ky.,  and  the  date  thereof  March  4,  1835. 
His  father,  William   D.  Henry,    Sr.,   was  born  in 
Orange  County,  Va.,  in  1789,  and  departed  this  life 
at  his  home  in  Illinois,  in  1870.     The  mother,  a  na- 


tive of  Kentucky,  was  born  in  1804,  and  died  at 
the  old  homestead  in  1869. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  a  farmer's 
boy,  and  followed  this  occupation  upon  the  soil 
both  of  his  native  State,  and  in  the  Blue  Grass  re- 
gions. Industrious,  enterprising  and  resolute,  he 
accumulated  a  fine  property,  and  was  a  citizen  of 
influence  wherever  he  sojourned.  Both  parents 
were  devout  mem  tiers  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Their  family  included  five  sons  and  four  daughters: 
Charles  C.,  Amanda  F.,  Adelaide,  Richard,  Jane, 
Hugh,  Elizabeth,  Alonzo,and  William  D.,  Jr.  Our 
subject  was  the  youngest  of  the  family,  and  grew 
up  familiar  with  agricultural  pursuits,  acquiring  his 
education  in  the  common  schools.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  a  man  of  twenty- 
seven  years.  In  the  meantime  the  family  had  re- 
moved to  Morgan  County,  111.,  and  after  the  out- 
break of  the  Rebellion,  our  subject  enlisted  as  a 
Union  soldier  in  Company  F,  101st  Illinois  Infan- 
try, being  mustered  in  Aug.  7,  1862  at  Jacksonville. 
He  first  saw  the  smoke  of  battle  at  Missionary  Ridge, 
subsequently  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  and  Peachtree  Creek, 
and  was  in  the  affray  at  several  other  points  through- 
out the  South.  He  was  promoted  to  Sergeant,  and 
at  the  close  of  the  war  was  mustered  out  at  Spring- 
field, 111.,  in  June,  1865. 

After  leaving  the  army,  Mr.  Henry  emigrated  to 
this  county  and  taught  school  six  months.  Next 
he  was  employed  in  the  drug-store  and  post-office 
at  Murrayville,  where  he  remained  until  the  year 
1867.  We  next  find  him  engaged  in  the  grocer}' 
trade  at  Jacksonville,  but  he  afterward  returned  to 
Murrayville,  and  established  himself  in  the  grocery 
and  dry-goods  trade.  Two  years  later  he  came  to 
Woodson,  and  continued  in  the  grocery  trade,  be- 
ing appointed  Postmaster  in  1883.  lie  is  Demo- 
cratic in  politics,  and  a  man  whose  career  has  been 
that  which  has  gained  him  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  the  community. 

Our  subject  while  a  resident  of  Morgan  County, 
began  the  establishment  of  a  home  by  his  marriage 
with  Miss  Jennie  Thresher,  the  wedding  taking 
place  at  the  home  of  the  bride  at  Springfield,  111., 
in  1875.  Mrs.  Henry  was  born  in  1835,  in  Illinois, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Caroline  (Haruey) 
Thresher,  who  were  natives  of  Kentuck}',  and  who 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


261'  ' 


spent  the  last  j-ears  of  their  lives  in  Illinois,  the 
mother  passing  away  in  1883,  and  the  father  in 
1884.  Their  family  included  six  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living  and  residing  in  Illinois  and  Kan- 
sas. Mrs.  Henry  is  the  fourth  child.  She  received 
careful  home  training  from  an  excellent  mother, 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  school.  She  re- 
mained under  the  home  roof  until  taking  charge  of 
a  household  of  her  own.  Hugh  Henry,  a  brother  of 
our  subject,  during  the  Civil  War  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  101st  Illinois  Infantry.  He  died  of  dis- 
ease at  Columbus,  Ky.,  in  18G3.  Mr.  Henry,  so- 
cially, belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a 
member  of  the  Lodge  at  Murrayville,  and  with  his 
excellent  wife,  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the 
Christian  Church.  They  have  no  children. 


RS.  EMMA  (MILNER)  HEWSON  occu- 
pies one  of  the  most  beautiful  homes  in  the 
city  of  Jacksonville,  at  No.  1357,  South 
Clay  Avenue.  She  is  a  most  estimable  and 
higiily  respected  lady  of  cultivated  tastes  and  am- 
ple means,  and  is  the  widow  of  John  Hewson,  who 
departed  this  life  March  30,  1885,  leaving  his  wife 
and  two  children  to  mourn  their  loss.  He  had  benu 
a  kind  husband  and  father,  a  good  citizen,  and  a 
capable  business  man,  and  a  resident  of  this  county 
since  its  pioneer  days. 

Mr.  Ilewson  was  born  near  the  town  of  Rippon, 
Yorkshire,  England,  July  29,  1812,  and  in  his 
youth  served  an  apprenticeship  at  boot  and  shoe- 
making.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1843,  and 
coming  immediately  to  Illinois,  settled  on  a  tract 
of  land  which  embraced  a  portion  of  the  mound 
four  miles  west  of  the  present  site  of  Jacksonville. 
Later  lie  removed  to  a  point  seven  miles  south  of 
the  city,  where  he  purchased  240  acres,  and  brought 
the  land  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  effecting  all 
modern  improvements,  among  them  being  the  erec- 
tion of  a  handsome  residence,  and  the  setting  out 
of  a  large  quantity  of  fruit  and  shade  trees.  He 
was  prosperous  in  his  labors,  and  acquired  a  com- 
petency. In  the  fall  of  1869  he  retired  from  active 
labor,  leaving  the  farm  and  moving  into  the  city, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 


Miss  Emma  Milner  became  the  wife  of  John  Ilew- 
son,  January,  1835.  She  was  born  July  9,  1818,  in 
Leeds,  Yorkshire,  and  is  the  daughter  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  (Wade)  Milner,  natives  of  England, 
where  they  spent  their  last  years.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Milner  there  were  born  seven  children.  Of 
all  these  children,  one  alone  survives. 

The  residence  and  grounds  which  comprise  the 
pleasant  borne  of  Mrs.  Hewson,  were  purchased  in 
1869.  The  estate  includes  three  houses,  and  the 
store  building  in  the  city.  Mr.  Ilewson  was  a  very 
energetic  and  capable  business  man,  and  by  his 
lively  interest  in  the  upbuilding  of  Jacksonville, 
has  left  his  name  on  record  as  one  of  its  most  val- 
ued citizens.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican,  a  strong 
temperance  man,  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  in  which  he  officiated  as  Steward 
and  Trustee. 

Elizabeth,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Mrs.  Hewson, 
became  the  wife  of  John  Fink,  and  is  now  deceased. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children — Frank, 
Eva,  Luella,  Stella,  and  Maude.  Ellen,  Mrs.  James 
A.  Cook,  is  a  resident  of  Jacksonville,  and  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Orrin,  and  Emma.  Mrs. 
Hewson  is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  contributes  liberally  of  her  time 
and  means  to  the  furtherance  of  religious  work. 
She  is  very  popular  in  her  community,  and  held  in 
universal  esteem. 

On  another  page  is  a  lithographic  engraving  of 
John  Ilewson.  This  will  be  a  highly  valued  me- 
mento to  his  many  friends,  who  mourned  his  death 
as  a  personal  loss. 


H)SEPII  W.  BAKER,  a  veteran  of  nearly 
seventy-one  years,  is  one  among  the  oldest 
living  settlers  of  this  count3r,  and  may  be 
found  usually  at  his  well-regulated  home  on 
section  34,  township  16,  range  12.  He  was  born 
in  Middle  Tennessee,  July  1,  1818,  and  is  the  son 
of  Francis  and  Mary  (Killabrew)  Baker,  the  former 
a  resident  of  North  Carolina,  and  the  mother  also 
probably  born  there.  The  Baker  family  is  sup- 
posed to  be  of  English  descent,  while  the  mother  of 
our  subject  traced  her  ancestry  to  Wales.  A  ma- 


262 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


ternal  uncle,  Elijah  Hancock,  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  War  of  1812. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  child  and 
fourth  son  of  his  parents,  and  continued  a  resident 
of  his  native  State  until  1835.  In  the  meantime 
his  mother  had  died  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old. 
During  the  year  mentioned  he  and  his  father  set 
out  for  the  West,  coming  to  Morgan  County,  this 
State,  and  the  elder  Baker  located  in  Bethel  Pre- 
cinct, where  lie  died  in  1840.  Joseph  W.  attained 
to  man's  estate  in  Morgan  County.  He  at  an  early 
age  began  to  look  out  for  himself,  and  never  re- 
ceived any  financial  assistance  in  making  his  way 
in  the  world.  He  had,  however,  been  trained  to 
habits  of  industry  and  economy,  and  with  this  ex- 
cellent capital  he  battled  witli  the  difficulties  of  life 
in  a  new  country,  and  came  out  of  the  struggle 
with  flying  colors. 

Mr.  Baker,  however,  acknowledges  that  in  the 
accumulation  of  his  property  he  was  greatly  as- 
sisted by  his  estimable  wife,  who  in  her  girlhood 
was  Miss  Mary  Rowe,  and  to  whom  he  was  married 
June  5,  1855,  at  the  bride's  home  in  Morgan 
County.  Mrs.  Baker  was  born  in  Scott  County 
this  State,  and  by  her  union  with  our  subject  be- 
came the  mother  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are 
living:  Melina  is  the  wife  of  George  Brookhouse; 
Lavonia,  Allen,  Edwin  and  Charles  are  at  home 
with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Baker  made  his  first  purchase  of  land  in 
1816  or  '47,  and  began  in  earnest  its  development 
and  improvement.  While  witnessing  the  march  of 
progress  he  has  contributed  as  he  was  able  to  the 
general  good,  and  is  numbered  among  the  most  re- 
liable and  praiseworthy  citizens  of  this  township. 
He  is  not  a  member  of  any  religious  organization, 
but  aims  to  follow  the  maxim  of  the  Golden  Rule, 
and  do  unto  others  as  he  would  be  done  by.  He 
believes  in  the  establishment  of  schools  and 
churches,  and  has  given  of  his  means  and  influence 
to  this  end,  as  he  has  been  able.  He  cast  his  first 
Presidential  vote  for  Van  Buren,  and  has  since  been 
a  stanch  supporter  of  Democratic  principles.  He 
was  a  School  Trustee  for  eleven  years,  and  has 
served  as  School  Director  and  Constable,  but  fur- 
ther than  this  has  never  sought  office,  preferring  to 
give  his  best  labors  to  his  farm,  and  his  chief  at- 


tention to  his  family.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  have 
made  many  and  warm  friends  during  their  long  so- 
journ in  this  county,  and  now,  sitting  under  their 
own  vine  and  fig  tree,  are  reaping  the  reward  of 
their  early  toil  and  sacrifices.  They  endured  many 
difficulties  and  hardships  at  the  outset,  but  now 
that  the  season  of  rest  has  come  are  fully  prepared 
to  enjoy  it,  and  look  with  satisfaction  upon  well- 
spent  lives. 


r/OSEPH  ALDERSON.  A  goodly  delegation 
i  of  English  Yorkshire  men  came  to  this 
county  during  its  pioneer  days,  and  among 
them  was  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is 
worthy  of  more  than  a  passing  notice.  He  is  com- 
fortably settled  on  a  good  farm  on  section  35, 
township  16,  range  12,  where,  after  years  of  faith- 
ful labor,  he  is  now  enabled  to  rest  upon  his  oars, 
and  view  with  satisfaction  the  results  of  his  in- 
dustry. He  is  one  of  those  substantial  and  reliable 
men,  who  have  not  only  accumulated  a  good  pro- 
perty, but  are  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  their 
fellow-citizens. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  Oct.  23, 
1835,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth 
(Pratt)  Alderson,  who  were  likewise  natives  of 
Yorkshire,  and  who,  in  the  spring  of  1850,  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States.  They  made  the  voy- 
age on  a  sailing-vessel  bound  from  Liverpool  to 
New  York  City,  and  were  five  weeks  on  the  ocean. 
From  the  metropolis  they  came  directly  to  this 
county,  and  the  father  purchased  160  acres  of 
wild  prairie  land,  which  now  constitutes  the  home- 
stead of  his  son  Joseph.  He  labored  in  true  pio- 
neer style  for  many  years  thereafter  with  good  re- 
sults, and  added  forty  acres  to  his  first  purchase. 
He  resided  upon  this  homestead  until  called  hence, 
March  12,  1868.  His  wife  had  previously  died, 
passing  away  Nov.  5,  18C4. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there  were  born 
eleven  children,  only  seven  of  whom  are  liviii"  : 

C1 

John  moved  to  Colorado  and  died  in  1887;  he  had 
lived  in  Morgan  and  Scott  Counties  prior  to  that 
time,  and  was  for  one  term  Deputy  Sheriff  of 
Scott  Count}',  111.  Chaiies  is  a  resident  of  Cham- 


f 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


263    t  t 


paign  County,  this  State;  Mary  the  wife  of  John 
Munson,  of  California;  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Kevey),  a 
widow  of  Washington ;  Annie,  the  wife  of  Henry 
Gilbert,  of  California:  Joseph,  our  subject;  George, 
a  resident  of  this  county;  and  James,  who  lives  in 
Nebraska.  The  elder  Alderson  possessed  all  the  ex- 
cellent traits  of  his  substantial  English  ancestry,  and 
was  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  had  received  but 
a  limited  education  in  his  youth,  but  kept  himself 
well  posted  upon  current  events,  and  was  capable 
of  transacting  in  an  intelligent  manner  the  business 
connected  with  his  farming  operations.  Politically, 
he  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  made 
it  the  rule  of  his  life  to  do  unto  others  as  lie  would 
be  done  by. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  his  early  studies 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  county  in  England,  and 
was  at  an  early  age  taught  to  make  himself  useful 
to  his  parents,  and  thus  there  were  bred  in  him 
those  habits  of  industry  which  have  been  the  secret 
of  his  later  success.  lie  received  100  acres  of  land 
from  his  father's  estate,  and  to  this  has  added  until 
he  is  now  the  owner  of  600  acres,  the  home  farm 
comprising  285  acres.  It  has  all  been  brought  to 
a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  Mr.  Alderson  has 
put  up  a  fine  residence,  a  good  barn,  and  the  other 
buildings  necessary  for  the  successful  prosecution 
of  farming  and  stock-raising.  It  is  conceded"  by  all 
that  he  has  one  of  the.  most  desirable  homes  in  this 
township. 

Over  thirty  years  ago,  on  the  28th  of  October, 
1858,  our  subject  took  unto  himself  a  wife  and 
helpmate,  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Henderson,  who  has 
borne  him  nine  children.  Seven  of  these  are  liv- 
ing, namely:  Lewis,  John,  Edward,  Henry,  Eva 
Etta,  Carrie  B.,  and  Myrtie  A.  The  deceased  are 
Emma  and  Ella,  who  were  taken  from  the  home 
circle  at  the  ages  of  one  and  ten  years  respectively. 
The  Alderson  family  removed  to  their  present 
home  in  the  fall  of  1850,  and  have  now  occupied 
it  for  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years.  Mr.  Aider- 
son  is  a  self-made  man  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the 
term,  liberal  and  public-spirited,  and  fully  identi- 
fied with  the  interests  of  his  adopted  country.  He 
irives  his  unqualified  support  to  the  Democratic 
party,  but  is  no  office-seeker,  having  simply  served 


his  district  as  School  Director,  holding  this  posi- 
tion many  years.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife 
belong  to  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  at 
Bethel. 

Mr.  Alderson  has  been  an  eye  witness  of  the 
growth  of  Morgan  County  from  its  primitive  state 
into  what  it  is  to-day,  and  in  the  development  of  a 
large  area  of  land,  has  contributed  thus  much  to 
the  value  of  its  taxable  property.  In  his  labors 
and  struggles  he  has  been  materially  assisted  by  his 
faithful  wife,  who  has  borne  with  him  the  heat  and 
burden  of  the  day.  Mrs.  Alderson  was  born  in 
this  county  Feb.  11,  1840,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Silas  and  Sarah  (Gorham)  Henderson,  the  father  a 
native  of  Virginia  and  the  mother  of  New  York 
State.  Mr.  Henderson  was  taken  to  Ohio  with  his 
parents  when  quite  young,  and  from  there  they 
came  to  this  county  at  an  early  day.  After  his 
marriage  Mr.  Henderson  settled  in  Arcadia  Pre- 
cinct, but  finally  removed  to  the  place  which  his 
son,  Francis  M.,  now  occupies,  where  he  sojourned 
many  years.  His  death  took  place  at  the  old 
homestead  in  Concord  Precinct,  Aug.  16,  1886. 
The  mother  had  passed  away  prior  to  the  decease  of 
her  husband,  June  30,  1862.  Mr.  Henderson  per- 
formed a  great  deal  of  hard  labor  in  common  with 
his  brother  pioneers,  and  was  a  man  careful  and 
conscientious  in  his  dealings — one  who  endeavored 
to  do  by  his  neighbors  as  he  would  be  done  by. 
His  father  having  died  when  lie  was  but  a  youth, 
he  at  an  early  age  assumed  the  responsibilities  of 
a  family.  He  looked  upon  the  present  site  of 
Jacksonville  when  there  was  not  a  house  to  mark 
the  spot,  and  when  the  labor  of  going  to  mill  occu- 
pied several  days.  For  long  distances  there  was 
not  even  a  wagon  track,  the  traveler  having  to  fol- 
low simply  an  Indian  trail.  Frequently  being  un- 
able to  reach  the  mill,  the  pioneers  parched  their 
corn  and  ground'itin  a  coffee-mill,  and  made  bread 
from  the  meal  thus  obtained. 

The  Henderson  family  included  eight  children: 
Francis  Marion,  Elizabeth;  Lucretia,  the  wife  of 
George  Renchler.  of  this  county;  Stephen,  living 
in  Missouri;  Emma,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Lable,  of 
Iowa;  Ellen,  Mrs.  Felix  Brown;  Miriam,  the  wife 
of  Charles  Craig;  and  Henry;  the  latter  three  of 
Missouri.  The  mother  was  n  member  of  the 


264 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  the  father,  politi- 
cally, in  his  latter  years  a  stanch  Republican.  The 
eldest  son,  F.  M.,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  late 
Civil  War.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Al- 
derson  was  one  of  the  very  first  pioneers  of  this 
county,  and  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  many  years.  Mr. 
Alderson  for  the  last  few  years  has  been  breeding 
thorough-bred  Ilolstein  cattle. 


ARAH  P.  IIOCKENHULL.  The  subject 
of  tliis  biography,  a  lady  widely  known  and 
highly  respected  throughout  the  city  of 
Jacksonville,  is  a  native  of  Southeastern 
Penns3rlvania,  born  at  Columbia,  the  county-seat 
of  Lancaster  County,  Aug.  28,  1814.  Her  father, 
Dennis  McMackin,  was  a  native  of  County  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  and  her  mother  was  in  her  girlhood  Mar- 
garet Nelson,  a  native  of  Wilmington,  Del.  Den- 
nis McMackin  spent  his  early  years  in  County  Ty- 
rone, and  was  one  of  a  large  family  of  children,  and 
the  first  one  of  the  family  to  come  to  the  United 
States.  He  made  his  first  journey  hither  in  1803, 
lived  for  a  time  in  Pennsylvania,  then  returned  to 
Ireland,  and  a  year  later  came  back  to  America,  ac- 
companied by  his  sister,  Martha.  They  settled  first 
in  Soudersburg,  Lancaster  Co.,  Pa.,  and  a  year  later 
removed  to  Columbia.  Mr.  McMackin  was  married 
soon  after  his  second  visit  to  the  United  States. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  boot  and  shoe 
manufacturer  by  occupation,  and  about  1819  left 
Columbia  and  took  up  his  residence  with  his  little 
family  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  There  he  fol- 
lowed his  trade  until  coming  to  Illinois,  in  the 
spring  of  1836.  He  settled  in  Jacksonville,  but 
only  lived  two  years,  his  death  taking  place  in  the 
fall  of  1838.  The  mother  was  one  of  a  family  of 
six  children,  and  was  born  in  Wilmington,  Del. 
She  accompanied  her  husband  to  Illinois,  and  sur- 
vived him  1113113'  years,  her  death  taking  place  in 
Jacksonville,  about  186,5,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-four.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  emigrated  to  America  about  1764,  settling  in 
Wilmington,  where  he  distinguished  himself  as  a 
successful  physician,  and  allied  himself  with  the 
cause  of  the  struggling  Colonists,  abandoning  his 


profession  for  the  time,  to  take  an  active  part  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Prior  to  this  he  was  a  very 
wealthy  man,  but  his  property  was  confiscated  by 
the  British.  He  was  stigmatized  as  the  "learned 
Scotchman."  He  leased  to  Cresar  A.  Rodney,  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
a  tract  of  land  known  as  the  Cold  Spring  Farm, 
situated  on  the  Christine,  for  a  term  of  ninety-nine 
years.  Gen.  Washington  frequently  sojourned  un- 
der his  roof  while  passing  through  that  section  of 
country.  Not  only  was  his  grandfather  ruined 
financially  during  the  agitation  of  those  terrible 
times,  but  was  broken  down  physically.  The  Brit- 
ish offered  a  prize  for  his  head,  esteeming  him  a 
power  among  Colonists  to  be  feared.  He  was  a 
man  of  cultivated  and  literary  tastes,  a  firm  believer 
in  the  Christian  religion,  and  published  a  number 
of  works  controverting  the  doctrines  of  Thomas 
Paine.  He  took  a  lively  interest  in  educational 
matters,  and  taught  Greek  and  Latin  to  the  young 
men  of  his  town.  He  built  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Wilmington,  a  venerable  pile  which  is 
still  standing,  and  in  the  society  officiated  for  many 
years  as  Elder. 

Miss  Martha  McMackin,  the  aunt  of  our  subject, 
was  the  mother  of  John  McClintock,  I).  D.,  who  at 
the  time  of  his  deatli  was  President  of  Drew  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a 
professor  in  the  Dickinson  College,  of  Carlisle,  Pa. 
To  her  and  her  husband,  John  McClintock,  there 
was  born  among  other  children,  he  who  became 
known  as  the  celebrated  Dr.  James  McClintock, 
one  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mrs.  Hockenhull  are 
recorded  as  follows:  Jane  P.  was  born  in  1811,  and 
married  Stafford  Smith,  of  Philadelphia;  Margaret, 
who  was  born  in  1813,  became  the  wife  of  Joshua 
Moore,  of  Jacksonville,  now  deceased;  Sarah  P. 
was  the  third  child;  Catherine  married  Insley  T. 
Goudy,  and  became  the  mother  of  several  children, 
all  of  whom  are  deceased,  with  the  exception  of 
one  son,  Ainsley,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Jackson- 
ville, this  county;  Matilda  was  born  in  1818,  in 
Philadelphia,  and  became  the  wife  of  Robert  Hock- 
enhull, a  banker  of  Jacksonville.  III.;  she  died  in 
1882;  Eliza,  who  was  born  in  1820,  is  unmarried, 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


265 


••uid  ;i  resident  of  Atlantic  City,  N.  J. ;  Mary  A., 
horn  in  1822,  became  the  wife  of  William  Divine, 
of  Philadelphia,  where  she  now  resides. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  accompanied  her  par- 
ents to  this  county  in  May,  1836,  there  coming 
with  them  also,  Stafford  Smith  and  wife.  Jackson- 
ville was  then  an  unpretentious  village.  Mrs.  Hock- 
enliull  was  then  a  young  lady  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  and  had  been  educated  in  the  schools  of  Phila- 
delphia. She  was  first  married  to  Joseph  C.  Thomp- 
son, a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  but  at  that  time, 
in  1845,  a  resident  of  Meredosia,  111.,  to  which  he 
bad  come  in  1834.  lie  was  an  extensive  farmer, 
and  interested  in  merchandising  and  pork  packing. 
lie  had  previously  married,  and  of  his  first  union 
there  had  been  born  a  son,  Joseph  W.,  who  is  now 
a  resident  of  Jacksonville.  Of  his  union  with  Miss 
McMackin  there  were  no  children.  Mr.  Thompson 
departed  this  life  at  his  home  in  Meredosia,  on  the 
17th  of  July,  1855. 

Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Thompson  continued  her  residence 
in  Meredosia  until  her  marriage  with  Mr.  John 
Ilockenhull,  a  retired  merchant,  of  Jacksonville, 
who  died  in  1885.  Mr.  Hockenhull  was  a  man  of 
means,  enterprising,  active  and  industrious,  and  a 
citizen  esteemed  by  all.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
the  support  of  the  Union  cause  during  the  Rebel- 
lion, and  contributed  liberally  of  his  means  to  this 
end.  He  was  a  native  of  Manchester,  Cheshire, 
England,  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  during  his  youth. 
During  the  early  days  of  that  church,  he  identified 
himself  with  the  Westminster  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  after  becoming  a  voting  citizen,  allied  himself 
with  the  Republican  part}-.  He  retired  from  active 
business  about  1858,  and  purchased  a  place  in  Mor- 
gan County,  which  he  named  Mulberry  Grove,  and 
in  the  beautifying  of  which  he  took  great  delight. 
He  possessed  more  than  ordinary  taste  in  matters 
pertaining  to  landscape  gardening  and  floriculture, 
and  his  suburban  home  was  literally  an  Eden  of 
beauty.  Mrs.  Ilockenhull,  however,  was  injured  by 
a  fall,  and  on  this  account  he  sold  his  country  home 
and  moved  to  Jacksonville  in  the  fall  of  1875. 

Mr.  Hockenhnll,  in  company  with  his  wife,  re- 
turned to  his  native  land  in  the  spring  of  1871,  and 
traveled  all  over  Engjand,  visiting  the  principal 
.scenes  of  its  historical  events,  many  of  its  old  cas- 


tles and  ruins,  and  therefrom  gathered  many  a  sou- 
venir in  the  line  of  choice  paintings  and  engrav- 
ings. Not  only  a  lover  of  nature  in  all  its  forms, 
he  was  also  a  connoisseur  in  art  matters,  and  his 
home  was  a  model  of  taste  and  beauty.  Providence 
had  blest  him  with  this  world's  goods,  and  he  was 
numbered  among  the  public-spirited,  and  liberal 
men  of  his  State,  giving  freely  to  those  less  fortu- 
nate, and  to  the  projects  calculated  to  benefit  the 
community.  In  all  this  he  was  careful  that  his 
right  hand  should  not  know  what  his  left  one  did. 
His  benefactions  were  made  quietly  and  unostenta- 
tiously as  one  who  felt  that  it  was  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive.  Educational  and  religions 
institutions  found  in  Mr.  Ilockenhull  a  never  fail- 
ing friend.  In  his  private  life  and  the  home  cir- 
cle, he  was  kind  and  indulgent,  and  lived  closely  up 
to  those  principles  taught  by  the  great  Master. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Ilockenhnll,  who  was  also  of 
Knglish  birth  and  parentage,  was  an  architect  of  rare 
ability,  and  there  are  still  standing  in  the  city  of 
Manchester,  in  the  shape  of  many  of  its  public 
buildings,  the  monuments  of  his  taste  and  skill. 
Notable  among  these  is  the  famous  Manchester 
Theatre.  This  worthy  gentleman  came  to  his  death 
by  being  thrown  from  a  horse  while  on  his  way  to 
Balmoral,  which  is  now  chiefly  notable  as  contain- 
ing one  of  the  favorite  palaces  of  Queen  Victoria. 
The  town  of  Hockenhull,  adjacent  to  the  residence 
of  Lord  Byron,  was  named  in  honor  of  a  member 
of  this  family. 


/.     TAYLOR,   a   native     of    this 
county,  and  known  to  a  large  proportion  of 


its  leading  citizens,  was  born  at  the  old 
homestead  of  his  parents  in  Township  14,  Sept.  20, 
1847.  He  there  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth,  re- 
ceiving such  educational  advantages  as  the  schools 
of  that  time  afforded,  and  also  under  careful 
parental  training  acquired  those  habits  of  industry 
which  have  been  the  secret  of  his  success,  for  he  is 
without  question  one  of  the  most  successful  and 
enterprising  men  of  Central  Illinois.  '  He  owns  and 
occupies  a  fine  homestead,  170  acres  in  extent, 
where  he  has  good  buildings,  and  everything  about 


266 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


t 


him  to  make  life  pleasant  and  desirable,  lie  is  in 
the  prime  of  life  aixl  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness, 
and  coming'  as  lie  does  from  an  excellent  family, 
occupies  no  secondary  position  among  the  leading 
men  of  Morgan  County.  His  property  is  pleasantly 
located  on  section  36,  and  his  land  has  been 
brought  to  a  thorough  state  of  cultivation,  produc- 
ing in  abundance  the  richest  crops  of  Central 
Illinois. 

George  Taylor,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a 
native  of  Harrison  Count}',  Ky.,  and  married  Miss 
.  Polly  E.  Tucker,  who  was  born  and  reared  not  far 
from  the  childhood  home  of  her  husband.  They 
were  married  in  their  native  State,  and  settled  in 
Shelby  County,  where  they  lived  about  three 
years.  They  came  to  Illinois  in  1831,  settling  in 
the  southeast  corner  of  what  is  now  Township  14, 
where  the  father  constructed  a  good  farm,  and 
where  he  and  his  estimable  wife  spent  many  years. 
Finally  retiring  from  active  labor  they  removed  to 
Jacksonville,  where  the  death  of  the  father  occurred 
Sept.  20,  1886;  the  mother  is  still  living.  They 
had  sojourned  happily  together  for  a  period  of 
lifty-nine  years,  two  months  and  two  days,  and 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living,  and  making  their  homes  mostly  in  Illinois. 
They  were  named  respectively:  Maxamilia,  Edward 
A.,  Benjamin  II.,  William  P.,  Cassabianca  R., 
Phebe  J,,  Sarah  F.,  George  Z.,  our  subject;  John  II. 
and  Shelby  D. 

Our  subject,  a  few  days  before  reaching  the 
twenty-sixth  year  of  his  age  was  married,  Sept.  16, 
1883,  to  Miss  Martha  E.,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Olive  (Dyer)  Jefferson,  the  wedding  taking  place 
at  the  bride's  home  in  Morgan  County.  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor was  born  in  this  county,  Oct.  17,  1864,  and  was 
here  reared  to  womanhood,  acquiring  her  education 
in  the  common  schools.  Her  parents  were  natives 
of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  she  was  the  eldest  of 
their  six  children.  They  came  to  America  about 
1840,  and  are  still  living  at  the  farm  which  the 
father  purchased  soon  after  his  arrival  in  this 
country. 

The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  comprises 
two  sons  and  a  daughter:  William  R.,  Agnes  15. 
and  George  D.  Mr.  Taylor  votes  the  straight  Re- 
publican ticket,  ancf  has  held  the  office  of  School 


Director.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife,  like  the 
parents  of  onr  subject,  are  members  in  good  stand- 
ing of  the  Christian  Church.  The  mother  of  Mr. 
Taylor  has  been  identified  with  this  church  for  the 
long  period  of  sixty  years. 


ILLIAM  BEGNEL.    One  of  the  best  reg- 

'!  ulated  farms  of  Woodson  Precinct  be- 
longs to  the  subject  of  this  notice,  who  was 
born  in  County  Louth,  Ireland,  about  the  year 
1830.  He  received  a  common-school  education  in 
his  native  county,  of  which  he  remained  a  resident 
until  a  man  of  twenty-eight  years,  employed  at 
different  occupations.  At  the  expiration  of  this 
time,  seeing  little  prospect  of  attaining  to  what  he 
wished,  socially  and  financially,  he  resolved  to  seek 
his  fortunes  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  He 
landed  after  a  safe  voyage  in  the  city  of  New  York 
the  latter  part  of  July,  1858. 

Not  long  afterward  we  find  our  subject  in  Greene 
County,  the  southern  part  of  this  State,  where  he 
was  for  some  three  or  four  years  employed  as  a 
farm  laborer.  He  then  commenced  operating  on 
rented  land  in  that  vicinity,  where  he  resided  two 
years,  and  spent  a  year  thereafter  in  Macoupin 
County.  In  1866  he  came  to  this  county  with  a 
snug  little  sum  of  money,  which  he  invested  in  the 
land  comprising  his  present  homestead,  then  ninety- 
three  acres  in  extent.  He  at  once  set  himself  to 
the  task  of  improving  his  property,  and  was  pros- 
pered in  his  labors.  He  invested  his  surplus  capital 
in  additional  laud,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  378 
broad  acres,  which  he  has  brought  to  a  good  state 
of  cultivation,  and  which  yields  him  handsome  re- 
turns. 

The  Begnel  family  occupies  a  substantial  brick 
residence,  and  the  farm  is  supplied  with  all  the 
other  buildings  necessary  for  the  successful  prose- 
cution of  agriculture.  Mr.  Begnel  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  stock-raising,  in  which  he  has  been  very 
successsful.  The  farm  is  pleasantly  located  on 
section  24,  and  in  all  its  appointments  indicates  the 
thrift  and  enterprise  of  its  proprietor. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  1863,  our  subject  took 
unto  himself  a  wife  and  helpmate,  Miss  Margaret 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


217 


' 


Dunn,  who  was  born  in  County  (Queens,  Ireland, 
about  1831.  Her  parents,  Timothy  and  Mary 
(Doyle)  Dunn,  were  also  natives  of  County  Queens, 
where  they  spent  their  entire  lives.  Mrs.  Begnel 
was  the  eldest  of  their  four  children  who  lived  to 
mature  years.  Of  her  union  with  our  subject  there 
have  been  born  five  children,  viz:  Mary  E.,  who 
died  in  infancy;  .lames  H.,  Maggie  R.,  Sarah  E., 
and  William  F.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years. 
Mr.  Begnel,  politically,  is  a  stanch  supporter  of 
Democratic  principles,  and  with  his  wife  and  family 
belongs  to  the  Catholic  Church.  He  has  served  as 
a  School  Director  in  his  district,  and  is  a  man  pop- 
ular among  his  neighbors,  and  hospitable  to  all  who 
come  within  his  doors.  His  father,  James  Begnel, 
was  born  and  spent  his  entire  life  in  County  Louth. 
The  mother.  Mrs.  Margaret  (Hoy)  Begnel,  was 
born  and  reared  not  far  from  the  earty  home  of 
her  husband,  and  after  his  death  came  to  America, 
and  died  at  the  home  of  her  son,  our  subject,  Sept. 
1C.  1872.  The  parental  family  included  five  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years,  and  of 
whom  William  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  His 
brothers  and  sisters  a'-e  located  mostly  in  Illinois. 


DWARD  RAWLINGS.  There  is  a  goodly 
proportion  of  English-born  citizens  in  this 
county,  and  they  unquestionably  comprise  a 
portion  of  its  best  element.  Among  them  may  be 
properly  mentioned  Mr.  Rawlings — a  man  who, 
amid  the  adverse  circumstances  surrounding  his 
youth,  triumphed  over  many  difficulties  and  hard- 
ships, and  now  occupies  an  enviable  position  in 
life,  socially  and  financially.  He  is  the  owner  of 
•130  acres  of  improved  land,  in  township  14, 
range  9,  comprising  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  this 
part  of  the  county,  and  after  many  years  of  toil, 
<luring  which  he  accumulated  a  competency,  has 
wisely  retired  from  active  labor,  and  is  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  his  industry. 

Mr.  Rawlings  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
May  31,  1830,  and  came  with  his  parents  and  their 
family  to  America  in  the  fall  of  1840,  when  a  little 
over  ten  years  of  age.  He  remembers  that  they 
shipped  from  Liverpool  to  New"  York  City,  and 


were  on  the  ocean  six  weeks.  From  the  metrop- 
olis they  proceeded  to  Albany,  then  to  Buffalo,  and 
from  there  by  lake  to  Cleveland,  Ohio.  From  that 
point  they  journeyed  to  Cincinnati,  thence  to  Cairo, 
III.,  thence  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  from  there  up 
the  Mississippi,  finally  arriving  at  Naples,  111., 
whence  they  proceeded  to  Jacksonville,  in  this 
county.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  this  lat- 
ter town  presented  a  wide  contrast  to  its  present 
condition. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  upon  his  arrival  in 
this  county  purchased  560  acres  of  land,  where  he 
put  up  a  house  and  commenced  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil.  He  lived  there  until  his  death. 

William  Rawlings,  the  father  of  onr  subject,  was 
likewise  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  was 
born  about  1780.  The  wife  and  mother,  Mrs. 
Mary  (Wilson)  Rawlings,  was  born  and  reared  not 
far  from  the  childhood  home  of  her  husband,  and 
passed  away  some  twelve  years  after  his  demise. 
Of  their  ten  children  the  record  is  as  follows; 
William  was  born  Aug.  22,  1821,  and  died  nine 
days  later;  James  was  born  Aug.  12,  1822;  Henry 
was  born  March  6,  1825,  and  died  Sept'  2G,  1873; 
William  W.  was  born  Sept.  22,  1827,  and  died 
Nov.  12,  1857;  Edward  was  born  May  31,  1830; 
Charles,  April  8,  1833;  Lydia,  Dec.  5,  1811;  Mary, 
Feb.  10,  1814,  and  died  Nov.  18,  1869;  Rachel 
was  born  Sept.  2,  1816;  Anna,  May  23,  1819,  and 
died  in  April,  1884.  Charles  married  Miss  Delany, 
of  this  county,  and  died  in  Arkansas  in  1880;  his 
widow  resides  in  Chapin,  this  State.  Lydia  mar- 
ried Vincent  Richardson,  of  Yorkshire,  England, 
and  is  now  deceased;  her  husband  and  family  live 
west  of  Jacksonville.  Alary  married  Peter  Rich- 
ardson, of  Yorkshire  and  both  are  deceased;  Rachel 
married  Richard  Ambrough,  of  England,  and  who 
is  farming  in  this  county;  they  have  one  child — 
Sarah. 

Our  subject  was  first  married  Nov.  5,  1852,  in 
this  county,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Smith,  a  native  of 
Yorkshire,  and  who  died-  Sept.  26,  1881,  without 
children.  On  the  10th  of  May,  1882,  he  contracted 
a  second  matrimonial  alliance,  with  Miss  Sarah  Jane 
Simms,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children,  one 
of  whom.  Richard,  died  when  seven  months  old. 
The  survivors  are  Sarah  A.,  Edward  and  Will- 


I 


i  268 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


iam  \V.  Mr.  Rawlings  commenced  in  life  by  work- 
ing on  a  farm  by  the  year,  and  after  a  few  years 
purchased  a  team  of  horses  and  operated  on  land 
rented  of  his  father — 1GO  acres — for  which  lie  paid 
$100  per  year,  and  after  the  death  of  the  mother 
he  inherited  this  land  from  the  estate.  He  then 
purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  and  the  year  follow- 
ing an  additional  forty  acres.  In  a  few  more  years 
he  bought  110  acres,  and  thus  kept  adding  to 
his  real  estate.  He  brought  the  whole  to  a  good 
state  of  cultivation, and  erected  comfortable  build- 
ings. In  addition  to  general  agriculture  he  raises 
cattle,  keeping  usually  about  sixty  head;  has  a 
goodly  number  of  horses,  and  also  sheep  and  swine. 
lie  is  in  all  respects  a  forcible  illustration  of  the 
results  of  energy  and  perseverance,  and  is  one  of 
those  men  who  form  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the 
farming  community. 

Politically,  Mr.  Rawlings  is  a  sound  Republican. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  Mr.  R.  has  held  the  various 
offices  and  to  which  he  has  contributed  a  cheerful 
and  liberal  support.  He  has  made  many  warm 
friends  during  his  long  residence  in  this  county, 
and  is  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  old  landmarks — 
one  whose  name  will  be  held  in  remembrance  long 
after  he  has  been  gathered  to  his  fathers. 


Gl'INNANE,   a  representative  pio- 
neer  and  farmer  of  Morgan  County,  and  re- 
siding on  section  11,  township  15,  range  12, 
is  a  native  of  County   Tipperary,   Ireland, 
and   was  born   in  the  year  1829.     He  was  a  son  of 
Martin  and  Bridget  Guinnane,  both  natives  of  Ire- 
land. 

One  reason  why  the  population  of  the  United 
States  contains  so  large  a  per  cent  of  foreign  born 
citizens,  is  because  of  the  oppressive  laws  of  many 
of  the  European  countries.  While  an  Irishman 
loves  his  native  isle  with  all  the  impulsive  charac- 
teristics of  his  race,  the  system  of  landlordism  and 
tenantry  in  that  countr}'  for  many  years  has  been 
so  manifest!}'  unjust  and  cruelly  oppressive,  as  to 
compel  thousands  to  leave  the  scenes  of  their 
childhood,  the  graves  of  their  fathers  and  all  they 


hold  dear  in  this  life,  to  seek  relief  in  a  free  land. 
America  has  become  the  asylum  for  a  greater  por- 
tion of  this  class  of  people,  and  when  once  here 
and  becoming  accustomed  to  the  ways  of  the  coun- 
try, they  have,  as  a  rule,  become  good  law-abiding 
citi/ens.  There  are  no  anarchists  among  the  na- 
tives of  Ireland,  but  they  love  this  country  and 
its  laws,  andwhen  treason  threatened  our  land  with 
destruction,  there  was  no  class  of  foreigners  who 
sprang  quicker  or  with  more  enthusiasm,  to  the  re- 
lief of  the  stars  and  stripes,  than  did  the  Irish. 

James  Guinnane  was  the  oldest  son  in  his  fam- 
ily, and  was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits.  His 
education  was  limited,  for  in  his  native  country 
the  persons  who  received  an  education,  and  were 
poor,  were  the  exception,  not  the  rule.  The  ad- 
vantages in  Ireland  for  gaining  knowledge  were 
even  more  limited  than  in  the  pioneer  days  of 
America.  But  Mr.  Guinnane  has  been  a  close  ob- 
server and  \)y  reading,  has  become  a  self-educated 
man.  His  emigration  to  America  occurred  in  the 
fall  of  1847,  and  his  voyage  across  the  ocean  occu- 
pied forty  days  on  a  sailing  vessel.  He  landed  in 
New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  nearly  one  year, 
working  most  of  the  time  in  a  livery  stable.  In 
the  fall  of  1848  he  came  to  Beardstown,  111.,  where 
he  spent  the  following  winter,  and  in  the  succeed- 
ing spring,  he  located  in  Morgan  Count}-,  where 
he  has  resided  since.  He  settled  on  his  present 
farm  in  1852,  and  his  original  purchase  consisted 
of  136  acres  of  land  which  was  then  in  an  unculti- 
vated condition,  but  by  his  native  industry  and 
good  management,  he  has  succeeded  in  converting 
it  into  a  good  farm.  By  subsequent  purchases  he 
has  increased  his  acreage  until  now  his  farm  con- 
sists of  about  335  acres  of  land  in  Morgan  and 
Scott  counties,  and  it  said  that  his  place  is  one  of 
the  best  improved  in  Bethel  Precinct.  It  goes 
without  saying  that  the  owner  is  a  model  farmer  in 
every  way. 

Mr.  Guinnane  was  married  twice.  His  first  wife 
was  Sarah  Gleason,  by  whom  he  had  five  children. 
Three  of  these  are  living:  John,  Mary  and  Marga- 
ret. His  second  wife's  maiden  name  was  Annie 
Gleason,  who  bore  him  six  children  of  whom  the 
following  are  living:  Ellen,  Martin,  Sarah  J.  and 
James.  Mr.  Guinnane  is  a  member  of  the  Cath- 


1 


MORCiAN  COUNTY. 


269 


olic  Church  at  Jacksonville,  and  for  several  years 
has  been  a  School  Director,  and  was  lately  re-elected. 
In  1877  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  Coun- 
ty Commissioner,  but  was  defeated  by  his  oppo- 
nent Mr.  Lawler,  of  Meredosia.  He  has  a  large  and 
extended  acquaintance  in  the  county,  and  possesses 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him, 
and  as  a  good  citizen,  there  are  none  who  stand 
higher  than  he. 


43- 


OB  COATES,  the  owner  of  443  acres  of  land 
is  pleasantly  located  on  section  23,  town- 
,  ship  15,  range  9,  where  he  lives  "a  bachelor 
(Kg)//  all  by  himself"  and  by  his  prudence  and  in- 
dustry has  accumulated  a  competence.  He  was 
born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  Dec.  23,  1837,  and 
live.d  there  until  reaching  his  majority,  acquiring 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  employ- 
ing himself  mostly  at  farming. 

After  making  up  his  mind  to  come  to  America, 
voung  Coates  secured  a  passage  on  the  sailing 
vessel  "Washington"  at  Liverpool,  which  after  a 
voyage  of  fourteen  days,  landed  him  safely  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  Thence  he  came  directly  to 
this  county  and  secured  employment  on  a  farm  un- 
til he  was  enabled  to  commence  operations  for 
himself  on  rented  land.  In  this  latter  manner  he 
was  occupied  five  years  with  satisfactory  results, 
and  then  purchased  100  acres  of  improved  land, 
near  Pisgah  station.  A  few  years  later  lie  pur- 
chased forty  acres  additional  and  continuing  pros- 
perous, later  purchased  243  acres.  All  of  this 
land  is  now  well  improved  and  he  has  one  of  the 
most  desirable  homesteads  in  his  township. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  Jonathan  and  Ann 
(Robinson)  Coates,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
1751  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 
The  mother  was  born  in  1801,  and  died  in  1888, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years  and  nine  months. 
Both  were  natives  of  Yorkshire  where  they  spent 
their  entire  lives,  the  father  engaged  in  farming. 
The  parental  household  included  ten  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living,  and  of  whom  our  subject  is 
the  youngest.  William  married  Miss  Jane  Light- 
foot,  is  the  father  of  one  daughter — Victoria  A., 


and  carries  on  farming  in  his  native  county  of  York. 
Amos  married  a  Miss  Thompson  and  lives  in  Jack- 
sonville where  he  owns  a  farm.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Sarah,  who  is  the  wife  of  William  Conk- 
ling,  a  merchant  of  Springfield,  and  they  have  two 
children.  Carbulious  married  Harriet  Vasey,  and 
is  carrying  on  farming  and  stock-raising  in  Scott 
County,  this  State;  they  have  seven  children  — 
Louisa,  Clara,  Anna,  Rosa,  Rebecca,  Robert  and 
1'rinc-e  Albert.  Louisa  married  William  Goodell, 
a  coachman  of  Yorkshire  and  lives  there. 

At  the  time  Mr.  Coates  came  to  this  county, 
there  had  been  considerable  headway  made  toward 
a  settlement,  although  the  people  were  by  no 
means  independently  wealthy.  He  in  common 
with  his  neighbors,  labored  early  and  late  in  the 
development  of  his  farm  and  like  many  of  them, 
has  become  well-to-do,  with  a  sufficiency  for  his 
old  age.  Politically,  he  is  a  sound  Democrat,  but 
aside  from  doing  his  duty  at  the  polls,  meddles 
very  little  with  public  affairs.  He  is  a  man  prompt 
to  meet  his  obligations  and  one  whose  word  is  con- 
sidered as  good  as  his  bond. 


ICHARD  ROBERTSON,  one  of  the  young- 
er farmers  of  this  county,  has  spent  his  en- 
tire  life  in  Central  Illinois,  near  the  place  of 
his  birth,  at  his  fathers's  homestead  in  this 
county,  where  he  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light 
Sept.  16,  1857.  He  received  an  excellent  education, 
completing  his  studies  in  the  Jacksonville  Business 
College.  When  not  in  school  he  occupied  himself 
at  the  various  employments  around  the  homestead, 
and  naturally  chose  agriculture  as  his  future  call- 
ing. His  farm  property  comprises  278  acres  of 
laud  where  in  addition  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil  he 
makes  a  specialty  of  stock-raising,  having  cattle, 
horses  and  swine. 

John  Robertson,  the  father  of  our  subject,  and 
also  a  native  of  this  county,  was  born  in  1823,  and 
here  likewise  has  spent  his  entire  life  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  The  Robertson  family 
is  of  excellent  Scotch  ancestry  and  was  first  represen- 
ted in  America  probably  during  the  colonial  times. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Mrs.  Mary  (Drinkwa- 


1 


270 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


ter)  Robertson,  is  now  deceased.  One  of  her 
sisters  settled  in  Polk  County,  Oregon,  at  an  early 
day  and  is  still  living  there. 

The  family  of  John  and  Mary  Robertson  included 
nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  namely : 
John  T.,  Mary,  Frank,  Cassie,  Mattie,  Richard 
and  William  L.  John  T.  married  Miss  Lyda  Mat- 
thews of  Cass  Count3',  where  he  operates  as  a  bank- 
er. They  have  five  children — Richard,  Nellie, 
Virgil,  Frank  and  a  babe  unnamed.  Mary  became 
the  wife  of  S.  W.  Eldred  of  Greene  County,  and 
the3'  are  living  on  a  farm  near  Virden,  111.;  they 
have  three  children — John,  William  and  Louisa. 
Frank  married  Miss  Nora  Thomas,  of  Greene  Coun- 
t3',  is  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  the  father  of 
two  children.  Mattie  married  Elon  A.  Eldred, 
and  Cassie  is  the  wife  of  A.  E.  Wilson,  both  far- 
mers of  Greene  Count3r.  William  L.  married  Ma- 
mie E.  Rexwod  of  Cass  County,  they  live  on  a 
farm  in  Morgan  Count3-. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  Feb.  2, 
1887,  to  Miss  Ettie  daughter  of  James  and  Lizzie 
(Hill)  Humphrey,  of  this  county,  and  there  has 
been  born  to  them  one  child,  a  son,  Elon  A.  The 
parents  of  Mrs.  Robertson  were  natives  of  Chester 
County,  Pa.  The  father  was  born  Sept.  21,  1824, 
and  departed  this  life  Dec.  25,  1872,  in  Sedalia, 
Mo.  The  mother  was  born  April  30,  1836,  and  is 
living.  Of  the  five  children  born  to  them  four 
are  living.  Anna  became  the  wife  of  Samuel  L. 
Duncan,  a  barber  of  Chicago;  they  have  no  child- 
ren; John  H.  married  Miss  Mary  Allen  and  lives 
in  Colorado;  they  have  no  children;  Mary  B.,  is 
the  wife  of  John  Smith,  a  commercial  traveler 
and  they  make  their  home  in  Lincoln,  Neb. 

At  the  time  the  father  of  our  subject  came  to 
Morgan  County,  the  face  of  the  country  was  most- 
ly in  its  primitive  condition — a  wide,  uncultivated 
tract  of  land  with  here  and  there  the  cabin  of  some 
adventurous  settler.  He  has  been  a  witness  of 
great  and  wonderful  changes  during  a  long  and 
busy  life — a  life  which  has  been  filled  in  with  the 
usual  amount  of  labor  and  struggle,  but  which  is 
crowned  with  success.  He  is  now  in  good  circum- 
stances and  connected  with  the  Jacksonville  Na- 
tional Bank. 

Our  subject,  politically,  is  a  decided  Republican, 

-4* , 


and  has  already  been  quite  prominent  in  local  af- 
fairs, serving  as  Road  Supervisor  and  School  Direc- 
tor, and  is  a  gentlemen  of  whom  much  is  expected 
in  the  future.  He  occupies  a  fine  residence  and 
the  young  couple  are  very  comfortably  established 
in  life,  being  surrounded  with  all  its  comforts,  and 
in  the  enjoyment  of  the  friendship  of  a  large  circle 
of  acquaintances. 


-*• 


EV.  GEORGE  HART  is  a  prominent  Bap- 
tist minister  of  Morgan  County,  and  a  man 
of  large  professional  capacity.  He  is  a 
lineal  descendant  of  the  Hart  family,  of 
whom  two  brothers  came  from  Germany  to  the 
United  States  in  1700,  and  landed  at  Charleston, 
S.  C.  They  were  sold  to  pay  their  passage  from 
the  Fatherland,  and  never  heard  of  each  other 
again.  Charles  Hart,  one  of  these  brothers,  lived 
and  died  in  South  Carolina.  But  very  little  is 
known  of  his  history  farther  than  he  had  a  son  Da- 
vid, who  in  turn  had  a  son  born  in  South  Carolina, 
Dec.  18,  1798,  and  who  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  Blackwelder.  Ten  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter was  the  result  of  this  union.  This  couple  re- 
sided in  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  in  an  early  day,  and 
removed  to  Bedford  County,  Tenn.,  where  the  hus- 
band and  father  died.  Solomon  Hart,  the  third  son 
of  this  family,  was  born  in  Mercer  County,  Ky., 
Jan.  6,  1793,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  years  removed 
with  his  father  to  Tennessee.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  with  his  older  brother,  he  enlisted  as  a  sol- 
dier under  Geu.  Andrew  Jackson,  and  saw  active 
service  at  the  Horse  Shoe  battle.  Returning  from 
the  army  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  Wag- 
goner, July  17,  1817,  and  in  1826  he  came  to  Mor- 
gan County,  where,  with  his  brothers,  Charles  and 
Nathan,  he  lived  for  a  short  time  near  Jacksonville, 
then  a  village  of  very  small  proportions.  Like 
most  early  settlers  he  was  dissatisfied  with  the  scar- 
city of  timber,  and  so  removed  to  the  south  part  of 
the  county,  where  he  built  his  cabin  on  the  margin 
of  that  beautiful  island,  formed  by  Little  and  Big 
Apple  Creeks.  Here  lie  purchased  from  the  Gov- 
ernment 240  acres  of  fine  timber  land,  and  invested 
the  rest  of  his  means  in  prairie.  He  was  soon  fol- 


4 


MORGAN  COITNTY. 


271       i 


lowed  by  liis  brothers,  Charles,  David,  Anderson 
and  Nathan.  This  favored  spot  is  now  called 
Hart's  Prairie.  Here  Solomon  Hart  with  his  wife 
underwent  all  the  toils  and  hardships  that  surround 
a  pioneer's  life.  He  reared  a  family  of  two  daugh- 
ters and  eight  sons.  In  an  early  day  he  became 
impressed  witli  the  religious  doctrines  of  A.Camp- 
bell, and  opened  his  house  for  religious  worship  to 
followers  of  that  faith,  and  so  continued  for  many 
years.  Here  Dr.  Henderson,  W.  W.  Happy  and 
Robert  Foster  gave  vent  to  their  eloquence. 

Solomon  Hart's  family  were  plain  unassuming 
people,  never  enjoying  themselves  better  than 
when  helping  some  unfortunate.  He  was  a  Jackson 
Democrat  and  a  great  admirer  of  Douglas,  and 
lived  to  vote  for  fourteen  presidents.  He  reared 
eight  sons,  who  were  all  Democrats,  and  before  he 
died,  on  the  17th  day  of  October,  in  the  eighty- 
second  year  of  his  age,  he  saw  a  grand  State  spring 
up  from  a  wilderness,  to  take  rank  among  the  first 
States  of  this  Nation. 

Solomon  Hart,  the  father  of  our  subject,  it  will 
thus  be  seen  had  an  eventful  history.  Of  his 
family,  Joseph  W.  died  in  Morgan  County,  in 
1864;  Harvey  C.  died  in  Macoupin  County,  this 
State,  in  April,  1886;  John  C.  died  in  the  same 
county,  in  1863;  Felitha  married  Lewis  Dutton, 
now  of  Kansas;  Melchi  died  in  1862,  in  Macoupin 
County;  Eliza  married  Thomas  Heggy,  and  is 
now  farming  in  Macoupin  County,  this  State; 
William  married  for  his  first  wife  Barbara  A. 
Fanning,  of  Morgan  County,  to  whom  was  born 
one  child — James,  who  married  Augusta  Reinbach, 
of  Morgan  County.  William's  second  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Mary  Ann  Rice,  who  died,  when  he  mar- 
ried the  third  time.  His  third  wife  was  named 
Mrs.  Martha  J.  Price;  she  now  resides  on  the  old 
homestead  in  Morgan  County.  William  is  a  min- 
ister of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  has  been  for  the 
last  thirty  years.  Marion  married  Laura  Duncan, 
of  Virginia.  He  is  a  farmer  and  stock  dealer  of 
Edgar,  Clay  Co.,  Neb.  Solomon  married  Frances 
Hay  nes,  and  they  now  reside  on  the  homestead. 

The  Rev.  George  Hart,  of  whom  this  sketch  is 
written,  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  B.  Rice,  of  Ma- 
coupin County,  111.  Her  parents  came  from  Ken- 
tucky in  an  early  day.  They  have  nine  children, 


six  of  whom  are  living:  Mary  E.,  William  C., 
Eliza  J.,  George  S.,  Marion  W.  W.  and  Berrisse  G. 
The  others  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Hart  has  always 
resided  in  Morgan  County  until  twelve  years  ago, 
when  he  removed  to  Franklin  and  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits  and  milling.  He  was  ordained  to 
the  ministry  in  1870,  since  which  time  he  has  filled 
various  pulpits  of  Morgan  and  other  counties.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  has  been 
Village  Trustee,  besides  filling  other  offices.  Po- 
litically, he  is  a  Democrat. 


ROBERT  S.  RAWLINGS.  In  the  subject  of 
'*&?  this  biography  we  have  one  of  the  youngest 
farmers  of  this  county,  he  having  not  yet 
^  alt  lined  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 
He  is  more  than  usually  fortunate,  being  already 
the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  220  acres,  with  a  good 
set  of  buildings,  and  the  improved  machinery  nec- 
essary for  prosecuting  agriculture  in  a  profitable 
manner.  This  farm  was  given  him  by  his  father, 
James  Rawlings,  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  Morgan 
County,  and  the  son  seems  well  calculated  to  take 
care  of  his  property,  and  augment  its  beauty  and 
value.  He  is  of  a  pleasant  and  genial  disposition, 
and  a  favorite  among  all  his  associates.  He  has 
one  of  the  pleasantest  homes  in  this  region,  and  his 
household  affairs  arc  presided  over  by  a  most  intel- 
ligent and  agreeable  lady,  possessed  of  refined  and 
cultivated  tastes,  and  one  who  apparently  has  a 
full  understanding  of  the  manner  in  which  to  make 
home  the  most  attractive  spot  on  earth.  Both 
friend  and  stranger  are  sensible  of  this  fact  when- 
ever being  privileged  with  a  glance  at  the  interior 
of  this  well  regulated  domicile. 

Our  subject,  a  native  of  this  county,  was  born 
in  township  13,  Aug.  13,  1864,  and  was  reared  at 
his  father's  homestead,  becoming  familiar  at  an 
early  age  with  agricultural  pursuits,  and  receiving 
his  education  in  the  district  school.  He  continued 
with  his  parents  until  his  marriage,  which  took 
place  March  11,  1884,  at  the  home  of  the  bride  in 
Franklin.  Mrs.  Rawlings  was  formerly  Miss  La- 
vinia  Wilson,  daughter  of  George  and  Sarah  (Morti- 
mer) Wilson,  who  were  also  natives  of  England, 


*!' 


T   272 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


r 


and  who  emigrated  to  America  about  1862.  They 
were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Rawlings  was  the  eldest.  She,  like  her  parents,  was 
born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  Sept.  28,  1864,  and 
was  a  maiden  of  seventeen  years  when  they  came 
to  America.  She  remained  with  them  until  her 
marriage,  receiving  careful  home  training  and  a 
common-school  education.  Of  her  union  with  our 
subject  there  have  been  born  two  children  —  Amy 
A.  and  Gertrude. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  James  and  Fran- 
ces (Hembrough)  Rawlings,  natives  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  whose  family  consisted  of  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Robert  was  the  sixth  in  order  of 
birth.  They  crossed  the  Atlantic  about  1839,  and 
settled  at  once  in  township  13,  this  county,  where 
the  father  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
where  they  still  live.  The  family  is  widely  and 
favorably  known,  and  represents  the  best  element 
of  the  community.  Our  subject,  politically,  like 
his  honored  father,  votes  the  straight  Republican 
ticket,  and  without  question  will  in  due  time  rank 
among  the  leading  men  of  this  community,  con- 
tributing his  full  quota  to  its  moral  and  financial 
welfare. 


ARSHALL  W.  GREEN  is  a  native  of  Mor- 
gan County,  and  first  saw  the  light  on 
April  5,  1842.  He  is  the  possessor  of  a 
good  business  education,  having  attended 
the  Business  College  in  Jacksonville,  under  the 
management  of  Prof.  Crampton. 

Stephen  Green,  the  father  of  Marshall  W.,  was  a 
native  of  Knox  County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  May 
15,  1808.  He  emigrated  to  Morgan  County  when 
lie  was  twelve  or  fourteen  years  of  age.  His  death 
occurred  in  1888.  When  he  came  to  this  county 
there  was  but  one  house  in  Jacksonville,  and  there 
was  then  little  prospect  for  the  upbuilding  of  the 
bustling,  thriving  city  which  it  has  since  become. 
He  entered  land  four  miles  north  of  the  then  em- 
bryo city,  just  after  his  reaching  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  He  owned  535  acres  of  land,  as  good  as  ever 
the  sun  shone  upon.  He  also  owned  a  residence  in 
Jacksonville  for  which  he  paid  112,000,  was  a  large 
owner  of  bank  stock,  and  a  cattle  dealer  of  prom- 


inence. His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Cynthia 
Riggs,  was  from  Tennessee,  and  her  father,  Scott 
Riggs,  was  born  in  North  Carolina.  Our  subject's 
father  was  one  of  ten  children,  three  of  whom  are 
living,  William,  Nanca  and  Susan.  William  mar- 
ried Sophronia  Follio  and  lives  in  Chicago;  Susan 
married  John  P.  Henderson  of  Jacksonville  who 
had  seven  children:  John.  William,  Harvey.  Susan 
Laura,  Mary  and  Fannie.  Of  these,  John  is  a 
lawyer  and  lives  in  Carrolton,  111. ;  William  mar- 
ried Nealie  Roberts,  and  is  now  living  in  Win- 
chester, III.;  Harvey  is  a  telegraph  operator  and  is 
married.  Susan  married  George  Ilogeland,  and  lives 
in  New  York  City.  Nanca,  now  Mrs.  Washington 
Armstrong,  lives  in  La  Salle  County,  111. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  seven  brothers  and 
sisters,  a  record  of  whom  follows.  Their  names 
were:  Louisa  M.,  Franklin  M.,  Horatio  R.,  Austin 
B.,  Alvira  J.,  Oliver  S.,  and  Cynthia  A.  Louisa  mar- 
ried John  Potts  of  Jacksonville  who  is  a  farmer  and 
breeder  of  Short-horn  cattle;  Franklin  W.  is  the 
owner  of  a  cattle  ranch  in  Washington,  where  he 
was  married;  Horatio  R.  married  Mary  O'Neal  of 
Morgan  County,  and  is  engaged  in  farming;  they 
have  seven  children,  viz.:  Edward,  Laura,  Thomas, 
Amy,  Effie,  Scott  and  Nellie;  Austin  B.  married 
Mary  Reeter,  of  Morgan  County.  He  is  engaged 
in  farming,  and  has  eight  children,  as  follows: 
Nettie,  Clifton,  James,  Charles,  Leona,  Elnore, 
Minnie  and  Clark.  Alvira  married  Oliver  Culley, 
and  lives  in  Morgan  County  also.  They  have 
seven  c.hildren:  Clara,  Charles,  Homer,  Lena,  Edgar, 
Eva  and  Howard;  Oliver  S  married  Mattie  Cheeney 
of  Morgan  County,  and  is  engaged  in  business  at 
the  stock  yards,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  they  have  one 
child,  Mamie.  Cynthia  A.  is  single  and  living  in 
this  county.  Our  subject's  first  wife  was  Anna 
Dalby  of  New  Castle,  Del.,  to  whom  three  children 
were  born;  Frank,  Nathan  and  Alice.  His  present 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Waggoner 
was  born  in  Perry  County,  Pa.,  Nov.  3,  1843.  She 
emigrated  with  her  parents  to  Morgan  Coiinlj'.  and 
was  married  Oct.  17,  1878. 

Marshall  W.  Green  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
late  war  in  Company  K,  101st  Regiment,  Illinois 
Infantry,  Aug.  22d  1862.  On  the  26th  of  Novem- 
ber following  he  was  sent'Trom  Jacksonville  to  Co- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


273 


luinbus,  Ky.,  whence  he  started  on  the  march  to 
Holly  Springs,  where  he  did  garrison  duty,  guard- 
ing Rebel  prisoners.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and 
paroled,  then  sent  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  from 
there  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.  This  was  in  June, 
1863.  lie  joined  his  regiment  afterward  at  Union 
City,  Tenn.  He  was  in  the  midnight  fight  at 
Wahatchie,  and  also  Lookout  Mountain,  Chatta- 
nooga, Knoxville,  Tenn.,  Kelly's*  Ferry,  Snake 
Creek  Gap,  Kennesaw  Mountains,  Pine  Mountain, 
Peach  tree  Creek,  Atlanta  and  numerous  skirmishes. 
He  also  went  with  Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea. 
All  of  which  constitutes  a  brilliant  record. 

Mr.  Green  is  the  owner  of  a  splendid  farm  of 
210  acres,  upon  which  the  best  of  buildings  arc 
erected.  He  does  a  general  farming  business,  and 
is  a  dealer  in  horses,  hogs  and  grain.  In  politics 
he  is  a  sound  Republican,  and  socially  he  belongs 
to  Post  378,  G.  A.  R.  at  Jacksonville. 


WILLIAM  F.  DETERDING  is  successfully 

engaged  in  the  occupation  of  a  stock-raiser 
and  farmer  on  section  24,  township  10,  and 
range  12.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  having  been 
born  in  Jacksonville,  Oct.  29,  1849.  There  is  a  class 
of  foreign  born  citizens,  who,  after  emigrating  to 
America,  stand  in  their  own  light  by  immediately 
settling  down  in  the  large  cities.  Here  they  live 
in  squalor  and  dependence  all  their  lives.  But 
there  is  another  class,  and  notably  among  the  Ger- 
mans, who  use  better  judgment.  They  push  out 
to  the  Western  country  where  land  is  cheap,  and 
there  rear  homes  for  themselves  and  children  that 
will  always  remain  a  monument  to  their  foresight 
and  industry.  The  younger  generation  that  suc- 
ceeds this  class  of  pioneers  reaps  the  benefits  of  the 
sacrifices  made  by  its  ancestors,  and  the  men  ulti- 
mately become  the  leaders  of  their  community  in 
the  way  of  possessing  goods  of  this  world.  Morally 
they  are  the  superior  of  the  descendants  of  those 
who  remain  in  the  large  cities  and  consequently  are 
better  citizen*.  Mr.  Deterding  is  one  of  the  younger 
generation  referred  to.  He  is  the  son  of  George 
(deceased)  and  Louisa  Deterding,  who  were  natives 
of  Germany,  and  who  were  married  in  their  native 


land.  They  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in 
Jacksonville,  111.,  when  there  were  but  three  houses 
there,  and  have  witnessed  the  transformation  of  a 
wild  prairie  to  a  busy,  bustling  city. 

George  Deterding,  the  father  of  the  one  whose 
name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch,  worked  for 
many  years  on  the  Wabash  Railroad,  between  Jack- 
sonville and  Quincy,  and  while  so  doing  resided  in 
Jacksonville.  He  subsequently  purchased  a  farm 
on  section  10,  township  16  and  range  12,  and 
lived  there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  shortly 
after  purchasing  his  farm.  His  record  was  that  of 
one  of  the  best  citizens  of  Jacksonville,  and  as  a 
pioneer  he  ranked  among  the  first.  He  was  the  father 
of  five  children:  Louisa,  wife  of  William  Krona, 
they  are  now  residing  in  Cass  County,  this  State; 
William  F.,  Caroline,  wife  of  John  Aufdenkamp, 
who  are  residents  of  Seward  County,  Neb.;  Mar- 
garet wife  of  Frederick  Mauer.  They  are  living  in 
Cass  County,  111.;  George  is  living  in  Missouri. 

The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  again 
married,  taking  for  her  second  husband  Henrj' 
Wegehoft,  by  whom  she  has  had  three  children. 
Two  are  living:  Mary,  wife  of  John  Musch,  residing 
in  this  county,  and  Addie  who  is  at  home.  In  the 
death  of  the  senior  Deterding,  Morgan  County  was 
deprived  of  a  good  man.  lie  came  to  this  country 
without  means,  and  from  a  very  small  beginning 
accumulated  a  good  property  and  left  his  family  in 
comfortable  circumstances.  He  was  entitled  to  the 
distinction  of  being  one  of  the  very  foremost  of  the 
German  pioneers  who  came  early  to  Morgan  County, 
and  his  acquaintance  was  extensive.  He  died  in 
the  faith  of  his  fathers,  that  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

William  F.  Deterding  as  has  been  before  stated, 
was  reared  to  manhood  under  adverse  circumstan- 
ces, as  the  life  of  a  pioneer  is  not  conducive  to  the 
gaining  of  an  education  or  a  knowledge  of  the 
world.  He  is  not  obliged  to  indulge  in  any  flight 
of  imagination  when  he  says  that  this  part  of  the 
country  was  at  one  time  a  wilderness,  and  that  wild 
game  was  abundant,  notably  deer,  and  that  he  has 
seen  numbers  of  this  game  where  now  are  herds 
of  cattle.  When  he  was  a  boy,  schoolsand  churches 
were  scarce,  now  educational  and  religious  advan- 
tages are  to  be  found  on  every  hand.  He  was  mar- 


,  >    274 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


ried  Feb.  14,  1878,  to  Miss  Dora  Uayless,  daughter 
of  John  Bayless,  by  whom  lie  has  had  four  chil- 
dren: Delia,  Elton,  Alma  and  George.  He  owns  a 
good  farm  of  160  acres,  under  first  class  cultivation, 
and  the  buildings  are  in  keeping  with  the  place. 
He  has  accumulated  all  of  this  property  by  his  own 
efforts,  assisted  by  his  wife. 

Mr.  Deterding  belongs  to  the  German  Lutheran 
Church.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  but  does 
not  tike  any  active  part  in  politics.  In  summing 
up  his  history  it  may  be  said  that  he  is  a  success- 
ful man  and  a  good  citizen. 


R.  THOMAS  J.  PITNER,  of  the  firm  of  Drs. 
Pitner  &  Malone,  Jacksonville,  occupies 
one  of  the  best-appointed  offices  in  the  city, 
and  has  a  beautiful  home  on  West  College 
avenue,  No.  215.  A  man  understanding  thoroughly 
the  multitudinous  details  of  his  profession,  he  has 
achieved  success  and  has  acquired  a  com]>etence. 
He  is  the  owner  of  valuable  property  in  the  city 
and  vicinity,  and  is  numbered  among  its  prominent 
and  influential  men. 

The  17th  of  November,  1842,  is  notable  as  being 
the  birthday  of  our  subject,  which  took  place  in 
Cass  County,  111,  at  the  modest  home  of  his  par- 
ents, William  and  Catherine  (Price)  Pitner,  who 
were  natives  respectively  of  Tennessee  and  Ohio. 
They  were  married  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1831, 
locating  in  that  portion  of  Morgan  which  is  now 
Cass  County,  where  they  lived  until  the  death  of 
the  father,  which  took  place  in  1875.  The  mother 
is  also  deceased,  dying  when  our  subject  was  quite 
young. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
Michael  and  Catherine  (Rubel)  Pitner,  natives  of 
Rockingham,  Ya.,  and  of  Maryland.  Grandmother 
Pilner  lived  to  be  ninety -five  years  old.  The  great- 
grandfather was  John  Pitner,  also  a  native  of  the 
Old  Dominion,  and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary 
War.  His  father  was  Adam  Pitner,  who  was  born 
in  Germany,  near  the  city  of  Coblentz.  lie  emi- 
grated to  America  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War, 
and  two  of  his  sons  did  valiant  service  in  that 
memorable  conflict.  The  fate  of  one  was  never 


known.    Michael  was  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans, 
under  the  command  of  Gen.  Jackson. 

William  Pitner,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
the  eldest  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  mature  years.  His  brother,  Levl  C., 
became  a  clergyman  of  the  Methodist  Church,  to- 
gether with  a  brother,  Wilson.  Franklin  R.  de- 
veloped into  a  physician  and  surgeon.  Montgom- 
ery, was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  this  county, 
coming  here  when  there  were  only  three  houses 
upon  the  present  site  of  Jacksonville.  He  pur- 
chased several  hundred  acres  of  Government  land 
lying  two  miles  east  of  the  present  city,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death.  Rev.  Levi  C.  Pitner 
was  pastor  of  the  Centenary  Church,  Jacksonville, 
from  1863  to  1865.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Chi- 
cago. Wilson  finally  moved  to  California,  where 
he  continued  his  labors  in  the  Master's  vineyard 
until  his  death,  in  1882.  Dr.  Franklin  R.  Pitner  at 
an  early  day  located  in  Clay  City,  this  State,  where 
he  is  still  engaged  in  the  duties  of  his  profession. 
One  sister,  Lydia,  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  H.  Dickens, 
a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  he 
continued  his  pious  labors  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  September,  1882.  Alexander,  during 
the  active  years  of  his  business  life,  was  engaged 
in  farming,  but  is  now  living  in  retirement  in  the 
city  of  Jacksonville.  The  family  is  notable  for  its 
standing,  and  has  been  prominent  in  the  county 
and  State  for  a  long  period. 

The  maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
Henry  and  Polly  (Marlow)  Price,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Rockingham,  Ya.,  and  of  Welsh  descent. 
He  farmed  extensively  in  the  Old  Dominion  until 
his  removal  to  Ohio.  Later  he  removed  further 
Westward,  settling  first  in  Cass  County  this  State. 
Subsequently  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Macon 
County,  where  his  death  took  place  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  Grandmother  Price  is  deceased. 
Their  family  included  seven  children.  William,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  1800,  received  a 
fine  education,  and  also  became  familiar  with  farm 
pursuits.  He  taught  school  near  the  city  of  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  a  number  of  years.  lie  married  Miss 
Catherine  Price  after  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
Illinois,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  two  sons, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  the  only  one  living.  Will-  , 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


=4- 

275 


iam  Pitner  was  Justice  of  the  Peace,  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education,  and  Sheriff  of  Cass 
County  a  number  of  years.  He  was  prominent  in 
local  affairs,  and  as  a  man  of  ability  and  integrity 
commanded  the  respect  of  his  community.  His 
death  took  place  in  Decatur,  March  25,  1875.  The 
mother  had  preceded  her  husband  to  the  silent 
land  twenty-two  years,  her  death  taking  place  in 
February,  1853. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  pursued  his  first 
lessons  in  the  district  school,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  entered  one  of  the  city  schools  at 
Beardstown,  where  he  remained  two  3rears.  Then 
he  became  a  student  at  the  Wesleyan  University 
in  Bloomington  and  from  there  entered  McKen- 
dree  college  at  Lebanon,  where  he  staid  one  year, 
then  entering  Illinois  College,  at  Jacksonville1,  he 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1862,  after 
taking  a  post-graduate  course  of*  two  years.  He 
began  his  business  career  as  a  dry-goods  salesman 
in  Jacksonville,  but  a  year  later,  the  war  being  in 
progress,  enlisted  in  the  100  da3-s  service,  remain- 
ing five  months,  and  doing  garrison  duty  mostly 
in  Missouri. 

'  After  the  close  of  the  war  Dr.  Pitner  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine  in  1865  under  the  in- 
struction of  Dr.  H.  K.Jones,  of  Jacksonville.  After 
thorough  preparation  he  repaired  to  New  York  City, 
and  entered  the  College  of  Plrysieians  &  Surgeons, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1869.  In  the  fall 
of  that  year  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Jacksonville,  and  was  thus  steadily  occu- 
pied until  1875.  Then  having  a  great  desire  to 
perfect  himself  still  further  in  the  knowledge  of  his 
profession,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Germany,  and 
entering  the  University  of  Vienna,  applied  himself 
closely,  and  remained  abroad  one  and  one- half 
years.  Since  returning  to  Jacksonville  he  has 
closely  confined  himself  to  the  duties  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  associated  himself  with  Dr.  Malone  in 
1885,  and  they  make  a  very  strong  firm,  having 
command  of  a  fine  practice  throughout  the  county. 

Dr.  Pitner  stands  high  in  the  profession  in  this 
part  of  Illinois,  being  a  member  of  tiie  Medical  So- 
ciety of  Morgan  County,  the  Medical  Club  of 
Jacksonville,  the  American  Medical  Association, 
and  a  life-member  of  the  Illinois  State  Medical 


Society.  He  is  a  Trustee  in  the  Jacksonville  Col- 
lege and  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  being  also  one  of  the 
Directors  of  the  latter.  Politically,  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  in  religious  matters,  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Dr.  Pitner  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eloise  Griffith,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Griffith,  of  Springfield.  The  wedding 
took  place  at  Springfield,  May  28th,  1881).  She  is 
a  cultured  young  lady,  and  highly  esteemed  in  the 
social  circle  of  her  home. 


.ILLIAM  MORTIMER.  One  of  the  most 
attractive  little  homesteads  of  Woodson 
Precinct,  belongs  to  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  is  a  gentleman  in  the  prime  of  life,  and 
is  distinguished  for  his  thoroughness  and  skill  as  a 
farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and  his  general  habits  of 
thrift  and  industry.  His  property  is  pleasantly 
located  on  section  25,  and  comprises  160  acres  of 
choice  land,  which  under  careful  cultivation  yields 
the  richest  crops  of  Central  Illinois.  In  the  live- 
stock line  he  is  able  to  exhibit  some  of  the  finest 
animals  in  this  region.  In  addition  to  the  home- 
stead he  and  his  wife  together  own  about  100  acres 
of  land,  all  in  this  county,  and  are  thus  in  the  eu- 
jo3'ment  of  a  comfortable  income. 

The  first  twenty  years  of  the  life  of  our  subject 
were  spent  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  in 
Yorkshire,  England,  where  he  was  born  Aug.  9, 
1847.  His  parents,  William  and  Sarah  A.  (Hugill) 
Mortimer,  were  also  natives  of  that  shire,  where 
the  mother  spent  her  entire  life,  dying  about  1 857. 
The  father,  some  3'ears  after  the  death  of  his  part- 
ner, emigrated  to  America  in  1882,  and  died  at  the 
home  of  his  son  in  this  county,  April  2',  1889.  The 
parental  family  included  seven  children,  of  whom 
William,  Jr.  was  the  second  born. 

Our  subject  after  reaching  the  United  States  pro- 
ceeded direct!}'  westward  to  this  count3',  and  for 
five  years  thereafter  was  in  the  empk>3r  of  Vincent 
Richardson  and  family,  west  of  Jacksonville.  His 
next  ten  years  were  spent  in  township  13,  where  in 
the  meantime  he  was  married,  and  settled  upon  a 
farm  which  he  conducted  five  3'ears,  then  removed 


1  '     276 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


to  his  present  homestead.  His  marriage  occurred  Feb. 
26,  1879,  with  Miss  .Sarah  Rawlings,  at  the  bride's 
home  in  township  13,  range  10. 

Mrs.  Mortimer  was  born  April  17,  1858,  in  this 
county,  and  is  the  daughter  of  James  and  Frances 
(Hcmbrough)  Rawlings,  who  were  natives  of  En- 
gland, and  are  now  in  Morgan  County.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mortimer  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  all 
living,  namely:  Cora  and  Carrie,  twins;  Hattie; 
Karl  and  Eva,  twins.  Mr.  Mortimer  cast  his  first 
Presidential  vote  for  Hayes,  and  uniformly  votes 
the  straight  Republican  ticket.  He  has  had  little 
to  do  with  public  affairs,  however,  aside  from  offi- 
ciating as  School  Director  in  his  district.  He  is 
public-spirited  and  liberal,  and  a  firm  supporter  of 
those  measures  calculated  to  advance  the  commu- 
nity in  morals  and  enlightenment,  and  keeps  him- 
self well  posted  upon  events  of  general  interest  to 
the  intelligent  citizen. 


liRAM  A.  CRUM  is  one  of  the  most  lib- 
eral and  public  spirited  citizens  of  Morgan 
County,  who  has  been  an  important  factor 
in  bringing  about  its  present  prosperity  as 
a  great  agricultural  centre,  and  who  is  always  act- 
ive in  promoting  its  highest  interests.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  extensive  and  most  successful  of  the 
the  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  this  part  of  Illinois, 
and  his  large  farm,  embracing  600  acres  in  town- 
ship 16,  range  10,  on  sections  12  and  13,  of  the 
choicest  and  most  fertile  land  in  all  this  region,  is 
under  the  highest  cultivation,  well  fenced  and  di- 
vided into  fields,  capable  of  yielding  extraordinary 
harvests.  It  has  a  substantial,  well-built  set  of 
frame  buildings,  with  other  valuable  improvements, 
and  everything  about  the  place  betokens  a  skillful 
hand  and  master  mind  directing  affairs. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Mathias  Crum,  was  born 
in  Virginia,  and  when  a  young  man  he  removed  to 
Louisville,  Ky.,  where  he  married  Miss  Margaret, 
daughter  of  David  Spangler.  Her  father  was  an 
early  settler  of  Kentucky,  and  was  killed  by  the 
Indians  on  the  present  site  of  Louisville,  and  that 
place  was  the  birthplace  of  his  daughter.  Soon 
after  marriage,  Mr.  Crum  removed  with  his  young 


wife  to  near  Albany,  Intl..  where  they  eliminated 
a  farm  from  the  primeval  forests  of  that  section  of 
the  eountrj',  and  in  their  pioneer  home  their 
fifteen  children  were  born,  three  of  whom  died  quite 
young,  the  others  growing  to  maturity,  and  six  of 
them  still  surviving.  In  the  year  1831  the  par- 
ents of  our  subject  became  early  settlers  of  this 
county,  locating  on  a  tract  of  wild  prairie,  where 
the  father  entered  160  acres  of  land,  and  here  they 
spent  their  remaining  days,  the  father  dying  March 
8,  1841,  and  the  mother  April  22,  1852.  During 
his  residence  here  he  was  very  much  prospered,  and 
became  the  owner  of  400  acres  of  fine  farming  land 
which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his  sons,  with  the 
exception  of  120  acres.  He  was  a  shrewd,  far- 
seeing  man,  who  stood  well  with  his  fellow-pioneers 
and  his  death  was  a  blow  to  the  interests  of  his 
community,  as  it  removed  a  wide-awake  citizen 
who  was  doing'  much  for  the  development  of  the 
township  and  county.  He  was  descended  from 
sturdy  German  stock,  and  his  parents,  who  were 
natives  of  Germany,  came  to  America  in  colonial 
times,  and  bad  a  son  who  served  in  the  Continen- 
tal army  during  the  last  year  of  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  The  maternal  grandparents  of  our  sub- 
ject were  also  natives  of  Germany,  but  they  were 
married  after  coming  to  this  country,  their  wed- 
ding taking  place  in  Kentucky.  The  grandfather 
had  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  in  the  old 
country. 

He  of  whom  we  write  was  very  young  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  this  count}',  and  here  he 
was  reared  to  man's  estate  on  his  present  farm, 
growing  with  the  growth  of  the  country.  When 
he  first  began  farming  on  his  own  account  the 
country  roundabout  was  still  thinly  settled,  and 
the  markets  were  far  distant,  and  he  used  to  have  to 
sell  his  hogs  and  farm  products  at  St.  Louis  or  at 
Beardstown.  We  have  alluded  to  his  property  in 
the  opening  lines  of  this  sketch, and  the  brief  limi- 
tations of  this  biographical  review  forbids  us  trac- 
ing the  steps  by  which  he  attained  his  present  high 
position  as  a  wealth}7,  influential  farmer,  whose 
word  is  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  whose  honesty 
and  honor  have  been  preserved  unsullied  through 
all  the  years  since  he  commenced  life  on  his  own 
account.  In  his  busy  career  lie  has  found  time  to 


. 

. 


-<f>. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


\ 


279  '  ' 


materially  aid  all  schemes  for  the  public  good,  and 
his  hand  and  influence  are  felt  in  every  plan  that 
is  pushed  forward  for  the  benefit  and  advancement 
of  the  township  and  county.  He  is  a  whole-souled, 
high  minded  man  and  his  warm,  generous  heart 
beats  responsive  to  the  calls  of  the  weak  and  help- 
less for  assistance,  and  he  is  never  unmindful  of  the 
sufferings  of  the  poor.  He  also  contributes  liber- 
ally to  the  support  of  the  churches  and  other  public 
institutions  worthy  of  his  attention. 

Mr.  Crum  is  blessed  with  a  good  wife,  who  is 
also  kind  and  charitable,  and  cooperates  witli  him 
in  his  benevolence.  They  were  united  in  marriage 
in  January,  1853,  and  of  the  children  that  have 
been  born  in  their  pleasant  home,  two  survive, 
Lydia  Ellen  and  Albert,  the  latter  living  in  this 
township.  Lydia  married  Hiram  B.  Baxter,  and 
they  live  near  Ashland.  Mr.  Baxter  was  a  brave 
and  faithful  soldier  in  the  late  war,  serving  three 
years,  and  was  wounded  several  times.  Mrs.  Crum's 
maiden  name  wns  Sarah  Buchanan,  and  she  is  a 
daughter  of  one  Thomas  Buchanan,  a  pioneer  of 
Morgan  County,  who  came  here  from  his  old  home 
in  Kentucky  in  1838,  or  thereabouts.  She  is  a  de- 
voted member  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  her 
daily  life  is  evidence  of  her  earnest  Christianity. 
Mr.  Crum  is  deeply  interested  in  the  political  situa- 
tion of  the  day,  and  is  at  heart  a  true  Republican, 
always  giving  that  party  his  cordial  support. 


RS.  C.  C.  (KEENER)  TAYLOR.  This 
lady  was  well  known  and  highly  respected 
throughout  the  cit.y  of  Jacksonville,  hav- 
ing come  to  this  county  in  the  spring  of 
and  purchased  thirty-one  acres  of  choice 
land  just  outside  the  city  limits.  There  she  erected 
it  line  residence,  and  gave  her  attention  to  the  im- 
portation of  Norman  horses  and  other  fine  trotting 
stock.  Considering  the  success  which  attended 
her  efforts  in  this  direction,  it  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  sa3r,  that  she  possessed  more  than  ordinary  capa- 
bilities, in  fact,  her  business  qualifications  exceeded 
those  of  mankind  in  general. 

The  events  of  interest  in  the  life  of  Mrs.  Taylor 
were  essentially  as  follows:  She  was   born    in  Scott 


18.S1, 


County,  111.,  Jau.  10,  1847,  and  was  the  daughter 
of  Thomas  C.  and  Caroline  (Ditson)  Keener,  who 
were  natives  respectively  of  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  and 
Sangamon  County,  III.  The  father  was  a  corn 
merchant  and  grain  dealer  at  Naples  111.,  for  a 
period  of  twenty-seven  years,  being  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  T.  &  F.  Keener.  After  his  death 
Mrs.  Keener  assumed  charge  of  the  business,  which 
she  conducted  successfully  two  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  after  emerging  from 
the  common  school,  entered  the  Jacksonville  Acad- 
emy, where  she  completed  her  education.  On  the 
llth  of  February,  1865,  when  a  maiden  of  eighteen 
years,  she  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mr.  Royal 
Mooers,  and  of  this  union  there  were  born  three 
children,  namely  :  Fanny,  Thomas,  and  Edward.  In 
1876  she  assumed  her  maiden  name,  and  had  that 
of  her  children  changed  from  Mooers  to  Keener. 

Mrs.  Keener,  on  the  4th  of  January,  1887,  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mr.  Frank  C.  Taylor,  at 
this  time  a  resident  of  Jacksonville.  Mr.  Taylor 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  from  which  State  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Jacksonville,  where  he  has  spent 
nearly  his  entire  life,  and  was  for  a  considerable 
time  a  reporter  on  the  Courier.  He  is  now  practi- 
cally retired  from  active  business.  He  and  his 
wife  occupied  a  very  fine  residence,  situated  in  the 
midst  of  beautiful  grounds,  adorned  with  shade 
trees  and  shrubbery.  In  the  rear  of  the  residence 
are  a  great  variety  of  fruits,  such  as  grapes, 
raspberries,  blackberries,  and  strawberries,  and 
Mrs.  Taylor  experimented  with  untried  varieties  of 
nuts,  such  as  English  walnuts,  hard  and  soft  shell 
almonds,  and  the  native  giant  and  Japanese  varie- 
ties of  chesnuts.  She  also  had  the  pecan,  hard-shell 
hickory,  and  black  and  white  walnut  trees,  besides 
filberts  and  Japanese  persimmon. 

In  the  fruit  line  Mrs.  Taylor  had  all  the  varie- 
ties of  apple,  peach,  pear,  plum'  and  cherry.  To 
the  culture  of  these  she  gave  much  time  and  atten- 
tion with  the  view  of  determining  what  varieties 
were  hardy  and  would  flourish  most  successfully  in 
that  particular  locality.  As  a  horticulturist,  she  • 
obtained  an  enviable  reputation  in  Morgan  County, 
and  her  experiments  were  of  decided  advantage, 
not  only  as  connected  with  her  own  labors,  but 
those  of  others  interested  in  this  line.  She  always 


280 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


maintained  that  she  received  her  inspiration  for  this 
work  from  Prof.  J.  B.  Turner.  She  also  was  a 
lover  of  flowers,  as  the  grounds  surrounding  her 
home  indicate,  and  in  summer,  hundreds  of  visi- 
tors came  from  the  city  and  country  surrounding 
to  view  the  result  of  her  taste,  industry,  and  skill. 
Mrs.  Taylor  was  a  lady  of  many  and  varied  accom- 
plishments, and  her  genuine  love  of  horticulture 
and  everything  pertaining  thereto  was  greatly  to 
her  credit,  while  her  perseverance  was  proverbial. 
She  died  May  11,  1889.  Her  death  removed  one 
of  the  most  prominent  members  of  the  society  of 
Morgan  Count}',  and  left  a  void  among  friends  ami 
her  home  circle  which  time  can  not  entirely  restore. 
On  another  page  in  this  volume  will  be  found  a 
portrait  of  this  lamented  lady.  Thus,  although  she 
has  passed  to  her  rest,  her  kindly  face  still  turns  its 
pleasant  glance  upon  the  gazer. 


ICIIAEL  L.  WHORTEN.  In  the  career 
of  the  subject  of  this  biographical  outline 
we  have  that  of  a  native-born  citizen,  who 
first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  in  this 
county,  Oct.  22,  1836,  and  grew  up  with  the  coun- 
try. His  first  impressions  of  life  were  obtained 
amid  the  surroundings  of  an  unsettled  region,  at  a 
time  when  the  ground  which  is  now  occupied  by 
farms,  cities  and  villages,  was  practically  untrod, 
except  by  wild  animals  and  Indians,  with  only 
here  and  there  the  adventurous  foot  of  the  white 
man. 

Mr.  Whorten  received  a  limited  education  in  the 
pioneer  schools  and  that  careful  home-training 
which  resulted  in  forming  a  self-reliant  character, 
and  those  habits  of  industry  and  frugality  which 
seldom  fail  to  bring  a  measure  of  success  in  life, 
and  gain  for  a  man  a  good  position  among  his  fel- 
lows. Being  naturally  quick  to  learn  and  observ- 
ing, he  grew  up  intelligent  and  well-informed,  and 
remained  a  member  of  the  parental  household  until 
approaching  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age.  Then, 
being  able  to  establish  a  home  of  his  own,  he  was 
married  March,  1866,  to  Miss  Martha  A.  Green. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whorten,  after  their  marriage, 
established  themselves  in  a  modest  home  on  land 


which  he  had  purchased,  opposite  where  he  now 
lives.  They  took  possession  of  their  present  home- 
stead in  June,  1866.  This  comprises  192  acres  of 
choice  fnrmingland,  which  Mr.  Whorten  has  brought, 
to  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  redeeming  it  from  the 
raw  prairie,  and  upon  which  he  has  effected  all  the 
improvements  with  which  it  is  now  embellished. 
In  due  time  the  family-circle  was  enlarged  by  the 
birth  of  five  children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  a  daugh- 
ter, Louie  I.,  is  the  wife  of  George  H.  Nergenah, 
of  this  county.  Fielder  L.,  Gray,  Joseph  AV.  and 
William  are  with  their  parents  at  home. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Let- 
ton)  Whorten,  who  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and 
who  emigrated  to  Illinois  during  the  thirties,  first 
locating  in  Scott  County,  but  two  years  afterward 
settling  in  what  is  now  known  as  Concord  Precinct, 
where  they  were  among  the  earliest  pioneers.  The 
father  took  up  a  tract  of  land  and  labored  on  it 
faithfully  until  his  death,  which  took  place  Sept.  5, 
1874.  The  mother  died  in  August,  1875.  Five  of 
their  children  are  living,  viz.:  Joseph,  Elizabeth, 
Thomas,  Michael  L.  (our  subject),  and  Eliza. 
Julia  A.,  Sarah,  Mary  J.  and  George  W.  are  de- 
ceased. 

Mrs.  Whorten  was  born  June  28,  1846,  and,  like 
her  husband,  is  a  native  of  this  county.  Her 
parents  were  William  and  Catherine  (Long)  Green, 
and  her  father  was  a  native  of  Tennessee.  They 
were  among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  this  section. 
The  family  consisted  of  eight  children,  and  the  sur- 
vivors are  recorded  as  follows:  Melissa  is  the  wife 
of  J.  E.  Bayless,  of  this  county;  James  R.  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Springfield;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  C.  G. 
Milnes,  of  California;  Nancy  married  D.  R.  Mason, 
of  Fail-field,  Iowa;  William  lives  in  Cass  County, 
this  State;  Martha  A.,  Mrs.  Whorten,  was  the 
next  in  order  of  birth;  George  is  a  resident  of 
Beardstown,  and  Catherine  is  the  wife  of  Isaac  Rat- 
cliff,  of  Ashland,  III. 

Mr.  Whorten,  in  his  labors  and  struggles,  has 
been  greatly  assisted  by  his  estimable  wife,  who 
has  fulfilled  the  duties  of  wife  and  mother  in  a  most 
admirable  manner.  Both  are  members  in  good 
standing  of  the  Christian  Church  at  Concord,  in 
which  our  subject  has  officiated  as  Deacon  and 
been  one  of  its  chief  pillars.  Politically,  he  votes 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


281 


the  straight  Republican  ticket.  Probably  no  man 
in  the  county  has  done  more  downright  hard  work, 
and  there  arc  certainly  none  who  are  held  in  higher 
esteem  for  the  qualities  of  character  which  were  most 
needed  in  the  settlement  of  a  new  country.  Dur- 
ing his  younger  years  he  broke  prairie  by  the  slow 
method  of  an  ox  team,  and  carried  on  farming  antid 
many  other  disadvantages,  and  with  machinery  far 
inferior  to  that  of  the  present  time.  He  has  looked 
with  wonder  and  admiration  upon  the  progress  of 
the  age,  and  has  in  all  respects  fulfilled  his  obliga- 
tions as  an  honest  man  and  a  good  citizen. 


fclLLIAM  C.  CLARK  BRUNK,  a  general 
merchant  of  Franklin  Village,  commenced 
his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  his  father's 
store,  and  after  his  marriage  purchased  the  stock, 
added  to  it  and  now  enjoys  an  annual  trade  of 
about  $4,000.  He  and  his  wife  own  the  building 
and  their  residence,  and  have  started  out  in  life 
under  favorable  auspices.  Not  the  least  among 
the  blessings  which  they  enjoy  is  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  many  friends,  they  both  being  spoken 
very  highly  of  in  their  community. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  of  this  county  and  was 
born  April  7,  1867.  He  was  given  a  good  practi- 
cal education,  and  nature  equipped  him  with  those 
qualities  which  form  the  basis  of  all  true  man- 
hood. He  is  the  son  of  James  T.  Brunk,  who  was 
born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  in  February,  182'J, 
and  who  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  this  county 
in  1832.  He  has  since  resided  here  most  of  the 
time.  He  commenced  his  mercantile  career  in  Or- 
leans where  he  sojourned  a  number  of  years,  then 
removed  to  Alexander,  and  from  there  to  Frank- 
lin where  he  opened  up  a  general  store  which  he 
conducted  successfully  until  retiring. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Kveline  Jolly.  She  was  born  in  Illinois,  and 
died  at  her  home  in  Franklin  Sept.  27,  1886.  Only 
three  are  living  of  the  four  children  born  to  the 
parents:  Lyda  B.,  Nettie  A.  and  our  subject.  The 
eldest  daughter  is  the  wife  of  George  P.  Mulberry, 
formerly  of  Greene  County,  this  State,  but  who  is 
now  keeping  a  confectionery  store  in  Franklin; 


they  have  no  children;  Nettie  married  Ripley 
Mayfield,a  farmer  of  this  county  and  they  have  one 
child,  Leila. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  chose  for  his  life  part- 
ner Miss  Ina  Johnson  of  Monroe  County,  Mo.,  and 
they  were  married  Feb.  28,  1887.  The  father  of 
Mrs.  Brunk  died  some  years  ago:  the  mother  is 
living  and  a  resident  of  Missouri.  They  were  the 
parents  of  thirteen  children,  eight  of  whom  are 
living.  William  J.  married  Jennie  Poage  of  Paris, 
Mo.,  and  he  is  a  practicing  physician  of  Barry, 
Pike  County,  this  State;  they  have  three  children: 
Charles,  Susie  and  Campbell.  Adolphus  married 
Bessie  Allen  of  Pike  County,  and  is  employed  as  a 
commercial  salesman.  They  have  l.wo  children — 
Cora  and  Bessie.  Eva  married  Thaddeus  Gaitskill 
of  Florida,  Mo.,  and  they  have  two  children — 
Adolphus  and  Willie;  Jennie  is  the  wife  of  Edgar 
Atkinson,  a  farmer  of  Santa  Fe,  Mo.;  they  have 
one  child,  Clarence.  Albert  married  Ellen  Griffith 
who  is  now  deceased.  He  is  a  train  dispatcher, 
lives  in  Texas,  and  has  one  child,  Robert.  James 
is  unmarried  and  is  employed  as  a  telegraph  oper- 
ator at  Ladonia,  Mo.  Harry,  a  boy  of  twelve,  re- 
sides with  his  mother. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  married  a  second 
time  and  is  living  in  Franklin.  William  C.,  po- 
litically, is  a  stanch  Democrat  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Village  Board. 


RS.  MARY  L.  CALLAWAY  is  one  of  the 
oldest  pioneers  of  this  part  of  the  county. 
She  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  was  born  in 
Hamilton  County,  Jan.  20,  1821.  Should 
a  history  of  this  country  ever  be  written  that  treats 
entirely  of  the  heroes  and  heroines  of  America, 
there  are  none  who  will  reach  higher  than  the  pio- 
neer mother.  Her  sufferings  were  far  deeper  than 
those  of  the  husband,  and  the  hardships  that  she 
underwent  were  of  that  peculiar  kind  that  deserve 
special  mention  of  the  historian.  She  reared  her 
children,  made  their  clothing  from  the  raw  wool, 
and  administered  to  their  wants  in  sickness  with 
the  means  that  she  had  at  her  command.  In  the 
early  days  medical  supplies  were  difficult  to  pro- 


•282 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


cure,  and  often  times  the  physician  lived  miles  away. 
It  was  then  that  the  skill,  fortitude,  and  love  of 
the  mother  came  into  requisition.  While  the  hus- 
band has  always  received  the  most  of  the  praise  for 
settling  up  a  vast  empire  of  wild  undeveloped 
country,  it  can  be  truly  said  that  his  wife  is  enti- 
tled to  as  much,  and  in  some  cases  more  praise  than 
himself. 

Mrs.  Callaway  was  the  daughter  of  Ira  and  Mar- 
garet (Wells)  Thompson.  Her  paternal  ancestry 
is  said  to  be  Welsh.  When  she  was  about  one 
year  of  age,  she  came  with  her  parents  to  Illinois, 
and  for  a  time  resided  near  Vincennes,  and  subse- 
quently removed  with  her  father  and  mother  to 
Greene  County,  III.,  and  there  she  was  reared  to  wo- 
manhood. Her  mother  died  in  Bethel  while  her 
father's  life  ended  on  a  steamboat  between  St. 
Louis  and  New  Orleans.  In  those  days  it  was  the 
custom  of  the  farmers  to  club  together  and  take 
their  produce  down  the  streams  to  market,  using 
for  that  purpose  flatboats  and  steamboats.  The 
early  settlers  of  Morgan  County  utilized  the  Illi- 
nois and  Mississippi  rivers  for  water-ways.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  one -of 
the  most  distinguished  pioneers  of  Illinois,  was  at 
one  time  engaged  in  the  business  of  a  flat- boat- 
man, and  that  he  was  a  good  one,  no  one  doubts. 
The  boats  were  built  in  a  rough  manner  and  when 
the  market  was  reached,  the  lumber  of  which  they 
were  constructed  was  sold  and  the  farmers  made 
their  way  back  home  on  steamboats  with  the  supplies 
they  had  bought.  The  market  in  the  early  days  was 
generally  New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis,  and  it  was  on 
one  of  these  trips  that  Mr.  Thompson  died.  When 
about  twenty-one  years  old,  Mrs.  Callaway  came 
to  Morgan  County  with  her  mother  and  two  broth- 
ers, and  on  Feb.  1,  1841  she  was  married  to  Sam- 
uel Callaway.  He  was  born  in  Bourbon  County, 
Ky.,  on  Aug.  24,  1814.  He  was  the  son  of  John 
and  Nellie  (Robins)  Callaway,  both  natives  of  Del- 
aware. He  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  Morgan  County,  early  in  the  thirties, 
and  here  he  resided  until  Ids  death,  which  occurred 
May  17,  1883.  He  was  the  father  of  four  children, 
one  of  whom  is  living,  Lewis  II.  who  is  at  present 
on  the  home  farm.  The  three  deceased  are  as  fol- 
lows: Samuel  II.  died  at  Camp  Butler,  during  the 


war;  John  R.  and  Levi  died  while  young.  Mr. 
Callaway  served  as  School  Director,  and  although 
fitted  for  office,  he  was  never  a  seeker  after  one. 
When  he  died  lie  left  his  widow  in  comfortable 
circumstances,  and  well  rounded  out  a  busy  life. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  where  his  wife  also  worships.  Politically 
he  was  a  Republican. 

Mrs.  Callaway  is  spending  her  latter  days  in  a 
retired  manner  and  is  surrounded  by  all  the  com- 
forts of  life  which  her  early  privations  entitle  her 
to,  and  she  enjoj'S  the  profound  respect  of  all  her 
neighbors  and  acquaintances. 


LVA  Y.  BARR.  Sheltered  in  the  quiet 
homes  of  the  country  is  a  large  proportion 
of  the  intelligence  and  cultivation  which 
have  always  been  acknowledged  as  a  marked 
feature  in  the  character  of  the  people  of  Illinois. 
This  fact  is  amply  illustrated  at  the  homestead  of 
the  subject  of  this  notice,  who  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  men  of  Woodson  Precinct,  and  who 
is  at  the  head  of  a  bright  and  interesting  family, 
who  are  devoted  to  each  other  and  whose  chief 
interest  lies  under  the  old  rooftree.  Whether  en- 
tering their  domicile  as  a  friend  or  a  passing  trav- 
eler, the  attention  is  at  once  attracted  by  the  air  of 
taste  and  refinement,  which  pervades  the  dwelling 
and  its  surroundings.  Within  there  are  books  and 
music,  and  last,  but  not  least,  numbers  of  fine 
paintings  by  the  hand  of  Miss  Effie  M.  Barr,  who 
has  long  been  recognized  among  the  people  of  this 
section  as  a  natural  born  artist.  With  very  little 
instruction  she  has  arrived  at  a  point  very  near 
perfection,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the 
parents  look  upon  this  gifted  child  with  more  than 
ordinary  pride.  All  the  children  are  bright  and 
interesting  and  have  been  trained  and  educated  in 
a  manner  suited  to  their  station  in  life,  and  which 
has  made  of  them  good  and  useful  members  of 
the  community. 

It  may  be  well  before  proceeding  further  to 
glance  at  the  antecedents  of  our  subject,  whose 
father,  Ebenezer  Barr,  was  a  native  of  Boston, 
Mass.  From  New  England  he  emigrated  early  in 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


life,  prior  to  the  War  of  1812,  to  Erie  County,  PH., 
and  was  there  married  to  Miss  Mehitable  Palmer. 
I  'pon  the  coming  on  of  the  war  mentioned,  lie 
proffered  his  services  as  a  soldier  in  the  American 
A  rni}',  and  later,  after  the  struggle  was  ended  was 
engaged  as  a  carpenter  in  the  erection  of  a  block- 
house at  Erie,  Pa.  He  also  assisted  in  fitting  up 
the  vessels  connected  with  the  fleet  of  Commodore 
Perry. 

After  the  British  were  once  more  driven  from 
American  soil,  the  father  of  our  subject  settled 
down  again  in  Erie  Count}'.  Pa.,  where  he  lived 
until  the  summer  of  1838.  lie  then  decided  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  young  State  of  Illinois,  and 
arrived  in  what  is  now  known  as  Scott  County, 
with  his  family  that  same  year.  They  sojourned 
there  one  year,  then  changed  their  residence  to  a 
point  four  miles  northwest  of  the  present  site  of 
Jacksonville,  where  they  also  spent  four  years, 
and  where  the  father  died  in  1844.  The  mother 
outlived  her  husband  many  years  and  died  at  quite 
an  advanced  age  at  her  home  in  Jacksonville,  in 
about  1870. 

Five  sons  and  five  daughters  completed  the  house- 
hold circle  of  the  parents  of  our  subject,  and  nine 
of  the  children  lived  to  grow  up.  Alva  Y.,  was 
the  eldest  born,  and  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  Erie  County,  Pa.,  Aug. 
2,  1818.  He  there  spent  his  boyhood  days  and  was 
nearly  twenty-one  years  of  age  when  he  came  with 
the  family  to  this  county.  He  worked  for  his 
father  as  a  carpenter  most  of  the  time  until  the 
death  of  the  latter,  and  afterward  gave  his  atten- 
tion principally  to  farming.  He  has  been  a  res- 
ident of  Woodson  Precinct  for  a  period  of  forty- 
one  years  and  is  consequently  known  to  the  people 
of  this  section  far  and  wide.  His  farm  comprises 
100  acres  of  valuable  land,  which  he  has  brought 
to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  but  for  the  last  few 
years  lie  has  given  his  attention  largely  to  the 
breeding  of  Percheron  horses.  This  industry  car- 
ried on  intelligently  and  successfully  has  been  the 
source  of  a  handsome  income. 

The  13th  of  June,  1848,  witnessed  the  marriage 
of  our  subject  with  Miss  Mary  P.  Crawley,  the 
wedding  taking  place  at  the  bride's  home  in  Wood- 
son  Pj-eciijc.t,.  M-r&  Ban'  was  born  in  Adair 


County,  Ky.,  June  25,  1827,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  Asa  and  Hopestill  (Crawley)  Crawley,  who  were 
also  natives  of  the  Blue  Grass  State.  The  father 
was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  died  of  con- 
sumption while  on  duty  at  New  Orleans.  The  moth- 
er subsequently  came  to  this  county  and  was  married 
to  Ebenezer  Hoag.  They  settled  in  Township  14, 
where  her  death  took  place  Jan.  25,  1853.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children. 

Of  the  children  nine  in  number,  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Barr  the  record  is  as  follows:  Mattie  A.  is 
the  wife  of  Henry  Reeder.  of  Harvey  County, 
Kan.;  William  W.  remains  at  the  homestead; 
Laura  J.  is  the  wife  of  Clark  Simonds,  of  Washing- 
ton; Isador,  (Mrs.  Alexander  P.  Craig)  lives  in 
Colorado;  Clara  E.  and  Effle  M.  remain  with  their 
parents;  Cora  E.,  is  the  wife  of  Clifton  Greene,  of 
township  14;  Eleanor  is  the  wife  of  James  M. 
Greene,  of  Greene  County,  this  State;  Lulu  B.,  the 
youngest,  remains  under  the  home  roof. 

Mr.  Barr,  politically,  votes  the  straight  Demo- 
cratic ticket,  and  with  his  estimable  wife  and  all 
their  children,  belongs  to  the  Christian  Church. 
He  has  held  several  of  the  important  offices  of  the 
township  and  is  a  man  whose  opinion  is  generally 
respected.  He  like  most  other  men  has  met  with 
his  many  drawbacks  and  discouragements,  and  in 
the  summer  of  1861  suffered  the  loss  of  his  house 
and  all  its  contents  by  fire.  He  is  one  of  the  com- 
paratively few  men  who  have  preserved  as  far  as 
possible  the  outlines  of  the  family  history;  and 
among  other  relics  he  has  in  his  possession,  is  an  ax 
which  was  used  by  his  father  in  the  construction 
of  some  of  the  war  ships  of  Commodore  Perry. 
This  relic  is  naturally  highly  prized,  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  will  be  carefully  preserved  by  coming  gen- 
erations. 


ICHAR1)  Y.  DUNCAN.  Among  the  younger 
men  of  this  county,  who  have  made  their 
their  own  way  unaided  in  the  world,  the 
bject  of  this  sketch  deserves  more  than  a. 
passing  notice.  He  does  a  general  blacksmithing 
business  at  Franklin,  where  he  has  built  up  a  good 
patronage  and  enjoys  a  large  measure  of  respect 
from  its  best  people.  He  was  born  in  Jackson- 


4* 


284 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


t 


ville,  this  county,  Feb.  20.  1860,  and  re-wived 
only  the  advantages  of  a  common-school  educa- 
tion,  but  nature  endowed  him  with  sound  common- 
sense  and  the  qualities  of  ambition  and  persever- 
ance which  have  enabled  him  to  rise  above  adverse 
circumstances,  and  have  gained  him  a  good  posi- 
tion among  his  fellow-men. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  John  B.  Duncan,  who 
was  born  in  Tennessee  Aug.  10,  1817.  lie  came  to 
this  county  during  his  early  manhood,  and  occu- 
pied himself  as  an  attorney -at-law  with  admirable 
success,  filling  finally  the  [wsition  of  County 
Judge.  He  was  a  man  of  very  patriotic  sentiments, 
and  upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  enlisted  as 
a  Union  soldier  in  Company  H,  32d  Illinois  In- 
fantry, lie  was  given  a  Captain's  commission,  and 
at  the  battle  of  Hatchie,  Oct.  5,  1862,  suffered  the 
loss  of  a  limb.  Upon  his  recover}',  however,  he 
returned  to  the  army,  but  was  taken  ill  from  the 
effects  of  his  wound,  and  died  at  his  home,  in 
Franklin,  in  the  year  1864.  Mrs.  Adeline  G. 
(Wright)  Duncan,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
a  n:\live  of  Frankfort,  Ky.,  born  on  the  17th  of 
June,  1823,  and  came  with  her  parents  to  this 
county  in  the  year  1829.  Grandfather  Wright  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  spent  his  last  years  in 
Morgan  County.  To  the  parents  of  our  subject 
there  were  born  twelve  children,  eight  of  whom  are 
living  and  four  deceased,  the  latter  being  Henry, 
James,  Sarah,  and  Nellie.  Margaret  K.  became 
the  wife  of  John  II.  Reed,  of  Franklin,  and  they 
live  in  Bloomington,  III.,  where  Mr.  Reed  is  em- 
ployed as  a  machinist  and  engineer;  they  have  one 
child,  a  son,  Walter.  John  II.  married  Miss  Mary  S. 
Rutledge,  of  Franklin;  he  is  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
and  they  have  six  children.  Mary  R.  is  the  wife  of 
Isum  Seymour,  a  fanner  of  this  county,  and  mother 
of  nine  children.  William  W.  married  Mary  Gib- 
son, of  this  county,  and  is  occupied  as  a  teacher  in 
Franklin;  they  have  four  children.  Lilly  B.  is  the 
wife  of  Lafayette  Clayton,  a  farmer  of  this  county, 
and  they  have  five  children;  Charles  B.  is  a  black- 
smith b}'  trade,  in  company  with  our  subject, 
and  remains  a  bachelor;  Emma  L.  is  the  wife  of 
John  R.  Jolly,  a  stock-dealer  of  Franklin,  and  they 
have  five  children. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  mostlj-  employed 


during  his  younger  years  at  blacksmithing.  and 
when  ready  to  establish  domestic  ties  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Carrie  Reinlach,  the  wed- 
ding taking  place  at  the  bride's  home,  in  Franklin, 
May  1,  1884.  Mrs.  Duncan  was  born  April  2, 
1 862.  in  Franklin,  of  parents  who  were  natives  of 
Germany  and  came  to  America  in  1849.  They  set- 
tled in  Franklin,  where  the  father  engaged  as  a 
merchant  and  died  Jan.  1,  1876.  The  widow  sub- 
sequently married  Gabriel  Evans,  of  Jacksonville. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  have  two  children — Dessau 
W.  and  Meda  M.  Mr.  Duncan  belongs  to  the 
I.  O.  O.  K.,  in  which  he  has  held  the  various  offices 
of  his  lodge.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  Politically,  our  subject  is  a  decided 
Prohibitionist,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Town  Board 
of  Trustees.  Both  he  and  his  brother  Charles  de- 
serve great  credit  for  the  perseverance  with  which 
they  have  labored,  and  on  account  of  the  position 
to  which  they  have  attained  solely  upon  their 
own  merits. 


P"  M.  SPRINGER  of  the  city  of  Jacksonville, 
was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  near  the 
city  of  Lexington.  His  parents  were  Fran- 
cis and  Elsie  (Runyon)  Springer.  The  family 
circle  included  five  children,  viz.:  Julia  Ann, 
George,  Catherine,  our  subject  and  Elizabeth;  the 
latter  died  in  Missouri  in  the  year  1878. 

The  father  of  our  subject  who  was  born  in  the 
Blue  Grass  State,  was  by  occupation  a  cabinet 
maker  and  carpenter.  His  father  had  migrated 
from  Virginia  in  days  when  Kentucky  was  an  al- 
most unknown  region,  and  became  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  its  settlement.  In  his  day  he  was  a  prom- 
inent citizen  and  labored  hard  to  bring  his  adopted 
State  to  the  front  so  far  as  was  in  his  power. 

In  the  fall  of  1833  our  subject  left  Kentucky  and 
came  to  this  county.  For  a  time  he  lived  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Robert  Castle,  continuing  until  he 
was  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  when  he  mar- 
ried. The  interesting  event  was  celebrated  in  the 
Autumn  of  1844.  The  maiden  whom  he  had 
chosen  as  his  companion  in  life  was  Eliza  Alexan- 
der, one  of  Morgan  County's  fair  daughters.  As 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


285 


soon  as  he  was  married  lie  began  fanning  upon  his 
own  account  and  rented  a  farm  for  two  years  near 
Jacksonville.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  twelve  miles  east'  of  the  city  and 
continued  to  live  upon  it  for  between  ten  and 
twelve  years,  when  he  sold  it  to  advantage,  and 
moved  to  Jacksonville,  where  lie' lias  continued  to 
reside  ever  since. 

The  family  circle  of  Mr.  Springer  includes  five 
children  whose  names  are  given  as  follows:  Mary 
Ann,  who  still  inakes  her  home  with  her  parents; 
hit  lira,  who  is  happily  married  to  David  Hamilton 
of  Greenwood  County,  Kan.;  Catherine,  who  is 
single  and  is  still  at  home;  John  T.,  who  is  now  the 
husband  of  Eligel  B.  Banks;  and  Hettie  who  is 
also  at  home.  The  wife  of  our  subject  died  in  the 
year  1864,  and  in  April,  18G5,  he  became  the  hus- 
band of  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Long.  He  was  again  left  a 
widower  by  her  death,  which  occurred  in  Septem- 
ber, 188G.  June  19,  1888,  our  subject  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Jennie  Jones,  a  native  of  Jacksonville. 

Our  subject  being  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
county  has  always  been  alive  to  its  interests  and 
has  been  by  no  means  backward  in  shouldering  his 
share  of  effort  and  expense  to  bring  it  to  the  front 
and  supply  it  with  educational,  benevolent,  and  re- 
ligious institutions  and  corporations  of  commercial 
value.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  for 
fifty-four  years,  and  is  consequently  strongly  at- 
tached to  it  by  all  the  ties  of  home  and  friendship 
that  enter  into  a  life  in  that  period.  His  religious 
home  is  within  the  pale  of  the  Christian  Church,  of 
which  he  is  an  earnest  member  and  generous  sup- 
porter. He  is  also  connected  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  has  been  raised  to  the  degree  of 
a  Master  Mason.  For  many  years  he  was  a  stanch 
adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  but  being  im- 
pressed with  the  grave  issues  presented  by  the  Pro- 
hibition party  he  has  cast  in  his  lot  with  them,  and 
now  votes  that  ticket. 

The  Springer  family  is  of  Swedish  origin.  About 
the  year  1 700  Charles  Christopher  Springer  was 
sent  from  his  home  in  the  city  of  Stockholm  to 
London,  England,  in  order  to  be  educated;  but  it 
so  happened  that  he  did  not  reach  his  destination. 
While  on  the  way  he  was  kidnapped  and  carried  to 
the  United  States,  where  his  services  were  sql^  for 


his  passage,  and  he  continued  to  serve  his  master 
for  five  years.  He  settled  in  Wilmington,  Del., 
and  was  granted  a  tract  of  land  where  Wilmington 
and  New  Castle  now  stand.  The  different  mem- 
bers of  this  family  in  the  United  States  met  at  St. 
Louis  for  the  double  purpose  of  a  family  reunion 
and  in  order  to  ascertain  if  a  title  to  the  above 
grant  of  land  could  not  be  made  out  or  discovered, 
as  it  is  claimed  that  the  title  is  vested  in  the  Springer 
family.  The  remains  of  Charles  Christopher 
Springer  rest  in  Wilmington,  Del.,  and  the  name  is 
still  intelligible  on  the  marble  slab  that  marks  his 
last  resting  place,  lie  was  a  finely  educated  man, 
and  for  many  years  occupied  the  position  of  a  lay- 
reader  in  the  old  Swedish  Church.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  the  youngest  of  the  fourth  generation 
of  the  family  in  this  country  that  claims  an  heir- 
ship  to  the  above  land  grant.  The  issue  at  stake 
is  not  yet  decided,  although  hopes  are  still  enter- 
tained that  the  matter  may  yet  be  righted. 


ONAS  LITER,  known  and  honored  as  the 
founder  of  the  village  of  Liter,  is  a  member 
of  a  noted  pioneer  family  of  Morgan  County, 
that  came  here  in  the  early  days  of  its  set- 
tlement, and  bore  a  prominent  part  in  its  develop- 
ment. He  is  living  on  the  old  homestead  his  father 
purchased  fifty  years  ago.  The  farm  owned  by 
him,  which  he  is  managing  with  good  profit,  is  one 
of  the  fairest  and  most  valuable  of  the  fine  farms  in 
this  region.  And  he  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
enterprising  and  skillful  of  the  practical  agricultur- 
ists of  tow-nship  1C,  range  10. 

Our  subject  is  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  and  his  im- 
mediate ancestors  were  among  the  earliest  white 
settlers  of  that  State  in  the  time  of  Daniel  Boone, 
of  whom  they  bought  a  large  tract  of  wild  land,  em- 
bracing many  thousand  acres.  Hisgrandfather,  John 
Liter,  it  is  thought  was  a  native  of  Penns3'lvam'a, 
at  all  events  he  was  married  there,  and  there  his  son 
Jacob,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born.  The  grand- 
parents removed  to  Kentucky  in  an  early  day,  and 
as  before  stated,  bought  a  large  tract  of  land  of 
Daniel  Boone.  They  lived  about  three  years  in 
Grant's  Fort  as  a  measure  of  safety  against  the  lioa- 


,  286 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


tile  Indians.  They,  the  grandparents,  died  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  the  title  to  their  10,000  acres  of  land 
proving  to  be  worthless,  after  several  years  of  liti- 
gation, the  family  were  obliged  to  relinquish  the 
entire  tract.  John,  the  eldest  son,  then  left  the  old 
Kentucky  home,  and  with  others  made  his  way  to 
Rolls  County,  Mo.,  where  a  Liter  settlement  was 
made.  There  were  eight  children  born  to  the  grand- 
parents, namely:  John,  Lewis,  Jacob,  Abram,  Henry, 
Tina,  Kate,  Betsy.  Tina  married  Torence  Smith, 
who  died  on  the  battlefield  in  the  late  war,  and  she 
died  in  this  county;  Kate  married  John  Giltner, 
and  they  both  died  in  Kentucky;  Betsy  married 
George  Livey,  and  they  both  died  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 

Jncob  Liter,  the  father  of  our  subject  was  mar- 
ried in  Kentucky  to  Miss  Catherine  Boyier,  and 
there  their  nine  children  were  born,  whose  names 
are  as  follows:  Abram,  Andrew,  Jacob.  John,  Polly, 
Sam,  Sarah,  Joseph,  and  Jonas.  In  September, 
183!)  they  came  with  their  family  to  this  county,  lo- 
cated on  the  farm,  where  the  subject  now  lives,  and 
here  spent  their  last  days,  and  are  now  peacefully 
sleeping  their  last  sleep  in  the  little  family  ceme- 
tery, where  their  children  in  affectionate  remem- 
brance of  their  goodly  lives  have  erected  monu- 
ments commemorative  of  their  virtues.  They  were 
both  people  of  earnest  religious  character,  and 
were  consistent  church  members,  he  of  the  Stoneite 
Church  of  Kentucky,  and  she  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Our  subject  was  a  little  past  nineteen  years  of 
age  when  he  came  to  this  county,  and  his  life  has 
since  been  passed  on  the  old  homestead  in  this 
pleasant  locality.  He  owns  300  of  the  original  GOO 
acres  of  the  Liter  farm,  lying  on  section  2,  town- 
ship 16,  range  10.  It  is  under  admirable  tillage, 
cverj'  acre  being  cultivated  to  its  full  capacity, 
and  all  capable  of  yielding  rich  harvests.  The 
buildings,  including  a  commodious  dwelling,  roomy 
barn,  etc.,  are  of  a  substantial  order  of  architect- 
ure. The  farm  joins  the  village  of  Liter,  which 
was  planned  and  laid  out  by  our  subject  on  his 
own  land  after  the  railway  passed  through,  and  is 
a  monument  to  his  enterprise  and  shrewd  foresight. 

On  Feb.  14,  1849,  Mr.  Liter  was  united  in  the 
bonds  of  holy  matrimony  with  Miss  Emeline,  daugh- 


ter of  Emery  and  Rebecca  (Padgett)  Shed.  Her 
parents  were  married  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  her 
father  died  in  that  city  when  she  was  a  mere  child, 
and  her  mother  soon  after  brought  her  to  Illinois. 
The  following  children  have  been  born  to  her  and 
her  husband:  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  Samuel  C.  Knnis; 
Mary,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  Joseph 
married  Luella  Black,  daughter  of  John  Black; 
William  is  dead;  Jane,  now  Mrs.  Charles  L.  Massie; 
Angeline  married  Dr.  S.  Griflin,and  both  are  dead; 
Jonas  F.  ;  Edward  is  dead;  Eva  L.  and  Luella  are 
at  home. 

On  the  18th  of  May,  1883,  a  terrible  calamity 
befell  this  family  in  the  destruction  of  the  village 
of  Liter,  wherein  perished  some  of  its  beloved 
members.  On  that  eventful  day  a  cyclone  swept 
through  this  township,  leaving  death  and  desola- 
tion in  its  track,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  village 
of  Liter  was  almost  destroyed;  the  depot,  the  cars 
on  the  railway,  and  nearly  all  the  houses  were  blown 
to  pieces,  and  nine  persons  were  instantly  killed, 
including  Edward  Liter,  the  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Liter,  and  their  daughter  and  son-in-law,  Mrs.  and 
Dr.  Griffin,  with  their  child.  Outside  the  village 
the  awful  storm  did  not  do  so  much  damage,  and 
although  several  were  hurt,  but  few  were  killed. 

Mr.  Liter  is  possessed  of  much  executive  ability 
and  business  tact,  and  has  increased  his  share  of  his 
father's  estate  by  shrewd  management,  and  is  num- 
bered among  the  wealthy  members  of  his  precinct. 
He  is  a  man  whose  worth  and  stability  of  character 
is  conceded  by  all,  and  he  is  an  influence  for  good 
in  his  community.  He  and  his  family  are  leading 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  in  all  that  they 
do  evince  a  true  Christian  spirit. 


J~|  OSEPH  J.  SHEPPARD,  one  of  of  the  largest 
I    land-owners  of  this  countj',  is  the  proprietor 
|    of  1200  acres,  which  is  largely  devoted   to 
live-stock,  which  Mr.  S.  feeds  in  large  num- 
bers annually,   and    ships    mostly    to    the   Eastern 
markets.     His  homestead  is  noticeable  among   the 
many  other  well-regulated  estates  of  this  section  as 
indicative  of  everything  to  make  life  pleasant  and 
desirable,  having  about  it  an  air  of  comfort  and 


T 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


287 


plenty,  denoting  ample  means  and  a  competence 
for  the  future.  The  farm  buildings  and  machinery 
are  fully  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  rural  life,  and 
everything  about  the  premises  indicates  wise  man- 
agement, thrift  and  economy. 

Our  subject  is  the  offspring  of  a  flue  old  family, 
being  the  son  of  Thornton  Sheppard,  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  who,  when  quite  young,  emigrated 
with  his  parents  to  Kentucky,  and  lived  in  what  is 
now  known  as  Russell  and  Adaii  Counties,  until 
emigrating  to  Illinois  and  taking  up  his  abode  in 
this  county,  in  October,  1829.  The  family  con- 
sisted of  four  children,  and  the  father  purchased  a 
small  tract  of  land  in  Township  14,  Range  10,  giv- 
ing in  exchange  therefor  his  team  of  oxen  and 
wagon.  The  father  proceeded  with  the  improve- 
ment of  his  property,  was  successful  as  a  tiller  of 
the  soil,  and  although  a  man  singularly  free  from 
mercenary  motives,  accumulated  a  comfortable 
property,  being  at  the  time  of  his  death  the  owner 
of  a  good  farm  of  2-10  acres.  In  connection  with 
agriculture  he  also  officiated  as  a  minister  of  the 
Regular  Baptist  Church,  being  a  faithful  laborer  in 
the  Master's  vineyard  for  a  period  of  forty-nine 
years  without  receiving  any  remuneration.  The 
good  which  he  did  during  that  length  of  time  can 
scarcely  be  estimated,  and  under  the  circumstances 
his  piety  could  not  for  a  moment  be  questioned. 
He  passed  to  his  final  rest  at  the  homestead  which 
he  had  built  up,  Nov.  9,  1874.  The  mother  sur- 
vived her  husband  about  eight  years,  her  decease 
taking  place  at  the  old  home,  July  11,  1882. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there  were  born 
eight  more  children  after  their  arrival  in  this 
county,  and  their  family  in  all  comprises  six  sons 
and  six  daughters.  With  one  exception  they  lived 
to  mature  years,  growing  up  intelligent  and  worthy 
citizens,  and  doing  honor  to  their  parental  training. 
Thornton  Sheppard  was  a  man  more  than  ordi- 
narily public-spirited  and  liberal,  thoroughly  honest 
in  all  his  dealings  and  extremely  kind  to  the  poor, 
looking  personally  after  their  needs  and  assisting 
the  unfortunate  wherever  they  were  to  be  found, 
without  regard  to  color  or  religious  denomination. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  the  eldest 
son  and  third  child  of  his  parents,  was  born  in 
what  is  now  known  as  Russell  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  10, 


1827,  and  spent  his  childhood  and  youth  under 
the  parental  roof,  occupied  mostly  in  farm  pur- 
suits. He  acquired  his  education  in  the  district 
school,  and  also  enough  knowledge  of  the  carpenter 
trade  to  enable  him  to  build  his  own  house  and  do 
considerable  work  for  others.  A  few  months  be- 
fore reaching  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  his  age, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Eliza- 
beth Coffman,  the  wedding  taking  place  at  the 
bride's  home,  in  township  14,  range  10,  June  20. 
1854. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Coffman)  Sheppard  was  born  in 
Rockiugham  County,  Va.,  Dec.  16,  1832,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Abraham  and  Rachel  (Houdershell) 
Coffman,  who  were  natives  of  Woodstock  County, 
that  State.  There  also  they  were  married  and  reared 
their  family,  then  emigrating  to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of 
1853,  settled,  the  following  spring,  in  Township  14, 
Range  10,  this  county,  where  the  father  died, 
Oct.  29,  1860,  and  the  mother  April  3, 1874.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  of  whom 
lived  to  mature  years,  and  of  whom  Mrs.  Sheppard 
was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  Mr.  Coffman 
was  a  millwright  by  trade,  but  after  coming  to  this 
county  occupied  himself  at  farming. 

Twelve  children  completed  the  household  circle 
of  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife.  The  eldest 
born,  a  daughter,  Emily  J.,  died  in  infancy ; 
George  W.  remains  at  home  with  his  parents; 
John  S.  married  Miss  Mattie  Parker,  of  Brown 
County,  and  resides  in  the  southern  part  of  this 
county;  Irving  D.  married  Miss  Jennie  Lynn,  and 
resides  in  this  county;  Alice  R.  became  the  wife  of 
G.  H.  Coons,  of  Sangamon  County,  and  died  May 
16,  1884;  Sylvester  married  Miss  Mary  Perkins, 
and  resides  in  this  county;  Ulysses  died  in  infancy; 
McClellan  married  Miss  Lyda  Parker,  and  is  living 
in  this  county;  Emeline,  Luther,  Clara  and  Lucy 
are  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Sheppard,  politically,  is  an  old  Douglas 
Democrat — a  man  decided  in  his  views  and  fearless 
in  giving  expression  to  his  convictions.  He  has 
held  some  of  the  minor  offices  of  his  township,  and 
is  a  man  looked  up  to  in  his  community.  He  is 
able  to  tell  many  a  tale  of  pioneer  life  in  the  Prairie 
State,  and,  among  other  thrilling  incidents,  remem- 
bers well  the  winter  of  the  big  snow,  when  man 


288 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


and  beast  in  many  sections  came  very  near  the 
point  of  starvation,  and  undoubtedly  many  per- 
ished. Closely  connected  with  the  history  of  our 
subject  is  that  of  his  estimable  wife,  who  has  shared 
his  toils  and  also  his  successes  for  a  period  of 
thirty-five  years,  and  has  performed  her  full  share 
in  the  accumulation  of  the  property  and  in  estab- 
lishing the  reputation  of  the  family.  She  is  a  lady 
of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  and  deserves 
more  tlrui  a  passing  notice  among  the  pioneer  wives 
and  mothers  of  Central  Illinois. 


5W/RVIN    STEVENSON    is  a  native    of    Morgan 
County,  and   was  born   Dec.  14,   1848.     He  is 

HI  in  the  possession  of  a  good  business  education, 
acquired  at  Washington  High  School,  and  is  a 
prominent  citizen  of  his  county. 

Septimus  Stevenson,  father  of  Irvin,  was  born  in 
Scott  County,  Ky.,  and  is  an  old  settler  of  Morgan 
County.  He  married  Miss  Eveline  Hill,  of  Fayette 
County,  Ky.,  who  died  in  September,  1867.  They 
had  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  living — Fannie, 
Lottie,  May,  Thomas,  William,  Fred  and  Irvin. 
Fannie  married  James  M.  Culley,  of  Indiana,  and 
they  are  now  living  in  Morgan  County;  Mr.  Culley 
is  a  prosperous  and  intelligent  farmer.  They  have 
one  child  living,  Howard ;  Thomas  married  Alice 
Snow,  of  Fredonia,N.  Y.,  but  has  no  children;  Lot- 
tie married  George  Guthrie,  a  commercial  salesman 
of  Zanesvillc,  Ohio,  at  which  place  they  now  reside; 
William  married  Libbie  Reynolds,  of  Jacksonville, 
and  they  are  now  residing  in  Aurora,  Neb.;  they 
have  one  child,  a  babe;  May  married  C.  S.  Rsin- 
nells,  a  farmer  of  Pisgah,  Morgan  County,  111. 
They  have  no  children ;  Fred  married  Lou  Green- 
leaf,  of  Jacksonville,  111.  They  are  living  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Morgan  County. 

When  Septimus  Stevenson  came  to  Morgan 
County  there  was  little  indication  of  there  being 
such  a  transformation  in  the  character  of  the  coun- 
try as  has  occurred.  Provisions,  lumber  and  all 
other  commodities  that  were  needed  by  the  early 
settlers  were  procured  only  by  hauling  a  long  dis- 
tance, sometimes  the  trip  to  the  Mississippi  River 
consuming  ten  days.  All  the  trials  incident  to  the 


opening  up  of  a  new  country  befell  Mr.  Stevenson. 
but,  with  commendable  courage  and  perseverance, 
he  conquered  all  difficulties,  and  has  left  his  im- 
print upon  the  history  of  Morgan  County.  He  has 
a  magnificent  homestead,  all  the  land  connected 
therewith  being  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
he  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  the  inconveniences 
that  surrounded  him  in  the  pioneer  days. 

Irvin  Stevenson,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  written 
was  married,  in  1879,  to  Miss  Kate  Clark,  of  Mor- 
gan County.  Her  father  is  now  living,  but  her 
mother  is  deceased.  Three  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  only  one  of  whom  is  living,  Herbert 
Clark.  Mr.  Stevenson  owns  a  fine  farm  of  200 
acres,  and  the  buildings  thereon  are  a  credit  to  the 
place.  He  is  an  extensive  farmer,  and  also  deals  in 
cattle,  and  feeds  them  for  the  market.  In  this  part 
of  the  farming  industry  he  lias  scored  a  marked 
success,  and  is  one  of  the  many  farmers  of  this  sec- 
tion who  are  fast  becoming  rich  by  reason  of  close 
attention  to  business,  coupled  with  intelligence. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Pisgah. 

Mr.  Stevenson  has  positive  and  intelligent  con- 
victions upon  any  subject  with  which  he  is  familiar, 
which  accounts  for  his  zeal  in  advocating  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party  in  a  stalwart  man- 
ner. Though  he  has  never  sought  office,  it  wouW 
not  be  surprising  some  day  to  hear  that  the  office 
sought  him. 


«  AMES  B.  BEEKMAX  is  a  native  of  Menard 
County,  111.,  and  was  born  Jan.  2!),  1845. 
He  first  went  to  a  subscription  school,  and  in 
later  years  the  district  school.  In  1860  he 
attended  the  North  Sangamon  Academy  near  Ath- 
ens, 111.,  from  there  he  went  to  Jacksonville  and 
attended  the  Illinois  College  for  nearly  three  years, 
and  in  1861  he  studied  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Business  College  at  Chicago,  where  he  took  a  thor- 
ough course  in  book-keeping.  In  the  winter  of 
1863,  prior  to  his  attendance  at  the  last-named 
school,  he  carried  provisions  to  the  soldiers,  and 
was  also  in  the  skirmish  at  Ft.  Pickering.  After 
leaving  the  business  college  he  married  Miss  Julia 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


A.  Wood,  of  this  county,  which  ceremony  occurred 
.Ian.  12,  1865,  and  immediately  thereafter  began 
his  life  as  a  farmer.  He  is  the  father  of  two  sons 
and  two  daughters;  George  S.,  born  April  3,  1867; 
William  M.,  April  7,  1869;  Ilollie  Gertrude,  born 
Jan.  8.  1875;  she  was  killed  in  a  cyclone  May  <;. 
1880;  Mary  Lou,  born  Feb.  18,  1882. 

William  T.  Beekman,  father  of  the  one  of  whom 
this  biography  is  written,  is  a  native  of  Somerset 
County,  N.  J,,  and  was  born  Feb.  23,  1815.  lie 
lived  in  his  native  State  until  1837,  when  he  emi- 
grated to  Menard  Count}-,  111.,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade,  that  of  a  wheelwright  and  carpenter,  at 
which  occupation  he  carried  011  a  large  business. 
At  the  age  of  forty  he  commenced  railroading  on 
the  Jacksonville  and  Bloomiugton  branch  of  the 
Chicago  <fe  Alton  Railroad.  He  laid  the  iron  to 
Mason  City,  111.,  when  he  was  appointed  Superin- 
tendent of  that  road,  and  served  in  that  capac- 
ity for  eight  years.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Mary  C.  Spears,  a  native  of  Menard  County,  111. 
Her  parents  came  to  this  State  from  Green  County, 
Ky.,  in  1823,  and  located  on  a  farm.  Her  father 
is  now  living  (1889)  on  his  first  purchase  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-four  years,  her  mother  dying 
in  June,  1879.  There  were  ten  children  in  this 
family,  whose  record  is  subjoined: 

John  T.  married  Sarah  Colby  of  Menard  County; 
he  died  July  13,  1881,  leaving  two  children — Lucy 
M.  :md  Colby.  He  was  a  sergeant  in  Company  F, 
114th  Illinois  Infantry  tinder  Col.  Judy.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  Red  river  campaign  and  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg;  was  with  Grant  at  the  battle  of  Jack- 
son, Miss.,  and  his  record  covers  thirteen  battles. 
At  New  Orleans  he  had  charge  of  1,500  colored 
troops.  His  widow  now  resides  on  the  farm  owned 
by  him  in  Menard  County;  Maria  E.  married  John 
M.  Zane,  a  nephew  of  Judge  Charles  Zaue,  of 
Springfield;  he  is  a  lawyer  in  Sac  City,  Iowa,  and 
the  father  of  two  children— William  F.  and  Florence. 
George  S.  married  Jennie  Harrison;  he  is  following 
mechanical  pursuits  in  Springfield,  111.,  and  has  one 
son,  Harry.  Julia  J.  married  Richard  Pollard,  a 
commercial  salesman ;  they  reside  in  Denver,  Colo. 
Cornelius  T.  married  Lou  Kuchler,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Kuchler,  of  Kansas  City.  Mo.  He  follows  the  pro- 
fession of  book-keeping.  Mary  Anna  married  Wal- 


ter W.  Mathews,  of  Odebolt,  Iowa,  where  he  is  a 
merchant  and  Postmaster;  Sarah  H.  and  Carrie  W. 
are  single  and  live  witli  their  parents;  William  II. 
is  unmarried,  and  is  practicing  law  in  Omaha,  Neb. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  and  wife  own  a  well- 
improved  farm  of  470  acres,  and  he  is  a  successful 
breeder  of  horses,  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep.  He  rente 
a  portion  of  his  farm. 

The  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Politically,  Mr.  Beekman.is  a  sound  Republican,  and 
he  was,  perhaps,  inspired  by  the  fact  that  the  first 
political  speech  he  heard  was  delivered  by  Abraham 
Lincoln.  He  had  the  honor  of  being  Chairman  of 
the  Republican  club  of  his  precinct  during  the 
Harrison  campaign. 


EORGE  A.  HARNEY.  The  biographer  in 
his  peregrinations  over  the  country,  hunting 
after  the  most  interesting  facts  connected 
with  the  history  of  its  people,  finds  almost  invaria- 
bly that  the  men  of  prominence  and  influence  are 
those  who  have  been  the  architects  of  their  own 
fortunes — whose  early  opportunities  were  limited 
and  whose  finances,  especially,  were  only  such  as 
they  accumulated  by  their  own  industry.  These 
sentiments  are  particularly  applicable  to  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice,  who  commenced  life  at  the  foot 
of  the  ladder  as  a  farm  laborer.  Later,  he  offici- 
ated as  a  clerk  in  a  dry -goods  store,  and  then  be- 
came interested  in  railroad  matters.  This  latter 
seemed  that  to  which  he  was  well  adapted,  and  in 
which  he  has  been  successful  as  the  employe  of 
the  Jacksonville  &  Southeastern  Company  for  a 
period  of  eighteen  years,  during  which  time  he  has 
held  the  position  of  Station  Agent,  at  Franklin. 
In  addition  to  the  duties  of  this  office  he  also 
operates  largely  in  grain,  wool  and  coal.  He  owns 
one  of  the  finest  residences  in  the  village,  and  has 
a  farm  of  190  acres  which  is  operated  by  other 
parties,  but  which  is  the  source  of  a  fine  income  to 
its  owner. 

Mr.  Ilarney  is  a  native  of  this  county,  and  was 
born  June  3,  1850.  He  pursued  his  first  studies  in 
the  village  school,  and  later,  made  himself  master 
of  the  branches  which  would  enable  him  to  transact 


290 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


general  business  in  a  correct  manner.  He  is  the 
scion  of  a  good  family,  being  the  son  of  William 
II.  R.  Harney,  a  native  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  who 
came  to  Illinois  in  1829,  settled  in  this  county,  and 
for  some  years  was  occupied  in  farming  pursuits. 
Later,  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  rope  and 
twine  for  several  years,  in  the  village  of  Franklin, 
and  finally  retired  from  active  labor,  rnd  spent  his 
last  days  in  peace  and  comfort,  dying  about  1882. 

Mrs.  Mary  (Orr)  Harney,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  came  to  this 
count}'  with  her  parents  at  an  early  day.  She  died 
of  cholera  in  1851,  when  a  young  woman,  and  when 
her  son,  our  subject,  was  less  than  a  year  old.  The 
parental  household  included  eight  children,  only 
three  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Paulina  D., 
Margery,  and  George  A.,  of  our  sketch.  The 
elder  sister  is  the  wife  of  John  A.  Wright,  of  this 
county;  they  have  no  children.  Margery  married 
F.  G.  Lombard,  a  gentleman  of  French  birth  and 
parentage,  and  who  is  engaged  as  a  Collection 
Agent,  in  Waverly.  He  also  owns  a  farm,  and  they 
have  five  children,  Willie  E.,  Frank,  Joseph  15., 
Margery  and  Caroline. 

Francis  M.  went  to  New  Orleans  in  1856,  and 
joined  Walker's  nllibustcring  expedition  to  Central 
America,  where  he  was  captured  by  the  natives, 
but  escaped  in  company  with  a  friend  to  North 
Carolina.  When  lieauregard  fired  upon  Ft.  Suni- 
ter,  he  joined  the  Confederate  army  and  was  killed 
at  Gettysburg,  July  4,  1863.  His  remains  were 
buried  on  the  battle  field,  and  afterward  removed 
to  the  Confederate  cemetery  at  Richmond,  Va. 
Another  brother,  James  P.,  enlisted  in  1861,  as  a 
Union  soldier  in  Company  H,  32d  Illinois  Infantry; 
was  slightly  wounded  at  Shiloli,  and  after  the  ex- 
piration of  his  first  term  of  enlistment  veteranized 
and  went  with  Gen.  Sherman  on  the  march  to  the 
sea.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  started  home,  but 
was  taken  ill  on  the  way  and  died  at  the  general 
hospital  in  New  York  City. 

Upon  approaching  manhood  our  subject  occupied 
himself  mostly  at  clerking,  and  when  ready  to  es- 
tablish a  home  of  his  own,  was  married  March  25, 
1 874,  to  Miss  Anna  W.,  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  N. 
Tanby.  Mrs.  Harney  was  born  in  1859,  in  Mis- 
souri, and  was  deprived  of  a  mother's  care  when  a 


small  child.  Her  father  died  in  Illinois,  about 
1885.  Their  family  consisted  of  nine  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Thomas  S.,  Leonidas 
W.,  Edward  M.,  Jessie  M.,  Darian  E.,  Mary  B., 
Ella  J.  and  Emma.  Darian  and  Thomas  are  em- 
ployed as  teachers  in  the  schools  at  Franklin; 
Thomas  S.  is  a  physician  and  surgeon  for  the  Wa- 
bash  Railroad,  and  makes  his  home  in  Kinderliook; 
Leonidas  is  also  a  practicing  physician  of  Missouri. 
Only  one  of  the  two  children  born  to  our  sub- 
ject and  his  wife  is  living,  a  son,  Glenn  W.,  who 
was  born  July  11,  1881.  The  other  son,  Harry  C., 
died  in  1880,  when  two  years  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
II.  are  devout  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Mr.  H.  has  been  identified  with  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity for  many  years,  and  tins  held  most  of  the 
offices  of  his  lodge,  being  at  present  Senior  Warden. 
He  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  Greeley, 
and  thereafter,  until  the  late  (  1888)  Presidential 
election,  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party.  As 
he  is  in  favor  of  protection,  he  cast  his  last  vote 
for  Gen.  Harrison.  As  a  man  and  a  citizen,  Mr. 
JIarney  holds  a  position  in  the  front  rank.  He  is 
courteous  and  gentlemanly,  and  at  once  impresses 
those  who  meet  him,  as  possessing  those  qualities 
of  character  naturally  belonging  to  the  gentleman 
born  and  bred.  lie  has  accumulated  his  property 
solely  by  his  own  exertions,  and  while  lie  looks 
with  contempt  upon  the  idler  and  the  drone  in 
community,  no  man  is  more  willing  to  extend  a 
helping  hand  to  those  who  try  to  help  themselves. 


R.  PHILLIPS  is  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  township  16, 
range  10,  and  is  especially  noted  far  and 
wide  as  a  breeder  of  fine  Percheron  horses. 
He  has  a  large  farm  on  section  35,  that  in  respect 
of  cultivation  and  improvement  is  conceded  to  be 
one  of  the  most  valuable  as  well  as  one  of  the 
most  desirable  estates  in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  Phillips 
represents  well-known  pioneer  families  of  Morgan 
County,  who  were  among  its  early  settlers.  lie 
was  reared  here  in  those  primitive  times,  and  has 
a  distinct  recollection  of  the  country  when  its 
broad,  rolling  prairies  scarcely  knew  cultivation, 


r 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


291 


and  the  fine  olil  primeval  forest  trees  along  the 
water  courses  had  been  but  little  disturbed  by  the  ax 
of  the  bold  frontiersmen  of  fifty  or  more  years  ago. 
From  this  beautiful  region,  which  but  a  short  time 
before  had  been  the  home  of  the  Indian,  bears, 
wolves,  deer,  wild  turkeys,  and  other  wild  game 
had  not  yet  fled  before  the  advancing  steps  of  civ- 
ilization. In  the  great  changes  that  the  years  have 
wrought  since  then  our  subject  has  played  an  im- 
portant part,  and  he  is  now  numbered  among  the 
wealthy  and  substantial  agriculturists  that  are  the 
mainstay  of  the  prosperity  and  high  standing  of 
the  county. 

Our 'subject  comes  of  good  New  Jersey  stock, 
Ids  grandfather,  Titus,  and  his  father,  Spencer 
Phillips,  having  been  born  and  bred  in  that  State. 
It  is  thought  that  all  of  the  grandfather's  children 
were  born  in  that  State,  and  in  1816  he  moved 
from  there  to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  with  his 
family,  and  thus  became  a  pioneer  of  that  part  of 
the  country,  lie  remained  there  until  1831,  and 
then  disposing  of  his  property  he  once  more  became 
a  pioneer,  removing  still  further  westward  and  in 
the  spring  of  1832  he  located  with  his  family  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  our  subject;  the  parents  and 
maternal  grandparents  of  the  latter  coming  here  at 
the  same  time.  His  grandmother  Phillips  died  a 
few  years  later,  and  the  grandfather  died,  perhaps 
fifteen  years  after  their  settlement  here. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  among  the  younger 
ones  ot  his  parents'  family,  and  was  born  May  8, 
1 800,  and  was  a  lad  of  sixteen  when  his  parents  emi- 
grated to  Ohio.  In  that  State  he  was  reared  to  a 
vigorous  manhood,  and  was  there  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Hannah  Robison,  a  native  of  New 
York,  who  had  accompanied  her  parents  to  the 
Buckeye  State  in  its  pioneer  days.  After  coming 
to  Illinois  lie  bought  160  acres  of  wild  laud  jointly 
with  his  father,  the  old  homestead  now  being  in- 
cluded in  the  farm  owned  by  our  subject.  In  the 
comfortable  home  that  was  builded  up  by  their 
united  labors  the  parents  passed  their  remaining 
duys,  enjoying  the  respect  and  regard  of  their 
neighbors,  among  whom  they  numbered  many  warm 
friends,  and  when  they  were  gathered  to  their 
fathers  leaving  to  their  descendants,  by  whom 
their  memory  is  held  in  reverence,  the  precious 


legacy  of  lives  spent  in  well-doing  and  guided  by 
the  highest  Christian  principles.  The  mother  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  but  the 
father  never  identified  himself  with  any  Church, 
although  he  was  converted  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
and  ever  after  led  a  true  and  Christian  life,  dying 
firm  in  the  faith.  In  his  politics,  he  was  a  good 
Democrat.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  four- 
teen children,  ten  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  as 
follows:  Wilson,  Allen,  Francina,  Elizabeth,  John 
R.,  Sarah,  Titus,  Robison,  William,  Martha  E..  and 
of  these  five  survive. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Ohio, 
Oct.  15,  1830,  and  as  we  have  seen  was  reared  on 
the  farm  where  he  still  makes  his  home,  having 
been  a  mere  infant  when  his  parents  brought  him 
here.  In  the  years  that  have  passed  since  he  at- 
tained man's  estate  his  energetic  and  persistent 
toil  have  brought  him  due  reward  in  the  handsome 
property  that  he  has  accumulated.  His  farm  com- 
prises 480  acres  of  choice  farming  land,  well 
fenced,  and  provided  with  an  excellent  set  of  well- 
appointed  buildings  and  with  an  ample  supply  of 
modern  machinery  for  various  agricultural  pur- 
poses. During  the  last  few  years  he  has  made  a 
speciality  of  rearing  Perclieron  horses  of  fine  breed, 
and  he  has  some  fine  blooded  horses  of  that  blood, 
among  which  we  ma}'  mention,  Arthur,  registered 
No.  5,546;  and  Frank,  registered  No.  6,520,  a  fine 
gray,  imported  from  France,  foaled  April  25,  1885, 
and  brought  to  this  country  by  M.  W.  Dunham  in 
1886. 

In  the  month  of  May  1868  Mr.  Phillips  and  Miss 
Margaret  E.  Berry  were  united  in  the  holy  bonds 
of  matrimony,  and  in  their  pleasant  home  five  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  wedded  life,  all  of  whom 
are  members  of  the  household  yet,  as  follows — 
William  II.,  Spencer  L.,  Charles  E.,John  II.,  David 
E.  Mrs.  Phillips  is  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Margaret  (Sharp)  Berry  of  this  township.  She  is 
in  every  respect  all  that  a  true  wife  and  devoted 
mother  can  be,  and  all  who  come  under  her  influ- 
ence hold  her  in  high  estimation.  In  her  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  finds  one  of  its  most  valued 
members. 

During  the  many  years  that  Mr.  Phillips  has 
lived  in  this  county  as  a  boy  and  man  he  has  made 


292 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


an  extensive  acquaintance,  and  ail  who  come  in 
contact  with  him  either  in  a  business  or  social  way 
unite  in  testifying  to  his  integrity  of  purpose  and 
never  failing  honesty  in  action.  In  all  the  years 
of  his  manhood  he  has  walked  the  undeviating 
path  of  honor,  justice  and  right,  and  is  looked  up 
to  with  respect  by  all  in  the  community.  He 
is  one  of  the  influential  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  always  actively  cooperates  with  his 
pastor  and  fellow-members  in  all  its  good  work. 
He  may  be  said  to  have  inherited  his  political 
beliefs  from  his  Democratic  ancestry,  and  ever 
stands  firmly  by  his  party  in  success  or  defeat. 


¥ 


OL.  WILLIAM  J.  WYATT,  a  veteran  of 
two  wars  and  the  hero  of  many  a  thrilling 
event,  is  one  of  those  rare  characters  which 
we  meet  here  and  there,  and  whose  history  is  filled 
in  with  experiences  which  if  collected  and  properly 
illustrated  would  fill  a  good  sized  volume.  He  is 
a  self-made  man  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  term, 
one  whose  early  life  was  bare  of  opportunities,  but 
who,  by  the  very  force  of  his  will  and  his  am- 
bition, has  made  for  himself  a  name  and  a  position 
among  men.  After  the  close  of  the  late  Civil  War 
he  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  im- 
proved a  good  farm  in  this  county  and  accumu- 
lated a  competency.  This  farm,  240  acres  in  ex- 
tent, he  still  owns,  but  in  188.0  rented  it  to  other 
parties  and  wisely  retired  from  active  labor.  Al- 
though his  experiences  have  been  great  and  many, 
he  is  not  by  any  means  aged,  having  been  born 
Oct.  28,  1825.  lie  is  a  native  of  this  county,  his 
boyhood  home  having  been  at  his  father's  home- 
stead in  township  15,  range  10. 

It  may  be  well  before  proceeding  further  to 
glnnce  at  the  parental  history  of  the  Colonel,  whose 
father,  John  Wyatt,  was  a  native  of  Culpeper 
County,  Va.,  and  was  born  in  1796.  He  lived  there 
until  attaining  his  majority,  then  moved  to  Ken- 
tucky and  married  Miss  Rebecca  Wyatt,  who,  al- 
though bearing  his  own  name,  was  no  relative. 
They  sojourned  in  the  Blue  Grass  regions  a  few 
years,  and  until  after  the  birth  of  one  child,  then 
removed  to  Madison  County,  this  State.  Here  John 


Wyatt  purchased  a  farm,  and  in  due  time  became  a 
stock-dealer  of  no  small  proportions.  In  1821  he 
again  changed  his  residence,  this  time  coining  to 
this  county,  and  purchased  a  farm  five  miles  south- 
east of  Jacksonville.  He  lived  there  until  1839, 
then  abandoning  the  active  labors  of  life,  retired 
to  Franklin  Village  where  he  spent  his  last  years, 
passing  away  in  1849. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  man  of  much 
force  of  character,  and  made  his  influence  sensibly 
felt  in  his  community.  Besides  occupying  other 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility,  he  served  in 
the  Illinois  Legislature  two  terms  when  the  capital 
was  at  Vandalia,  and  was  a  Lieutenant  in  Capt. 
Samuel  Mathews'  company  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War.  The  parental  household  was  completed  by 
the  birth  of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased witli  the  exception  of  the  youngest  daughter 
and  our  subject.  The  first  mentioned,  Sarah,  was 
first  married  to  Shelby  M.  Burch  who  died,  and  by 
whom  she  became  the  mother  of  two  children;  she 
is  now  the  wife  of  Francis  M.  .Scott  of  Kentucky 
who  is  now  a  retired  farmer,  making  his  home  in 
Franklin.  Mrs.  Scott  is  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  George,  Henry,  Elizabeth,  Mattie 
and  Sarah. 

George  Scott  married  Miss  Mattie  Easley  of  San- 
gamon  County  and  is  farming  in  the  vicinity  of 
Franklin,  this  county;  Henry  also  married  a  Miss 
Easley;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  William  Eador; 
Sarah  Wyatt  is  the  wife  of  William  Dodsworth. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burch  there  were  born  two  chil- 
dren— John  B.  and  Mary  Ann.  The  son  married 
Miss  Helen  llice  of  this  county,  is  a  farmer  and  has 
one  son,  Fred;  Mary  Ann  is  the  wife  of  Harry  C. 
Woods,  a  farmer  of  this  county,  and  they  have  a 
son,  J.  W. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  while  a  resident  of 
Morgan  County  was  married,  Sept.  28,  1848,  to  Mrs. 
Eliza  A.  (Kellar)  Williams;  this  lady  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  Kellar  of  Pennsylvania,  who  with 
his  wife  died  when  Eliza  was  a  child,  and  upon 
reaching  womanhood  was  first  married  to  David 
Williams,  by  whom  she  became  the  mother  of  two 
children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  John  C'.,  married 
Miss  Jennie  Farrell  of  this  county  and  is  the  pres- 
ent County  Clerk,  living  in  Jacksonville.  The 


I 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


293 


daughter,  Ellen,  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  P.  McCul- 
lough.  Deputy  County  Clerk. 

To  the  Colonel  and  his  wife  there  have  been  born 
three  children.  The  daughter.  Mary  A.,  is  un- 
married and  remains  at  home  with  her  parents; 
.lames  W.  died  June  10,  1861:  George  II.,  was  first 
married  to  Miss  Molly  Dodds,  of  Saugamon 
County,  and  who  is  now  deceased.  The  second 
wife  was  Miss  Nellie  Lambert  of  New  York 
State.  They  live  on  a  farm  near  Franklin,  and 
have  two  children — Mary  L.  and  George  W. 

Col.  Wyatt  received  a  very  good  education,  and 
this  with  his  natural  ambition  and  qualities  of  reso- 
lution ami  perseverance  comprised  the  capital  witli 
which  he  started  out  in  life.  When  about  twenty 
years  of  age  he  was  called  out  with  others  to  sup- 
press the  Mormons  in  Hancock  Count}',  this  State, 
and  spent  the  fall  and  winter  there,  returning  home 
on  the  14th  of  March.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
been  made  First  Lieutenant.  In  June,  184fi,  he 
enlisted  to  go  to  Mexico  as  Captain  of  Company 
G,  1st  Illinois  Infantry,  the  regiment  being  under 
the  command  of  Col.  John  J.  llardin.  They  were 
out  twelve  months,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time 
our  subject  received  his  honorable  discharge,  June 
17,  1 847,  at  Camnargo,  Mexico.  He  still  has  the 
muster-out  roll  of  his  company  in  his  possession, 
and  he  as  well  as  his  friends  occasionally  derive 
much  satisfaction  in  re-examining  the  old  relic. 

After  his  return  from  Mexico,  Col.  Wyatt  en- 
gaged in  farming,  and  as  a  stock-dealer  in  town- 
ship 14,  range  9,  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War.  In  due  time  he  was  appointed  by  IJov. 
Yates  of  Illinois,  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  10 lit 
Illinois  Infantry.  The  regiment  was  mustered  into 
service  at  Jacksonville,  Sept.  2,  1862,  and  soon 
thereafter  reported  for  duty  at  Cairo.  Thence 
they  repaired  to  Davis  Mills,  Miss.,  where  they 
joined  the  forces  of  Gen.  Grant,  and  after  passing 
Lumpkins  Mills  were  sent  back  to  Holly  Springs, 
Miss.,  Dec.  1,  1862,  for  post  duty.  On  the  2()th 
of  December  following  a  part  of  the  regiment  was 
captured  by  the  Rebel  Gens.  VanDorn  and  Jackson, 
and  was  sent  to  Benton  Barracks  near  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  for  exchange. 

In  the  meantime  Col.  Wyatt.  together  with  his 
soldiers  had  been  subjected  to  great  hardships  on 


account  of  which  his  health  was  undermined,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  accept  his  honorable  discharge 
April  13,  1863,  receiving  from  the  army  surgeon  a 
certificate  of  physical  disability.  lie  then  returned 
to  this  county  and  resumed  the  peaceful  occupa- 
tions of  civil  life,  confining  himself  to  the  oper- 
ations of  his  farm.  He  cast  his  first  Presidential 
vote  for  Taylor,  and  since  that  time  has  been  true 
to  the  Democratic  principles.  lie  has  exercised  no 
small  influence  among  the  councils  of  his  party  in 
this  section,  and  indeed  he  is  a  man  who,  wherever 
he  has  been,  has  left  his  mark.  While  not  particu- 
larly aggressive,  he  is  still  fearless  in  the  defense 
and  the  expression  of  his  principles,  and  is  one 
whose  opinions  are  involuntarily  looked  up  to  and 
respected.  He  has  served  on  the  Grand  and  Petit 
juries,  and  is  a  man  generally  well  read  and  well 
informed,  and  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  in  good  standing 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  thev 
contribute  a  liberal  support.  Their  daughter,  how- 
ever, is  an  Episcopalian  in  religious  belief.  The 
family  residence  in  Franklin  is  a  neat  and  comfort- 
able structure,  and  within  its  hospitable  doors  are 
often  gathered  the  best  elements  of  the  communitv 
representing  its  culture  and  refinement,  and  the 
Colonel  and  his  family  occupy  a  lcadin»  position 
therein. 

^  OOP   . 

-   ooo  - 

ACOB  W.  STRAWN  is  a  young  man  whose 
clear,  well-balanced  intellect,  and  practical 
knowledge  of  farming  in  all  its  branches, 
with  his  ability  to  do  well  whatsoever  he 
undertakes,  have  already  gained  him  a  high  place 
among  the  substantial  members  of  his  calling  in 
Morgan  County,  and  give  promise  of  a  bright 
future.  He  has  an  excellently  improved  farm  of 
120  acres  on  section  31,  township  16,  range  9,  in 
one  of  the  richest  agricultural  regions  in  this 
part  of  the  county,  all  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation and  capable  of  producing'  large  crops.  It 
is  fenced,  and  everything  about  the  place  is  neat 
and  orderly,  denoting  system  and  industry  on  the 
part  of  the  owner.  He  has  recently  erected  a  hand- 
some, commodious  frame  house,  and  has  a  substan- 
tial set  of  farm  buildings  to  correspond.  lie  has 


294 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


his  farm  well  stocked  with  cattle,  horses,  and  hogs 
of  good  breeds,  as  he  carries  on  general  farming. 

Mr.  Strawn  is  a  son  of  Isaiah  Strawn,  a  pioneer  of 
the  county  (of  whom  see  sketch  on  another  page 
of  this  volume),  and  he  was  born  and  reared  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  makes  his  home.  He  was  given 
a  liberal  education,  and  after  leaving  the  local 
school  was  sent  to  Jacksonville  to  pursue  his  stud- 
ies in  the  business  college.  He  was  a  close  student 
and  stood  high  in  his  classes  and  left  college  with 
honor  to  himself  and  credit  to  the  institution.  He 
wisely  concluded  that  a  good  business  education 
would  profit  him  as  much  in  agriculture  as  in  any 
other  vocation,  and  having  a  natural  taste  for  that 
calling  he  adopted  it,  and  is  pursuing  it  with  the 
success  before  remarked. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Jennie, 
daughter  of  Richard  Lambert,  of  Jacksonville,  was 
consummated  May  22,  1877.  Into  their  pleasant 
home  six  children  have  been  born  to  them,  four  of 
whom  are  living,  as  follows:  Josiah  died  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  months;  Jacob,  Julius,  Elizabeth,  Lam- 
bert (deceased),  and  Harry.  The  pleasant,  roomy 
home  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  is  tastefully  fitted 
up,  and  is  rendered  attractive  to  their  many  friends 
by  the  open-hearted  hospitality  so  cordially  ex- 
tended by  the  amiable  hostess  and  genial  host. 

Mr.  Strawn  stands  well  in  the  estimation  of  tho 
people  among  whom  he  has  always  lived,  and  who 
have  watched  his  career  with  friendly  interest.  He 
is  gifted  with  foresight,  firmness  and  tact  in  a  large 
degree;  his  life  is  guided  by  principles  of  truth  and 
honesty,  and  he  is  an  honor  to  the  citizenship  of 
his  native  township. 


R.  LOUISA.  MALONE,  junior  member  of 
the  well-known  medical  firm  of  Pitner  & 
Malono,  enjoys  with  his  partner  a  fine  prac- 
tice in  Jacksonville  and  vicinity.  He  is  a 
young  man  a  little  over  thirty  years  of  age,  having 
been  born  May  14,  1858.  Harrodsburg,  Monroe 
Co.,  Ind.,  was  his  native  place,  and  his  parents  were 
Dr.  David  R.  and  Julia  C.  (Yerkes)  Malone,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Owensville,  111.,  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. Dr.  Malone,  Sr.,  was  a  highly  educated  gen- 


tleman, a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  and  of  the 
Medical  College  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He  com- 
menced practice  when  a  young  man  in  his  native 
State,  and  came  to  Jacksonville  in  1863.  He  only 
followed  his  profession  four  years  in  this  county,  re- 
turning to  Indiana  in  18C7,  and  locating  at  Edens- 
burg,  where  his  death  took  place  in  1883.  The 
mother  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
son  in  Jacksonville. 

Dr.  Malone  is  the  descendant  of  Irish  ancestry  on 
the  father's  side,  and  on  the  mother's  of  good  old 
Holland  stock,  which  crossed  the  Atlantic  probably 
during  the  Colonial  daj's,  and  settled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. To  his  parents  there  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, four  living,  namely:  Mrs.  Alice  Morrison,  of 
Iowa;  Mrs.  Emma  McCurdy,  of  Indiana;  Mrs. 
Mary  Crum,  of  Cass  County,  this  State,  and  Dr. 
Louis  A. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Hunter)  Malone,  natives  of 
Kentucky,  where  they  were  reared  and  married. 
They  left  the  Blue  Grass  region,  soon  afterward 
locating  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Owensville,  (Jibson 
Co.,  Ind.,  where  grandfather  Malone  entered  1(!0 
acres  of  land  from  the  Government.  There  he  re- 
mained sis  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  with  his  excellent 
wife  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  On  the  ma- 
ternal side,  the  grandparents  of  our  subject  were 
Jacob  P.  and  Huldah  (Skinner)  Yerkes,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  former  a  farmer  and  carpen- 
ter combined.  When  leaving  the  Keystone  .State, 
they  settled  near  Evansville,  Ind.,  and  the  grand- 
father Yerkes  lived  only  a  short  time  thereafter. 
There  was  a  large  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
six  are  living,  including  the  mother  of  our  subject. 
She  was  the  eighth  child.  Mrs.  Malone  is  a  ladj'of 
much  culture  and  refinement,  and  a  member  in 
good  standing  of  the  Christian  Church. 

The  younger  days  of  Dr.  Malone  were  spent 
mostly  in  the  common  schools  until  he  had  reached 
his  eighteenth  year.  He  had  in  the  meantime 
improved  his  opportunities,  and  now  commenced 
teaching  in  Morgan  County.  Later  he  entered  the 
Jacksonville  High  School,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1877.  lie  now  supplemented  his  educa- 
tion by  a  three  years  course  of  study  nt  IJethany 
College  in  West  Virginia,  and  upon  returning,  re- 


„• 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


297 


sumed  teaching  in  this  county  and  Cass,  being  thus 
occupied  three  years.  In  the  meantime  he  im- 
proved his  leisure  hours  reading  medicine  and  by 
this  means  prepared  himself  to  enter  the  Chicago 
Medical  College,  and  was  also  graduated  from  this 
institution.  Later  he  was  installed  as  physician  and 
surgeon  of  the  Chicago  Orphan  Asylum  during  the 
three  months  absence  of  Dr.  M.  P.  Hatfield. 

Dr.  Malone  now  returned  to  Jacksonville,  and 
engaged  in  regular  practice  until  1887.  During 
that  year  he  spent  three  months  in  the  New  York 
City  hospitals  and  Post-graduate  schools  on  special 
work.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Morgan  County 
Medical  Society,  the  Jacksonville  Medical  Club,  and 
the  American  Medical  Association.  Politically,  he 
is  strongly  Republican,  socially  belongs  to  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  in  religious  matters  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  Church.  He  associated  himself  with  Dr. 
Pitner  in  the  summer  of  1885.  They  form  one  of 
the  leading  firms  in  their  profession  in  this  county. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  L.  A.  Malone  and  Miss 
Charlotte  Martin,  of  Newark,  New  Jersey,  was  cele- 
brated at  the  home  of  the  bride  in  Newark,  Jan.  3, 
1888.  Mrs.  Malone  was  born  on  the  1st  of  April, 
1864,  in  Newark,  and  received  a  good  education, 
having  graduated  from  the  High  School  at  Newark. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  C.  and  Sarah  C. 
(Colie)  Martin,  who  were  natives  respectively  of 
Massachusetts  and  New  Jersey,  and  who  now  reside 
in  New  Jersey.  Mrs.  Malone  is  a  ver3' pleasant  and 
intelligent  lady,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church.  They  have  a  pleasant  home  on  College 
Avenue,  and  enjoy  the  friendship  of  a  circle  of 
cultivated  people. 


f/         I).  GRAHAM,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of 

M  section  8,  township  16,  range  12,  is  a  veter- 
an of  eighty- three  years,  having  been  born 
Oct.  2,  1806,  in  Sussex  County,  Md.  His  parents 
were  George  and  Henrietta  (Willis)  Graham,  the 
father  supposed  to  have  been  a  native  of  Ireland, 
and  the  mother  of  England.  When  about  eight 
years  old  the  parents,  leaving  Maryland,  emigrated 
to  Ross  County,  Ohio,  where  the  subject  of  this 
notice  was  reared  to  man's  estate. 


In  Ohio,  Mr.  Graham  was  first  married,  Oct.  25, 
1827,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Newman,  by  whom  he  be- 
came the  father  of  seven  children.  Three  of  these 
are  living ;  namely  :  George  W.,  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
of  M.  F.  Andre;  and  Mattie,  the  wife  of  H.  F. 
Hysinger,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  mother  of  the  these 
children  died  Dec.  18,  1871.  Mr.  Graham  con- 
tracted a  second  marriage,  April  17,  1873,  with 
Mrs.  Caroline  Looman  and  of  this  union  there  were 
born  three  children — Benjamin  F.,  Matilda  and 
Lorenzo  C. 

In  1829,  Mr.  Graham,  leaving  the  Buckeye  State, 
came  to  this  county  and  located  on  land  near  the 
present  site  of  Jacksonville.  In  1831,  he  settled 
upon  his  present  farm,  which  was  then  a  wild  and 
uncultivated  prairie.  He  first  purchased  forty 
acres  from  the  Government,  and  the  story  of  the  few 
years  which  followed,  is  similar  to  that  of  other 
men,  who  made  their  way  to  the  frontier  and  nerved 
themselves  to  endure  its  hardships  and  privations. 
We,  of  this  generation,  surrounded  by  the  com- 
forts of  life,  scarcely  realize  the  struggles  our 
ancestors  were  compelled  to  make  in  order  to  leave 
us  this  goodly  inheritance.  The  first  dwelling  of 
Mr.  Graham  in  this  county  was  a  round  log-house, 
with  a  clapboard  roof  and  a  puncheon  floor — 
although  for  a  time  the  only  floor  was  simply  the 
mother  earth.  Their  present  fine  residence  was 
erected  in  about  the  year  1855  or  1856.  During 
the  early  days  of  his  settlement  in  this  county,  deer 
and  all  kinds  of  game  were  plentiful,  together  with 
wolves  and  other  wild  animals.  Mr.  Graham  was 
prosperous  in  his  labors  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and 
gradually  purchased  additional  land.  Of  this  he 
has  given  liberally  to  his  children,  and  he  is  yet 
the  owner  of  nearly  400  acres.  This  property  has 
been  accumulated  by  his  own  industry  and  skillful 
management,  as  he  commenced  in  life  as  a  poor 
boy,  with  nothing  to  depend  upon  but  his  own 
resources.  He  had  a  limited  education,  but  his 
habits  of  thought,  reading  and  observation  have 
resulted  in  his  becoming  more  than  ordinarily  well 
informed.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views, 
but  has  meddled  very  little  in  public  affairs,  other- 
wise than  serving  as  a  School  Director  in  his  Dis- 
trict. The  first  school  organized  in  his  neighbor- 
hood was  conducted  in  a  cooper-shop,  without  a 


•*• 


298 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


floor,  and  lighted  largely  through  the  cracks  be- 
tween the  boards.  It  was  taught  by  John  Priest. 
Mr.  Graham  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
Andrew  Jackson.  He  is  the  only  man  who  has  the 
original  patent  for  land  entered  in  the  western 
portion  of  the  county,  and  which  has  not  been 
transferred  from  the  original  entry,  he  still  hold- 
ing the  original  claim. 

A  fine  portrait  of  Mr.  Graham  is  shown  on  an- 
other page  of  this  volume,  and  is  a  valuable  addi- 
tion to  a  volume  which  contains  many  portraits  of 
old  settlers,  among  whom  he  is  regarded  with  affec- 
tionate interest. 


AMUEL  CROWTEIER  is  a  thrifty  and  in- 
telligent farmer,  living  on  sections  1  and 
2,  township  16,  range  11,  where  he  owns  a 
good  farm  of  140  acres.  When  he  came 
here  the  place  which  he  now  occupies  was  heavily 
wooded,  and  by  hard  work  he  has  succeeded  in 
making  a  model  farm.  Those  .who  have  opened 
farms  on  the  prairie,  have  but  little  conception  of 
the  labor  that  is  attached  to  the  clearing  up  of  tim- 
ber land.  On  the  prairie  farm  the  first  improve- 
ments are  easily  made  by  breaking  the  land,  but  in 
the  timber  the  trees  must  all  be  taken  out  by  the 
roots,  and  here  the  labor  is. 

Mr.  Crowther  is  a  native  of  Lancastershire,  En- 
gland, and  was  born  in  Oldom,  March  23,  1 833. 
His  father,  James  B.  Crowthers,  was  also  a  native 
of  Olilom.  nn<l  by  tnide  was  a  hatter,  an  occupation 
that  lie  followed  in  England,  and  for  some  years  after 
reaching  the  United  Mates.  His  father  was  mar- 
ried in  his  native  town,  to  Charlotte  Tyson,  who 
was  also  a  native  of  the  same  place.  After  their 
marriage,  the  parents  of  Samuel,  lived  in  their  na- 
tive town  until  the  births  of  most  of  the  family,  five 
of  whom  came  to  America.  On  March  1C,  1842. 
they  sailed  from  Liverpool  on  the  ship  "Sheridan," 
and  were  one  month  making  the  voyage,  landing  in 
New  York,  April  16.  The  family  lived  in  New 
York  City  for  five  years,  the  father  meanwhile  work- 
ing at  the  furrier  business.  From  New  York  they 
proceeded  to  Danbury,  Conn.,  where  they  remained 
three  years.  The3r  later  returned  to  Brooklyn, 


N.  Y..  residing  there  for  five  years,  where  the  elder 
Crowthers  was  occupied  at  his  trade,  that  of  a  hat- 
ter, and  in  the  meantime,  Samuel  became  quite  profi- 
cient in  making  hats.  Life  in  a  city  becoming  irk- 
some, tlie  father  concluded  that  he  would  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  West,  and  accordingly  in  1854.  he 
proceeded  to  Morgan  County,  where  his  son,  of 
whom  we  write  had  come  the  previous  year.  The 
parents  resided  here  until  their  death,  the  father 
dying  at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  while  the  mother 
reached  seventy-three  years.  These  people  had  an 
excellent  reputation  in  this  county. 

Samuel  C.  came  to  Morgan  County  without  any 
money  or  friends.  He  was  obliged  to  walk  a  part 
of  the  way  from. Chicago  to  Jacksonville,  because 
he  had  no  money  with  which  to  pay  for  a  ride,  he 
having  the  misfortune  to  lose  part  of  his  money 
while  on  his  way  from  the  East.  But  he  overcame 
all  obstacles,  and  aided  by  his  good  wife,  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  making  a  good  home.  His  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Nancy  Ater,  who  was  a  native  of  Mor- 
gan County,  and  a  daughter  of  Bossel  and  Nancy 
(Thompson)  Ater,  both  of  whom  are  deceased,  her 
father  being  a  man  quite  old  when  he  died.  Her 
mother  died  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ater,  came  here  from  Ohio, 
and  were  pioneers  in  this  county.  Mrs.  Nancy 
Crowther  died  at  her  home,  in  May,  1879.  She 
was  then  about  forty-five  years  old,  and  was  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased. Catherine  was  fatally  burned  by  her  clothes 
catching  fire  when  she  was  seven  years  old ;  Mary 
J.  died  in  infancy;  Edwin  died  of  diphtheria  at  the 
age  of  six  years,  The  others  are:  Elizabeth  A., 
wife  of  Henry  A.  Bridgeman,  who  is  a  groceiyman 
at  Arenzville,  111.;  Hattie  married  T.  B.  Hogan,  a 
farmer  of  this  county ;  Nettie,  now  deceased,  was 
the  wife  of  William  Webb;  Laura  A.  is  unmarried. 

Mr.  Crowther  took  for  his  second  wife,  Mrs. 
Clack  nee  Morrison.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Ilige  and  Elizabeth  (De- 
fi'ease)  Morrison.  Her  father  died  in  Kentucky 
while  her  mother  and  the  rest  of  the  family  came  to 
Cass  County,  in  1862.  Her  mother  spent  her  last 
days  in  Cass  and  Morgan  counties,  dying  at  about 
four-score  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Crowther  married 
her  first  husband  in  Kentucky,  leaving  no  children. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


299 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crowther  are  active  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  Mr. 
Crowther  is  Steward;  he  has  been  Class-Leader  and 
Sunday-school  Superintendent.  Mr.  Crowther  is  a 
Prohibitionist,  and  an  ardent  advocate  of  temper- 
ance. 


UGUST  H.  SCHWIEGER.  The  enterpris- 
ing German  citizen  is  to  be  found  all  over 
the  West,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  United 
States,  pushing  his  way  to  the  front,  and 
almost  without  exception,  industrious  and  well-to- 
do.  His  descendants  have  lost  nothing  by  being 
American-born,  and  have  united  with  the  traits  of 
their  substantial  ancestry,  the  adventurous  and 
progressive  qualities  distinguishing  the  people  of  a 
country  which  leads  the  world,  and  we  find  among 
them  some  of  our  most  reliable  and  responsible  citi- 
zens. They  have  contributed  their  full  share  to  the 
development  of  the  rich  resources  of  Illinois,  and  in 
Morgan  County  have  particularly  illustrated  their 
worth  in  all  the  walks  of  life. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  Frederick 
and  Louisa  (Muller)  Schwieger,  who  were  natives 
of  Germany,  and  who  emigrated  to  America  in 
1853.  They  settled  in  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  where 
the  father  died  two  years  later,  in  1855.  In  the 
meantime  August  H.,  our  subject,  had  been  born  in 
the  city  of  Buffalo,  Dec.  2. 1853.  His  mother  after 
the  death  of  her  husband,  was  married  to  Mr.  Henry 
1'russ.  When  our  subject  was  a  boy  thirteen  years, 
leaving  the  vicinity  of  Buffalo,  where  he  had  spent 
his  earlj-  life,  he  went  with  his  mother  and  step- 
father to  Muscatine  County,  Iowa.  They  took  up 
a  tract  of  land  from  which  they  constructed  a  good 
homestead.  The  mother  is  still  living  in  Carroll 
County.  Iowa. 

After  a  sojourn  of  eight  years  in  the  Ilawkeye 
State,  Mr.  Schwieger  recrossed  the  Father  of  waters, 
and  coming  to  this  county,  was  thereafter  employed 
as  a  farm  laborer  by  the  month  for  five  or  six  years. 
With  genuine  German  prudence  and  forethought, 
he  had  saved  what  he  could  of  his  earnings,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1882,  purchased  160  acres  of  land  in 
township  14,  range  10.  that  which  constitutes  his 
present  homestead.  Since  that  time  he  has  given 


his  close  attention  to  the  improvement  of  his  prop- 
ertjf,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  He  has  erected 
a  good  house  with  a  barn,  and  the  other  necessary 
structures,  and  has  established  a  most  pleasant 
home.  He  operates  considerably  as  a  stock-dealer, 
and  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  comfortable  income. 
While  a  resident  of  Illinois,  Mr.  Schwieger  was 
married  at  Springfield,  Jan.  2,  1879,  to  Mrs.  Sophia 
Wahl.  This  lady  was  born  in  Germany,  about 
1840,  and  came  to  America  with  her  husband,  Mr. 
Wahl,  when  twenty-four  years  old.  At  the  time  of 
her  marriage  to  Mr.  Schwieger,  she  was  the  widow 
of  John  L.  Wahl.  Both  she  and  her  husband  are 
members  in  good  standing  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  Schwieger,  politically,  is  a  supporter  of  Dem- 
ocratic principles,  but  as  may  be  readily  understood, 
has  very  Hi  tie  time  to  give  to  public  matters.  He 
is  a  man  prompt  to  meet  his  obligations,  and  occu- 
pies a  good  position  socially  and  financially  in  his 
community. 


OHN  H.  RUSSW1NKEL.  The  American- 
i  born  citizens  of  German  ancestry  represent 
!  some  of  the  best  elements  in  the  agricultural 
*KgJ//  districts,  being  almost  without  exception, 
thrifty,  industrious,  honest,  well-to-do,  and  thor- 
oughly reliable.  They  have  been  willing  to  make 
sacrifices,  and  endure  hardships  and  privations  for 
the  sake  of  future  good,  and  this  course  in  due 
time  invariably  brings  its  reward.  The  subject  of 
this  notice,  a  son  of  one  of  the  German  pioneers  of 
this  county,  was  born  Feb.  5,  1858.  was  reared  to 
habits  of  industry  and  economy,  and  is  now  com- 
fortably established  ou  a  good  farm  of  his  own, 
comprising  eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  19, 
township  16,  range  12. 

On  another  page  in  this  volume  will  be  found  a 
sketch  of  the  brother  of  our  subject,  George  H. 
Russwinkel,  and  mention  of  the  parents,  John  H., 
Sr.,  and  Ellen  Russwinkel,  who  are  both  natives  of 
Germany,  and  the  former  of  whom  emigrated  to 
America  probably  some  time  in  the  fifties.  He 
first  occupied  himself  as  a  farm  laborer,  then  oper- 
ated on  rented  land,  and  finally  purchased  a  farm 
ou  section  16,  township  16,  range  12.  where  IK- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


built  up  a  good  homestead,  and  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  days,  passing  away  Oct.  12,  1885. 
Upon  his  place  at  the  time  of  purchase,  there  was  a 
log  hut  and  part  of  the  land  had  been  broken,  but 
a  large  amount  of  labor  was  required  in  bringing 
the  soil  to  a  fertile  condition,  and  in  making  the 
improvements  which  he  effected  upon  it. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Russwinkel  was  well  known 
throughout  this  county  for  his  sterling  integrity, 
likewise  his  energy  and  perseverance.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he 
served  as  Trustee,  and  to  which  he  gave  liberally  of 
his  means.  Politically,  he  affiliated  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  in  his  death  the  county  lost  one 
of  her  best  citizens.  John  II.,  our  subject,  was 
reared  to  manhood  under  the  parental  roof,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  district  school.  As 
soon  as  old  enough,  he  was  required  to  make  him- 
self useful  about  the  farm,  and  remained  with  his 
father  until  he  was  past  twenty -seven  years  of  age. 

The  23d  of  April,  1885,  was  made  memorable  in 
the  life  of  our  subject  by  his  marriage  with  Miss 
Catherine  E.  Heitbrink.  This  lady  was  born  in  the 
Province  of  Osnabruck,  Germany,  and  came  to 
America  with  her  parents  when  twenty-one  years 
old.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Husswinkel  there  was  born 
one  child,  a  daughter,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
Russwinkel,  like  his  father  and  brother,  supports 
•Democratic  principles,  and  is  a  reliable  citizen,  held 
in  respect  by  all  who  know  him. 


EORGE  BRAMH AM.  In  the  settlement  of 
Morgan  County,  a  large  number  of  English 
Yorkshire  men  have  borne  no  unimportant 
part.  Among  them  may  be  most  properly  men- 
tioned Mr.  Bramham,  who  has  occupied  his  present 
farm  for  a  period  of  twenty-three  years,  having  set- 
tled upon  it  in  the  year  1866.  It  was  then  a  tract 
of  land  upon  which  no  improvement  had  been 
made,  and  the  story  of  his  experience  in  connec- 
tion therewith  is  similar  to  that  which  has  been  re- 
peated many  times  in  these  pages.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  he  began  the  battle  of  life  without  means,  and 
by  his  own  persevering  industry  has  arrived  at  an 
enviable  position,  sociallj'  and  financially.  His 


farm  embraces  150  acres  of  land  located  on  section 
8,  township  15,  range  11;  the  wife  inherited  the 
land  from  her  father,  and  there  they  have  a  home- 
stead which  there  is  no  doubt  will  form  for  them  a 
safe  shelter  in  their  declining  years. 

Our  subject  emigrated  to  America  in  the  fall  of 
1860,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  years,  hav- 
ing been  born  Nov.  3,  1838.  He  grew  to  man's 
estate  in  his  native  Yorkshire,  and  was  mostly  en- 
gaged in  farming  pursuits.  He  is  the  offspring  of 
pure  English  stock,  being  the  son  of  Richard  and 
Sarah  (Stocks)  Bramham,  who  were  natives  respect- 
ively of  Yorkshire  and  Lincolnshire.  The  Stocks 
family  removed  to  Yorkshire  when  the  mother  of 
our  subject  was  a  mere  child,  where  she  was  mar- 
ried and  where  she  lived  until  after  the  death  of  her 
husband.  She  then  came  to  America  and  bought 
a  farm  in  this  county,  where  she  lived  until  a  short 
time  before  her  death,  when  she  made  her  home 
with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Rachel  Lake,  until  her  de- 
cease, which  occurred  Nov.  18,  1887.  She  had  then 
attained  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years, 
but  retained  her  mental  and  physical  strength  in  a 
marked  degree. 

Four  sons  and  seven  daughters  comprised  the 
household  of  the  parents  of  our  subject,  all  of  whom 
lived  to  become  men  and  women,  and  six  of  them 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  this  county.  George, 
our  subject,  arrived  here  in  the  fall  of  1860.  He 
was  married  November,  1864,  to  Mrs.  Mary  (Alli- 
son) Thomason.  Mrs.  Bramham  was  born  in  this 
county,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Adam  and  Mary 
(Norwood)  Allison,  who  were  natives  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  who  upon  coming  to  America  in 
their  youth,  located  in  this  county,  where  they 
formed  the  acquaintance  which  resulted  in  their 
marriage.  Mr.  Allison  took  up  land  and  engaged 
in  farming,  and  became  well-to-do,  leaving  at  his 
death  a  fine  property.  His  decease  took  place  at 
the  old  homestead  near  Lynnville,  where  he  was 
held  in  high  esteem  by  the  best  people  of  his  com- 
munity. He  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  in- 
telligence, the  friend  of  education  and  progress,  and 
a  useful  and  prominent  citizen.  Coming  here  in 
the  twenties,  and  before  the  winter  of  the  deep 
snow,  he  was  a  witness  of  the  extraordinary  changes 
which  occurred,  and  performed  his  full  share  of  the 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


301 


labor  attendant  upon  the  building  up  of  the  town- 
ship, and  forwarding  the  enterprises  calculated  for 
the  general  good.  He  established  the  first  saw  and 
grist-mill  in  this  section  of  the  country,  and  prob- 
ably the  first  in  the  State.  The  wife  and  mother 
passed  away  some  years  prior  to  the  decease  of  her 
husband,  she  also  living  to  be  aged. 

Mrs.  Bramham  was  the  second  child  and  daugh- 
ter of  her  parents,  whose  family  consisted  of  five 
children.  One  died  quite  young,  and  the  other 
three  are  married,  have  families,  and  are  comfort- 
ably established  in  life.  Mrs.  Bramham  was  first 
married  in  this  county,  to  William  Rawling,  who 
was  a  native  of  England.  Of  this  marriage  there 
were  born  a  son  and  a  daughter,  William  and  Mari- 
etta; her  second  marriage  with  William  Thomason, 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  three  sons  —  James,  Allison, 
and  Charles,  all  of  whom  are  married,  have  families 
and  are  living  in  this  count}'. 

To  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  there  have 
been  born  three  children.  The  eldest,  Arvilla,  is 
the  wife  of  Elmer  E.  II.  Ticknor,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Leroy  E.,  and  Arthur  E.  Mr.  Tick- 
nor assists  in  the  operation  of  the  Bramham  farm. 
The  two  younger  daughters,  Ida  and  Anna,  remain 
with  their  parents.  Both  our  subject  and  Mr. 
Ticknor  vote  the  straight  Republican  ticket. 


jflLLIAM  THIES.  Some  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful and  thrifty  farmers  of  Morgan 
County,  are  sons  of  the  Fatherland,  who 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  many  of  them  poor  in  purse, 
to  establish  for  themselves  a  home  in  the  un- 
developed West.  They  labored  early  and  late  as 
tillers  of  the  soil,  and  were,  as  they  deserved,  al- 
most uniformly  prosperous.  Among  them  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice  occupies  no  secondary  position. 
His  career  has  been  signalized  by  industry,  honesty, 
anil  frugality,  and  he  is  now  the  owner  of  a  good 
farm  of  120  acres,  pleasantly  located  on  section  7, 
in  township  14.  At  the  beginning  he  had  in  com- 
mon with  his  neighbors  many  difficulties  to  en- 
counter, but  he  persevered,  and  after  a  few  years 
found  himself  upon  solid  ground,  and  sitting  under 
his  own  yine  and  fig  tree,  surrounded  by  all  the  com- 


forts of  life.  He  was  very  fortunate  in  his  selec- 
tion of  a  life-partner,  Mrs.  Thies  being  in  all  re- 
spects the  suitable  companion  of  her  husband,  one 
who  has  encouraged  him  in  his  worthy  ambitions, 
and  who  has  never  evaded  any  known  duty.  They 
are  recognized  as  people  of  more  than  ordinary  in- 
telligence, and  are  valued  accordingly  in  their  com- 
munity. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of 
Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Aug.  1,  1836,  and  is  the 
eldest  child  of  Frederick  and  Fredricka  (Engle- 
bright)  Thies,  who  were  natives  of  the  same  place 
as  their  son,  and  where  they  both  spent  their  entire 
lives,  the  father  dying  in  1863,  and  the  mother  in 
1864.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  two 
(laughters,  and  those  beside  our  subject,  are  now  in 
Germany.  William  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his 
native  Province,  and  trained  to  farming  pursuits, 
which  he  followed  there  until  a  man  of  thirty -two 
years. 

In  1868,  Mr.  Thies  set  out  for  America,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  one  child.  They  landed  in 
New  York,  and  came  directly  to  this  county,  lo- 
cating in  Jacksonville,  where  Mr.  Thies  engaged  as 
a  butcher,  and  where  they  remained  about  three 
years.  He  then  rented  a  farm  of  the  late  Samuel 
Wood,  for  the  same  length  of  time,  then  removed 
to  another  in  that  locality  upon  which  he  operated 
for  a  period  of  twelve  years.  By  this  time  his  ac- 
cumulations enabled  him  to  purchase  his  present 
farm,  of  which  he  took  possession  in  January,  1886. 
lie  has  good  buildings,  and  all  the  conveniences  for 
carrying  on  agriculture  and  stock -raising  in  a  profit- 
able manner.  He  has  made  it  the  rule  of  his  life  to 
live  within  his  income,  and  meet  his  obligations 
when  they  became  due.  He  has  consequently  been 
enabled  to  each  year  lay  aside  something  fora  rain}' 
day,  and  ensure  himself  against  want  in  his  old 
age. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thies  there  have  been  born  six 
children,  viz:  Frederick  T.,  William  L..  Samuel  C., 
John  C.,  Charles  J.,  and  Anna  L.  The  eldest  is 
twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and  the  youngest  nine, 
and  they  are  all  at  home  with  their  parents,  except 
Frederick.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thies  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  our  subject,  politically,  is  a 
decided  Republican.  He  is  the  friend  of  education, 


<  ,    302 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


freedom  and  equality,  nnrl  occupies  no  secondary 
position  among  the  reliable  elements  which  form 
the  basis  of  all  society. 

Mrs.  Louisa  (Germann)  Thies  was  married  to  our 
subject  in  Germany  in  January,  1864.  Her  parents 
were  John  and  Johanna  (Beindchnieder)  Germann, 
who  emigrated  to  America  in  August,  1868,  and  set- 
tled in  township  14,  this  county.  The  father  was 
engaged  in  farming,  and  departed  this  life,  Jan.  10, 
1880.  The  mother  is  still  living,  at  an  advanced 
age.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Thies  was  one  of  the  younger.  She  was 
born  Aug.  27,  1840,  and  remained  a  member  of 
her  father's  household  until  her  marriage. 


t 


E  R.  ANDERTON,  a  retired  mer- 
chant, was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England) 
Oct.  1  1,  1822.  Mr.  Anderton  was  the  sixth 
child  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  and  when  he 
became  of  age  learned  the  saddler's  trade,  a  busi- 
ness he  did  not  like.  In  1847  he  accepted  a  posi- 
tion on  the  North  Midland  Railroad  as  shipping 
clerk,  which  office  he  filled  satisfactorily  until  he 
resigned  to  emigrate  to  America.  He  sailed  from 
Liverpool  in  November,  1853,  on  the  sailing- 
vessel  "Warbler,"  and  was  on  the  ocean  seven 
weeks,  when  he  landed  in  New  Orleans,  from 
which  place  he  proceeded  to  Cairo,  and  from  there 
to  St.  Louis,  finally  making  his  way  to  Lynnville, 
arriving  at  that  place  in  February,  1854.  Here  he 
engaged  in  the  business  of  general  merchandising, 
but  the  financial  crash  of  1857  caused  him  to  fail 
in  business,  after  which  he  took  a  situation  with 
John  Gordon  &  Co.,  managing  their  extensive 
business  until  1877,  when  his  health  failed  him  and 
he  was  obliged  to  retire  from  active  business  pur- 
suits. Since  coming  to  America  he  has  made  one 
trip  to  England.  In  March,  1851,  he  married  Miss 
Lucy  S.  Craggs,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Craggs,  Auditor  of  Accounts  of  Sheffield,  Eng- 
land. She  was  born  at  the  latter  place,  and  died 
at  Lynnville,  in  April,  1870.  She  was  the  mother 
of  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom  died  in  infancy, 
except  Maria  Elizabeth,  who  was  born  in  Sheffield, 
England.  June  27,  1853,  and  is  now  the  wife  of 


William  E.  Gordon.  This  marriage  occurred 
March  3,  1872,  at  Lynnville. 

Cornelius  Anderton,  the  father  of  George  R., 
was  a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  England,  and  by 
trade  a  saddler  and  harness  maker.  He  died,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five  years,  in  his  native  country.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Maria  Walker,  was 
the  only  daughter  of  William  Walker,  a  well-to-do 
saddler  in  the  city  of  Lincoln,  England. 

As  has  been  before  stated,  Mr.  William  E.  Gordon 
married  Maria  E.,  :i  daughter  of  George  R.  Ander- 
ton. His  father,  William  Gordon,  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  when  a  young  man  came  to  Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  after  which  he  took 
took  up  the  pork-packing  business.  The  parents 
of  William  E.  are  still  living,  in  Scott  County,  and 
had  five  children:  William  E.,  John  I.,  of  Ma- 
con  County;  Henry  L.,  David  O.,  and  James  B.; 
they  are  all  married  and  farming  for  themselves. 
William  E.  Gordon  was  born  at  Lynnville,  Mor- 
gan County,  June  26,  1850.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  and  attended  the  district  schools  until  1867, 
at  which  time  he  went  to  Bloomington  and  took  a 
course  of  instruction  in  the  State  Normal  School, 
remaining  there  for  one  year.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-two  he  commenced  farming  on  his  own 
account  with  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he  owned, 
until  he  bought  his  present  place,  which  consists 
of  a  half  section,  nearly  all  under  cultivation.  His 
farm  is  well  improved,  has  fine  fences  and  is  well 
watered,  the  Rocky  Branch  coursing  through  it. 
His  house  is  large  containing  fifteen  rooms,  while 
the  barns  and  other  outbuildings  are  in  keeping 
with  the  entire  place.  Mr.  Gordon  takes  special 
pride  in  raising  graded  cattle  and  Poland-China 
hogs,  lie  is  a  feeder  of  cattle,  which  he  ships  to 
different  markets.  lie  is  the  father  of  seven  chil- 
dren: Lucy  C.,  George  H.,  Sarah  E.,  Edith  M., 
Walter  (who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years),  Allen 
().,  and  Gertie.  Politically,  he  belongs  to  the 
Union  Labor  party.  As  a  business  man  and  farmer 
he  ranks  high,  and  as  a  neighbor  is  well  liked. 

George  R.  Anderton  has  been  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  and  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He 
belongs  to  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Blue  Lodge  at  Lynn- 
ville. and  the  Chapter  at  Jacksonville.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  stanch  and  firm,  and  for 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


303 


twenty  years  was  Deputy  Postmaster  at  Lynnville. 
When  Mr.  Anderton  was  in  business  he  was 
counted  as  one  of  the  shrewdest  men  in  this  see- 
lion  of  the  country,  and,  were  it  not  for  physical 
inlinnities,  he  would  now  take  his  place  as  an  ener- 
getic and  reliable  business  man. 


OHN  C.  HAMILTON.  This  gentleman  who 
|  prior  to  his  decease  occupied  a  prominent 
position  in  the  count}-  came  to  this  (State 
from  Kentucky  in  the  year  1834.  He  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  for  many  years,  when 
he  sold  his  farm  and  embarked  in  business  as  a  mer- 
chant in  Jacksonville.  In  this  he  was  so  success- 
ful as  to  be  able  to  retire  and  enjoy  a  1  rge  com- 
petency that  had  accumulated  as  the  result  thereof, 
and  for  the  latter  thirty  years  of  his  life  was  free 
from  the  active  engagements  of  business.  His  resi- 
dence, which  is  situated  on  South  Main  street, 
Jacksonville,  was  the  center  of  hospitalities  and 
gatherings  of  a  social  nature  that  were  always  most 
enjoyable. 

Mr.  Hamilton  was  born  in  1797,  and  at  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  10th  of  March,  1880,  was 
eighty-three  years  of  age.  He  was  a  highly  re- 
spected member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  in 
religious  circles  was  much  esteemed.  He  was  a 
man  of  pronounced  Christian  character  and  con- 
sistency. For  several  years  he  was  the  local 
preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  con- 
tinuing to  sustain  that  relation  until  his  death.  For 
many  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  interests  of  the 
Church,  preaching  at  points  distant  widely  from 
each  other,  and  accounting  no  difficulty  too  great 
to  prevent  his  filling  an  appointment  when  once  it 
had  been  made.  He  was  always  well  received  as  a 
preacher,  and  it  was  gratifying  to  know  that  his 
labors  were  a  pronounced  success. 

Upon  three  different  occasions  the  subject  of 
our  sketch  stood  before  the  altar  of  Hymen.  He 
w.-is  first  married  to  Miss  Mary  Reece,  who  pre- 
sented him  with  five  children,  who  received  the  fol- 
lowing names:  Susan,  John  S.,  Mary,  Reece  and 
Alphonso.  He  afterward  became  the  husband  of 
Miss  Sarah  Smith  of  Kentucky.  This  union  was 


fruitful  in  the  birth  of  ten  children.  In  18.i8  he 
was  united  in  wedlock  to  Mrs.  Eliza  Glenn.  This 
lady  is  a  native  of  Harrison  Count}',  Ky..  and  was 
born  in  the  year  1815.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
George  and  Susan  (Barrett)  Reece.  The  name  of 
her  first  hn«hand  «'ns  James  B.  Glenn.  wln>  prior 
to  his  decease,  WHS  a  prosperous  merchant  ;it  Mon- 
ticello,  Mo.,  but  a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass  State. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Sarah  Ellen,  who  became  the  wife  of  John  Smed- 
ley;  James  Irvin,  Henry  H.,  and  George  R.,  who 
received  in  marriage  the  hand  of  Miss  Mary  Buck- 
ingham of  Jacksonville.  Mr.  Glenn  died  in  the 
year  1847  at  Monticello,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Hamilton  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  which  relation  she  has  sustained 
for  about  sixty  years.  In  all  works  of  religious 
enterprise  or  charity  she  is  a  generous  supporter. 
She  still  continues  to  reside  at  the  beautiful  home 
referred  to  above,  situated  on  South  Main  street. 
She  holds  a  very  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  the 
people  of  Jackson villev  more  especially  in  the  re- 
ligious and  social  circles,  where  she  is  best  known, 
and  where  her  many  virtues  are  most  appreciated. 


«NDREW  MCFARLAND,  M.  D.,  LL.D., 

fi-Jl  proprietor  of  Oak  Lawn  Retreat,  an  estab- 
lishment for  the  treatment  of  the  insane, 
has  for  sometime  been  favorably  known 
to  the  people  of  Morgan  County,  as  being  a  man 
of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  and  as  one 
taking-  a  deep  interest  in  that  unfortunate  class  of 
people,  whose  treatment,  to  be  successful,  requires 
extraordinary  tact  and  skill.  A  native  of  Concord, 
N.  H.,  he  was  born  July  14,  1817,  and  is  the  son  of 
Rev.  Asa  McFarland,  D.  D.,  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  The  latter  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
and  the  family,  as  the  name  readily  indicates,  came 
originally,  and  at  a  very  early  date  in  the  history 
of  this  country,  from  Scotland. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  received  his  literary 
education  at  Dartmouth  College,  and  in  1840  was 
graduated  from  Dartmouth  Medical  School.  For 
a  short  time  after  receiving  his  diploma  he  prac- 
ticed medicine  in  a  general  way,  and  then  being 


304 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


f 


appointed  Superintendent  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Insane  Asylum,  lie  turned  his  attention  to  this 
branch  of  the  medical  profession.  From  that  date 
to  the  present  time  the  successful  treatment  of  that 
peculiar  malady,  known  generally  as  insanity,  has 
been  the  aim  and  purpose  of  his  life.  In  1850  he 
resigned  his  position  in  the  New  Hampshire  Asy- 
lum to  fortify  himself  for  his  appointed  work  by  a 
year  of  travel  among  the  hospitals  of  Europe.  Soon 
after  his  return  to  America  he  came  to  Jacksonville 
to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  position  as  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Illinois  Insane  Hospital — a  position 
which  he  filled  with  distinguished  ability  for  a 
period  of  sixteen  years. 

In  1872  Dr.  McFarland  established  Oak  Lawn 
Retreat — so  named  from  its  beautiful  location  upon 
an  elevated  plateau,  one  and  a  half  miles  from 
Jacksonville  Square,  shaded  with  forest  oak,  car- 
peted in  its  season  with  blue  grass,  drained  by  nat- 
ural ravines  that  make  their  way  to  a  little  creek 
or  branch  some  hundreds  of  yards  to  the  west  of 
the  buildings,  and  abundantly  supplied  with  the 
purest  of  water  from  natural  springs,  or  raised  by 
wells  from  fountains  which  lie  deeply  hidden  beneath 
ledges  of  solid  limestone.  The  first  building 
erected,  with  a  capacity  of  thirty  patients,  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1887.  The  present  one  has  a 
capacity  of  fifty  patients.  It  was  originally  de- 
signed for  males  only,  but  the  destruction  of  the 
first  rendered  an  increase  in  size  necessary,  to  the 
end  that  both  sexes  could  be  comfortably  cared 
for. 

The  fact  that  this  excellent  institution  is  always 
crowded  to  its  limits,  is  abundant  indication  of  its 
popularity  as  an  asylum  for  the  most  unfortunate 
of  earth's  creatures.  It  also  attests  the  skill  of  the 
gentleman  at  the  head,  who  has  devoted  his  life  to 
this  benevolent  work.  The  man  who  brings  to  this 
great  work  a  superior  equipment  and  makes  it  the 
altar  upon  which  he  places  the  studied  and  com- 
bined efforts  of  a  lifetime,  is  one  who  deserves  the 
commendation  of  all,  and,  like  Abou  Ben  Adhem, 
can  write  his  name  as  a  lover  of  mankind. 

While  abroad  Dr.  McFarland  wrote  a  series  of 
letters,  which  were  published  from  time  to  time  in 
the  periodicals  of  the  day,  and  their  popularity 
was  such  as  to  warrant  their  compilation  and  pub- 


lication  in  a  neat  volume,  which  came  out  in  1852, 
under  the  euphonious  title  of  "  Loiterings  Among 
the  Scenes  of  Story  and  Song."  The  last  copy  re- 
tained by  the  author  was  destroyed  with  his  build- 
ing in  1887.  Aside  from  his  reputation  as  an 
expert  in  the  treatment  of  insanity,  the  Doctor  is 
well-known  to  the  medical  profession  of  the  coun- 
try as  a  reliable  general  physician  and  surgeon. 
He  has  been  once  President  of  the  Illinois  State 
Medical  Society,  and  three  years  President  of  the 
American  Society  of  Superintendents  of  Insane 
Hospitals. 

Dr.  McFarland  was  married  at  Gilmanton,  N.  H., 
soon  after  reaching  the  twenty-first  year  of  his  age, 
tp  Miss  Annie  H.  Peaslee.  He  is  the  father  of  two 
sons — George  C.  and  T.  F.,  both  of  whom  are  edu- 
cated physicians. 


ffiOHH  V.  RICHARDSON,  one  of  the  practical 
and  successful  farmers  of  Morgan  Countj*, 
lives  on  section  28,  township  15,  range  11, 
where  he  owns  and  operates  a  magnificent 
farm,  and  lives  in  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  his 
township.  The  barns  are  in  keeping  with  the  rest 
of  the  place.  Everything  around  his  farm  denotes 
the  intelligence  of  the  owner,  and  is  an  object  les- 
son of  American  independence. 

Mr.  Richardson  has  lived  on  his  farm  since  1862, 
and  has  made  most  of  the  improvements  that  now 
adorn  the  place,  since  he  purchased  it.  He  owns 
eighty  acres  in  another  part  of  the  township  also. 
He  was  born  not  far  from  Franklin,  this  county,  on 
Feb.  14, 1840.  His  father  Vincent  Richardson,  whose 
biography  appears  in  another  part  of  this  volume,  is 
one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  county.  He  came 
here  in  1830,  and  was  one  of  the  men  who  origin- 
ally bought  his  land  from  the  Government.  He 
was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  and  was  married 
to  Miss  Lydia  Rawlins,  who  died  some  twenty 
years  ago.  He  married  a  second  wife,  who  is  still 
living. 

John  V.  Richardson  was  the  second  child  and 
eldest  son  of  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. As  lias  been  before  stated,  he  was  reared  and 
educated  in  this  county,  where  he  was  married, 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


305 


near  Lynnville,  to  Miss  Mary  Combs.  She  was  also 
a  native  of  Morgan  County,  and  was  born  May  8, 
1851.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Richard  Combs,  who 
was  a  native  of  Devonshire,  England.  After  her 
father  attained  his  majority,  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  where  he  married  his  wife,  who  died  when 
she  wns  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  when  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Richardson,  was  quite  young.  After  her 
death,  Mrs.  Richardson  was  reared  by  her  father, 
who  is  3Tet  a  resident  of  Lynnville,  this  county, 
where  he  has  retired  from  active  life,  and  is  living 
with  his  second  wife. 

After  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richardson, 
they  took  up  their  residence  on  their  present  ele- 
gant farm,  and  in  1879  returned  to  the  native 
land  of  their  parents,  in  England.  They  returned 
with  new  ideas  of  the  early  life  of  their  parents, 
and  how  it  was  spent  in  England.  Mrs.  R.  died  at 
her  home  Dec.  7,  1887.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  died  in  that  faith. 
She  was  a  woman  of  fine  character,  and  well  be- 
loved by  all  who  knew  her.  She  left  four  chil- 
dren, the  following  of  whom  are  deceased:  Walter 
C.  aged  four  years.  He  was  accidentally  killed  by 
swallowing  carbolic  acid:  Minnie  li.,  died  aged 
eighteen  years.  She  was  a  bright  and  intelligent 
young  lady.  The  two  living  children  are  John  W., 
who  is  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  Annie  S.,  seven 
years  old.  Mr.  Richardson  is  a  Republican,  and 
takes  great  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  party,  and 
though  he  is  not  what  may  be  termed  a  politician, 
he  is  always  foremost  in  the  councils  of  his  party. 
lie  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
in  religious  matters,  displays  the  same  enthusiasm 
that  he  does  in  secular  affairs. 


J>ILLIAM  COVEY  first  saw  the  light  of  day 
in  Knox  County,  Tenn.,  March  5,  1836. 
lie  and  his  twin  brother,  Samuel,  came 
with  their  father,  Robert  Covey,  to  Morgan  County 
in  the  fall  of  1836,  where  the  father  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Judge  Samuel  Wood,  Dr.  Moore  and 
others.  Robert  Covey  died  in  1839.  William  Co- 
vey's mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ann  Dodd, 
was  also  a  native  of  Knox  County,  Teun.  In  her 


family  (the  Dodds)  were  six  children.  Her  sister 
Adeline  married  E.  C.  Phetteplace,  who  resides 
near  Petosky,  Mich.,  where  he  is  farming.  He  is 
the  father  of  seven  children.  Nancy  Todd  mar- 
ried Andrew  J.  Man,  who  is  a  retired  farmer,  liv- 
ing at  Franklin. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  married  Nancy  Sey- 
mour, Feb.  7,  1860.  The  date  of  her  birth  is  Nov. 
29,  1842.  Her  father  Richardson  Seymour  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  and  came  to  Morgan 
County  in  1828,  and  died  June  1,  1888.  Her 
mother  is  still  living  on  the  homestead.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Covey  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  dead.  Mary  E.  was  born 
Sept.  2,  1866,  and  died  Oct.  13,'1871 ;  Bartlettwas 
born  Sept.  2,  1866,  and  died  Nov.  13,  1871;  Hattie 
was  born  Feb.  13,  1874,  and  is  at  home  with  her 
parents. 

Mr.  Covey  at  the  tender  age  of  ten  years,  was 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources.  He  lived  with 
Washington  Hart,  and  at  this  time,  came  the  period 
that  was  to  try  his  mettle.  Without  friends,  with- 
out money,  and  nearly  bereft  of  hope,  he  faced  a 
cold  and  pitiless  world,  but  with  the  resolution  to 
come  out  a  winner,  which  he  did.  He  married,  and 
after  that  event,  purchased  200  acres  of  land  with 
a  small  clearing,  upon  which  he  erected  a  cabin  and 
stables,  and  commenced  to  improve  his  farm.  He 
brought  his  land  up  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
put  up  better  buildings,  and  at  last  he  was  in  the 
possession  of  a  model  farm.  In  1883  he  removed 
his  family  to  Franklin,  and  there  engaged  in  the 
business  of  conducting  a  livery,  sale  and  feed  stable. 
He  has  been  eminently  successful  in  his  last  venture, 
and  has  built  a  fine  residence,  and  barns  suitable  to 
carry  on  the  business  in  which  he-is  engaged,  and 
now  carries  a  stock  of  horses,  cutters  and  buggies 
that  would  do  credit  to  a  much  larger  place  than 
Franklin. 

Mr.  Covey  was  one  of  the  innumerable  throng 
that  caught  up  the  refrain  "We  are  Coming  Father 
Abraham  Three  Hundred  Thousand  More,"  when 
the  great  war  President  in  1862  made  a  call  for 
troops.  He  enlisted  Aug.  11,  of  that  year  in  the 
101st  regiment,  and  in  the  company  commanded  by 
Capt.  Fanning.  He  was  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg, 
and  was  on  the  second  boat  that  lauded  at  the 


A' 


=f 


306 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


wliarf  of  the  beleaguered  city,  after  the  surrender 
of  the  garrison.  He  was  also  at  the  battle  of 
Uesaca.  Ga.,  Dallas,  Ga.,  Atlanta,  Evansboro,  Ben- 
tonville,  and  participated  in  a  large  number  of 
skirmishes.  He  was  also  with  Sherman  when  he 
made  his  march  to  the  sea.  lie  then  went  to  Rich- 
mond, and  by  that  time  hostilities  had  ceased,  and 
he  received  an  honorable  discharge  June  7,  1865. 
Mr.  Covey  has  always  borne  the  reputation  of 
being  an  honorable,  conscientious,  and  upright  citi- 
zen. His  judgment  is  much  in  request  by  his  neigh- 
bors. Mrs.  Covey  is  a  communicant  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 


ARAH  (SAMPLE)  CLARK,  relict  of  Will- 
iam C.  Clark,  is  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
this  county,  and  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  her  early  hardships.  Her  husband  was 
a  native  of  Athens,  Ohio,  and  was  born  Oct.  6, 
1818.  He  came  to  Menard  County,  111.,  in  1845, 
where  he  worked  by  the  month,  and  in  1846  came 
to  Morgan  County  and  worked  by  the  month  for  a 
Mr.  Warner,  for  four  years.  He  then  married 
Sarah  .lane  .Sample,  on  Feb.  6,  1851.  She  died 
.Inly  6  of  the  same  year.  He  remained  unmarried 
until  Feb.  26,  1852,  when  he  again  was  united  in 
marriage,  this  time  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
He  first  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  and  at  dif- 
ferent times  made  additions  to  the  original  tract, 
until  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  July 
13,  1882,  he  owned  290  acres  of  well-cultivated 
land,  and  upon  which  were  erected  buildings  in 
keeping  with  this  fine  farm.  His  people  were  origin- 
ally from  Holland.  His  grandfather  was  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
His  mother  traced  her  ancestry  to  Germany.  Mr. 
Clark  was  one  of  nine  children,  a  record  of  whom 
follows:  Ruth  married  Joseph  Meyers;  he  is  de- 
ceased. They  had  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living.  Elizabeth  married  Carl  C.  Shawen,  who 
now  resides  on  Mrs.  Clark's  farm  as  a  tenant.  They 
have  five  children.  AVinnie  married  Hubert  Cox, 
of  this  county. 

In  the  family  of  Mrs.  Clark's  parents  there  were 
ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living.  The  names 
of  all  the  children  are  as  follows:  Nancy,  Valentine. 


Elizabeth,  Andrew  J.,  Martha,  Mary,  Washington, 
Lydia,  Lucinda,  and  Sarah.  Nancy  married  John 
Taylor,  of  Madison  County,  111.,  and  is  now  living 
in  Nebraska;  Valentine  (deceased),  married  Jane 
Taylor,  of  Madison  County;  she  is  now  living 
in  Hard  in  County,  111.,  with  her  husband,  An- 
drew J.  Sample.  Martha  married  M.  Morris.  They 
are  now  living  in  this  county,  and  have  seven  chil- 
dren— Jacob,  John,  Allen,  Margaret,  Mary,  Nora, 
and  Solomon;  Mary  (deceased),  married  William 
Cull  well,  of  Morgan  County,  and  had  three  children 
— Lydia,  Julia,  and  Amelia ;  Lydia  married  John  W. 
Thomas  and  is  now  living  in  Dallas,  Tex.,  on  a  stock 
ranch.  They  bave  four  children — Allen,  Ethel, 
Henry,  and  an  infant.  Washington  married  Ann 
Sample  (deceased),  by  whom  he  had  one  child, 
William.  He  married  again,  this  time  to  Mary  A. 
Miller,  of  this  county.  Lucinda  (deceased),  mar- 
ried William  Kidd,  and  is  now  living  in  Scott 
County.  They  have  one  child,  John  William. 

William  C.  Clark,  the  husband  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  on  the  list  of  the  good  citizens  of 
this  county,  always  ready  and  willing  to  help  those 
who  were  less  fortunate  than  he.  He  was  a  man 
highly  esteemed  by  his  neighbors,  and  a  kind  and 
affectionate  husband.  Socially  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  also  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 
Politically,  he  was  a  Whig,  while  that  party  was  in 
existence,  but  gravitated  into  the  Republican  party, 
whose  principles  he  earnestly  espoused. 

Mrs.  Clark  has  earned  the  unalloyed  respect  of 
all  her  neighbors,  and  is  fully  entitled  to  it.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Elizabeth,  a 
sister  of  Mrs.  Clark,  first  married  Leander  Thomas, 
who  was  killed  by  a  cyclone  in  Morgan  County, 
and  is  now  the  wife  of  John  M.  Coulee,  and  resides 
in  Macoupin  County,  III. 


LLIAM  M.  CORINGTON,  a  native  of 
M°rean  County,  is  a  worthy  descendant  of 
one  of  its  highly  respected  pioneer  families. 
He  owns  a  part  of  the  farm  that  his  paternal  grand- 
father developed  from  the  wild,  uncultivated  prai- 
ries of  the  part  of  the  county  embraced  in  town- 
ship 16,  range  9,  bis  homestead  being  finely  lo- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


307 


f 


cated  on  section  25.  Here  he  is  quite  extensively 
engaged  in  raising  and  shipping  cattle,  having  his 
farm  well  stocked  with  all  it  can  carry,  and  selling 
from  three  to  five  car  loads  each  year. 

Joel  Corington,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  of  Welsh  descent,  although  a  Kentuckian  by 
birth,  having  been  born  in  Bourbon  County,  that 
State.  He  was  there  reared  and  married,  his 
union  with  Mary  Ellen  Nichols  taking  place  in 
1818.  They  lived  in  the  blue  grass  region  until 
1835,  when  with  their  family  and  household  effects 
they  emigrated  to  Illinois,  corning  to  this  county  and 
becoming  its  pioneers.  They  spent  the  first  winter 
in  Jacksonville,  and  in  the  spring  of  1836  removed 
to  this  farm,  where  our  subject  now  lives,  which  then 
comprised  270  acres.  They  made  their  home 
here  until  about  1855,  when  they  returned  to  Jack- 
sonville, where,  in  the  course  of  nature,  they  both 
died,  aged,  respectively,  eighty-seven  and  seventy- 
three  years.  When  they  first  came  here  the  coun- 
try roundabout  was  very  thinly  settled,  and  the 
markets  were  far  distant,  and  the  grandfather  had 
to  drive  his  hogs  either  to  St.  Louis  or  to  Alton  to 
dispose  of  them. 

John  W.  Corington,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1824,  the  fourth  child  in 
a  family  of  eight  belonging  to  his  parents.  He  was 
a  bov  of  eleven  years  when  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  their  new  home  in  Morgan  County,  and 
here,  amid  its  pioneer  scenes,  he  was  reared  to 
man's  estate.  He  married  Miss  Ann  E.,  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Mary  Cassell.  Her  father  was  of 
German  ancestry,  and  was  a  native  of  Bourbon 
County,  Ivy.,  and  her  mother  was  of  Irish  descent, 
and  was  also  a  native  of  that  county.  They  came 
to  this  State  in  1835,  and  lived  on  their  farm  in 
this  county  east  of  Jacksonville  many  years,  and 
finally  retired  from  active  life  to  that  city,  and 
there  he  spent  his  last  days,  and  she  is  still  living 
there  at  an  advanced  age.  After  marriage  the 
parents  of  our  subject  began  housekeeping  in  this 
township,  but  four  years  later  Mr.  Corington  pur- 
chased n  farm  nine  miles  east  of  Jacksonville,  and 
removed  to  it  with  his  family,  and  he  is  still  living 
there,  enjoying  a  competence  that  lie  lias  gathered 
together  by  frugality  and  well-directed  toil.  The 
faithful  wife  and  devoted  mother,  who  had  shared 


his  labors,  and  had  greatly  aided  him  to  become 
prosperous,  closed  her  eyes  in  death,  Aug.  5, 
1  884,  aged  fifty -seven  years.  Of  their  ten  children 
eight  survive,  and  all  were  born  and  reared  on 
the  farm  where  the  father  now  lives,  except  their 
eldest  daughter,  Mary  E.,  now  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Corcoran,  who  was  born  in  this  township.  The 
others  are  Frank,  Robert;  Emma,  now  Mrs.  Jacob  H. 
Strawn;  Kate,  now  Mrs.  Marven  Thompson;  John 
B.,  Charles  Clifton;  Jennie,  now  Mrs.  Woods.  Frank 
and  Robert  are  deceased.  The  father  has  married 
again,  Mrs.  Grace  Kurtz  becoming  his  wife. 

William  M.,  our  subject,  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm  to  an  energetic,  capable  manhood. 
His  educational  opportunities  were  exceedingly 
limited,  but  he  made  the  most  of  them,  and  is  to- 
day an  unusually  intelligent  and  well-informed 
man.  Oct.  20,  1869,  he  took  a  step  that  has  had 
an  important  bearing  on  his  after  life,  in  his  mar- 
riage on  that  date  to  Miss  Alice,  daughter  of  Martin 
and  Elizabeth  (Peacock)  Tincher.  Soon  after  mar- 
riage Mr.  and  Mrs.  Corington  established  them- 
selves on  a  farm  in  this  township,  but  after  living 
here  six  years  they  removed  to  Jefferson  County, 
Neb.,  and  Mr.  Corington  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  Fairberry.  A  year  later  he  returned  to 
his  native  State  and  rented  this  farm  of  his  grand- 
father, and  four  years  later  bought  1 96  acres  of  it, 
which  he  still  owns,  and  devotes  his  time  to  its 
cultivation  and  to  raising  and  shipping  stock,  as 
before  noted.  His  farm  is  one  of  the  choicest  in 
this  part  of  the  county,  and  is  well  fenced,  and  is 
provided  with  a  comfortable  dwelling  and  other 
commodious  buildings. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Corington's  family  consists  of  five 
children — Claude  M.,  Clinton  F.,  John  M.,  Bessie 
E.,  Lew  E.,  all  of  whom  are  receiving  fine  educa- 
tional advantages. 

Mr.  Corington  is  a  man  whose  stability  of  char- 
acter, sturdy  self-respect,  and  genuine  honesty  of 
purpose  are  well  calculated  to  win  the  highest  res- 
pect of  his  fellow-citizens,  by  whom  he  is  well 
liked.  He  is  a  hard-working  man,  and  has  accu- 
mulated a  comfortable  property,  whose  value  is  in- 
creasing under  his  careful,  prudent  management. 
He  is  so  busy  attending  to  his  private  affairs  that  he 
has  never  had  time  to  entertain  a  desire  for  public 


t  ,     308 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


T 


office,  but  as  a  good  citizen  he  does  his  duty  at  the 
polls,  voting  the  Democratic  ticket  on  each  elec- 
tion day.  He  and  his  highly  esteemed  wife  belong 
to  the  Christian  Church,  and  their  daily  lives  arc 
guided  by  its  teachings. 


HRISTIAN  L.  MEYER.  The  attention  of 
the  traveler  passing  the  homestead  of  Mr. 
Meyer  is  at  once  attracted  to  the  fine  resi- 
dence with  its  tasteful  surroundings,  the  neat  and 
substantial  barn  and  other  outbuildings,  together 
with  the  machinery  and  live-stock,  which  indicate 
in  a  forcible  manner  the  character  of  the  proprietor 
for  industry  and  enterprise.  The  farm  embraces 
310  acres,  and  has  been  the  property  of  Mr.  Meyer 
for  the  past  eight  years,  he  having  settled  here  in 
the  spring  of  1881. 

Prior  to  becoming  a  resident  of  this  township, 
Mr.  Meyer  lived  at  Hegener  Station,  Cass  County, 
where  he  had  conducted  a  large  farm  with  most 
excellent  results.  He  came  to  Cass  County  in  1868 
from  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  butch- 
ering business.  With  the  exception  of  four  years 
spent  in  Iowa  he  had  resided  in  St.  Louis  since 
1867.  He  was  born  in  Prussia,  May  20,  1842, 
and  comes  of  pure  German  stock,  being  the  son  of 
Frederick  Meyer,  who  was  accidentally  killed  in  a 
stone  quarry,  while  in  the  prime  of  life.  Our  sub- 
ject was  then  scarcely  more  than  an  infant,  and 
had  one  brother,  Henry,  older  than  himself.  The 
mother,  Mrs.  Charlotte  (Klamen)  Meyer,  after  the 
death  of  her  first  husband,  was  subsequently  mar- 
ried to  Charles  Fink.  They  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1854,  landing  in  New  Orleans  and  thence 
making  their  way  up  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo. 

In  St.  Louis,  the  mother  of  our  subject  and  one 
of  her  children  by  Mr.  Fink,  died  in  less  than  a 
month  after  landing,  of  cholera,  and  were  buried  in 
the  same  grave.  Mr.  Fink  was  subsequently  mar- 
ried a  second  time  in  St.  Louis  and  settled  in  Des 
Moines  County,  Iowa,  not  far  from  the  city  of 
Burlington,  where  he  is  still  living  and  is  now 
quite  aged;  his  second  wife  is  also  deceased. 

Our  subject  after  the  death  of  his  mother  started 


out  for  himself,  and  has  since  made  his  own  way  in 
the  world.  Upon  reaching  man's  estate  he  was 
married  in  Cass  County,  111.,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Weiss.  This  lady  was  born  in  that  county  and  is 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine  Weiss,  who 
"/ere  among  its  earliest  pioneers.  By  their  indus- 
try and  frugality  they  built  up  a  good  home  and 
there  spent  their  last  days.  They  were  natives  of 
Germany  and  emigrated  to  the  I'nited  States  in 
their  youth.  It  is  supposed  that  they  were  mar- 
ried in  Cass  County,  111.,  and  there  they  reared  a 
family  of  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living 
except  the  wife  of  our  subject.  She  died  on  the 
16th  of  March,  1888,  at  the  age  of  nearly  forty 
years,  having  been  born  March  28,  1848. 

Mrs.  Meyer  was  the  eldest  one  of  the  four  sis- 
ters. The  others  are  all  married  and  have  families 
of  their  own.  They  were  all  carefully  trained  and 
Mrs.  Meyer  was  piously  inclined  from  her  child- 
hood and  before  her  marriage,  belonging  to  the 
Lutheran  Church.  She  assisted  her  husband  great- 
ly in  his  efforts  to  build  up  a  home  and  obtain 
something  for  the  future,  and  her  death  was  deep- 
ly mourned,  not  only  by  him,  but  by  all  who  knew 
her.  Of  this  congenial  union  there  were  born 
eleven  children,  three  of  whom  are  deceased ; 
namely:  John,  Laura,  and  Benjamin,  all  of  whom 
died  young.  The  survivors  are  Bertha  A.,  Charles 
F.,  Arthur  J.,  Harry  W.,  Lewis  C.,  Olie  H.,  Elmer 
H.,  and  Paul  J.  Mr.  Meyer,  politically,  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  as  was  his  estimable  wife,  is  now  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


AMUEL  N.  BRIDGEMAN.  This  young 
man  just  starting  out  in  life  for  himself, 
is  comfortably  established  on  a  40-acre 
farm  in  township  15,  range  11,  section  2, 
and  also  operates  other  land.  The  first  mentioned 
has  been  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation 
and  provided  with  very  good  buildings.  Mr. 
Hridgeman  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  this  county, 
of  which  he  is  a  native,  having  been  born  in  Con- 
cord Precinct,  May  7,  1856.  He  is  perfectly  fam- 
iliar with  agricultural  pursuits,  having  been 
bred  to  farm  life  from  his  boyhood,  and  there  is  - 


t 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


309 


no  reason  to  doubt  that  his  future  will  be  prosper- 
ous in  a  community  where  he  is  held  in  much  re- 
spect. 

James  Bridgeman,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  whence  he  emigrated  to 
this  county  late  in  the  fifties.  He  was  a  farmer  by 
trade,  and  after  coming  to  Illinois  followed  this 
for  a  time,  then  purchased  sixty  acres  in  Arcadia 
Precinct,  where  he  lived  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War.  Under  one  of  the  special  calls  for 
troops  by  President  Lincoln,  he  enlisted  as  a 
Union  soldier  in  the  101st  Illinois  Infantry  under 
command  of  Col.  Fox,  and  which  was  assigned  to 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  He  participated  in 
all  the  battles  of  his  regiment  until  near  the  close 
of  the  war  when  he  was  taken  ill  and  died  in  1864, 
at  Holly  Springs.  He  was  stricken  down  in  the 
prime  of  life,  being  less  than  forty  years  of  age. 
The  wife  and  mother  is  still  living,  making  her 
home  in  Concord  Precinct,  and  is  now  fifty-six 
years  old.  Her  maiden  name  was  Virginia  Hen- 
derson. She  was  born  in  Arcadia  Precinct,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Aaron  Henderson,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  who  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
of  this  county,  where  he  spent  his  last  days.  He 
came  to  Illinois  with  his  family  during  the  winter 
of  the  deep  snow,  which  covered  the  fences  and 
upon  the  surface  of  which  there  was  formed  so 
strong  a  crust  that  the  people  could  ride  over  it 
with  safety.  Mr.  Henderson  died  about  1849. 
His  wife,  Mrs.  Sally  (Boles)  Henderson,  is  still 
living  in  Arcadia  Precinct  and  is  now  eighty-five 
years  old.  The  Hendersons  were  of  Scotch  Pres- 
byterian stock. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bridgeman,  became  the  parents  of 
three  children,  viz:  Samuel  N.,  our  subject;  Lucinda, 
the  wife  of  William  Ader,  who  lives  on  a  farm  in 
Arcadia  Precinct;  and  James,  who  married  Miss 
Anna  Gilmore,  and  is  also  a  resident  of  that  pre- 
cinct. Samuel  N.  remained  with  his  mother  at  the 
homestead  until  his  marriage  to  Miss  M.  Rachel 
Erickson.  This  lady  was  born  June,  1858,  in  Ind- 
iana, and  came  to  Illinois  with  her  parents  in  the 
fall  of  1890.  The  latter  were  James  B.  and  Nancy 
E.  (Patten)  Erickson,  and  they  settled  in  Arcadia 
Precinct.  They  are  still  there.  Mrs.  Bridgeman 
remained  under  the  home  roof  until  her  marriage. 


She  is  now  the  mother  of  two  children  —  Jnmes  E. 
and  Minerva  P.  Mr.  Bridgeman,  politically. 
supports  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  in  good 
standing  of  the  Methodist  Church. 


OHN  BRACEWELL.  In  the  life  history 
here  presented  we  have  a  forcible  illustra- 
tion of  what  a  man  may  accomplish  by 
steady  perseverance  and  untiring  energy. 
Bracewcll,  now  the  owner  of  700  acres  of  land 
in  Morgan  and  Greene  counties,  this  State,  began 
life  on  the  lowest  round  of  the  ladder,  having  only 
$1.50  at  the  time  he  and  his  young  wife  commenced 
housekeeping.  He  had  come  to  a  country  wild 
and  unsettled,  with  railroads  and  markets  far  away, 
and  with  limited  facilities  for  prosecuting  farming 
or  any  other  business.  He  had  no  farm  machinery, 
but  he  secured  a  tract  of  land,  and  as  best  he  could, 
the  implements  necessary  for  tilling  the  soil  and 
putting  in  the  first  season's  crops. 

Life  passed  with  the  young  people  amid  many 
privations  and  hardships  for  the  first  few  years,  and 
then  they  began  to  realize  that  they  were  making 
some  liendwaj'.  The  qualities  which  our  subject 
had  inherited  from  his  substantial  English  ancestry 
were  bound  to  win,  and  his  career  has  been  a  mar- 
vel as  much  to  himself,  perhaps,  as  to  those  who 
have  watched  him.  A  native  of  Lancashire,  Eng- 
land, Mr.  Bracewell  was  born  Feb.  14,  1816,  and  is 
the  son  of  Henry  and  Amy  (Wright)  Bracewell. 
The  father  emigrated  to  America  when  the  boy, 
John,  was  but  an  infant  of  a  few  weeks,  leaving  his 
family  in  England. 

Soon  after  landing  in  New  York  City,  the  father 
of  our  subject  made  his  way  to  Pittsburg,  and  then 
over  the  mountains  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he 
joined  his  brother-in-law,  Joseph  Wright,  and  en- 
gaged in  a  tannery.  Later  he  started  south  westward 
for  New  Orleans,  and  was  never  again  seen  by  his 
family,  all  trace  of  him  even  being  lost.  John  was 
reared  by  his  mother  and  grandfather,  John  Wright. 

Our  subject  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
intelligence,  and  was  self-educated,  having  never 
attended  school.  He  lived  on  a  farm  until  fifteen 


f 


310 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


years  old  and  then  met  with  an  accident  which  left 
him  a  cripple,  and  he  then  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade  at  which  he  served  until  reaching  his  major- 
ity. Then  opening  a  shop  for  himself  in  Derby- 
shire, he  conducted  this  prosperously  for  threeyears, 
giving  employment  to  many  men  besides  himself. 
The  voyage  to  America,  in  1840,  was  made  on  a 
sailing  vessel,  the  "John  Taylor,"  which  left  Liver- 
pool on  the  5th  of  August  and  was  wrecked  by  a 
storm  off  the  Jsland  of  Cuba,  where  the  passengers 
who  were  saved  remained  about  twenty  days,  until 
re-embarking  on  another  vessel,  by  which  they 
reached  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Bracewell  was  thus  ten 
weeks  en  route  to  America,  and  in  the  Crescent 
City  followed  his  trade  thereafter  for  several 
months.  Thence  he  removed  to  a  point  eighty 
miles  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  with  his  uncle,  Joseph 
Wright,  and  in  1841  came  to  Illinois  and  purchased 
thirty  acres  of  land  in  Greene  County.  Subse- 
quently he  entered  forty  acres  from  the  Govern- 
ment and  transformed  this  from  a  wild  prairie  into 
a  productive  and  valuable  farm,  while  at  the  same 
time,  as  opportunity  offered,  he  employed  himself 
at  his  trade. 

For  the  first  few  3'ears  Mr.  Bracewell  and  wife 
occupied  a  small  log-cabin  on  his  Greene  County 
farm,  and  in  due  time  was  enabled  to  build  a  bet- 
ter home.  He  had  been  married  on  the  5th  of 
March,  1842,  to  Miss  Sarah  Whitlock.  This  lady 
was  born  in  Eussell  County,  Ky.,  Feb.  15,  1815,  to 
William  and  Rose  A.  Whitlock,  who  were  natives 
of  Virginia,  but  who  settled  in  Kentucky  at  an  early 
day.  They  lived  in  the  Blue  Grass  State,  prob- 
ably fifteen  years,  then  coming  to  Illinois,  settled 
four  mik'S  south  of  what  was  then  the  unimpor- 
tant village  of  Jacksonville,  in  time  to  experience 
the  rigors  of  the  deep  snow  which  followed.  A 
few  months  later  they  changed  their  location  to 
the  southern  part  of  this  county,  where  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

While  financially  prosperous  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brace- 
well  have  been  visited  by  affliction  in  the  loss  of  all 
their  children — Henry,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty 
years;  Amy,  Rosanna,  and  Mary,  all  died  early  in 
life.  They  removed  from  the  farm  in  Greene 
County  to  Murray  ville  in  the  spring  of  1866,  and 
although  in  a  condition  to  lay  aside  the  cares  and 


labors  of  life,  the  active  temperament  of  Mr.  Brace- 
well  will  not  permit  him  to  be  idle  and  now,  at  the 
age  of  over  seventy-three  years,  he  looks  after  his 
interests  with  his  characteristic  good  judgment  and 
much  of  his  old  time  energy. 

While  not  a  member  of  any  religions  organiza- 
tion, Mr.  Bracewell  acknowledges  the  value  of  the 
Church  in  a  community,  and  contributes  his  full 
share  to  its  support.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  has  served  as  School  Director  and  in  other 
local  offices  in  Greene  County.  About  1862  he 
identified  himself  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
now  belongs  to  the  Lodge  at  Murrayville.  The 
story  of  his  pioneership,  told  in  all  its  details,  would 
make  a  large  and  interesting  volume.  His  mother 
never  came  to  America  and  died  in  England,  No- 
vember, 1887,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three 
years. 


EVI  F.  TICKNOR.  As  a  nursery  man  and 
fruit-grower,  Mr.  Ticknor  is  acknowledged 
on  all  sides  to  be  a  success.  He  owns  and 
operates  forty  acres  of  very  choice  land,  situated  on 
section  10,  township  15,  range  11,  where  he  has 
made  his  residence  since  1858,  and,  since  1868,  has 
given  his  attention  almost  exclusively  to  his  pres- 
ent business.  He  carries  a  full  and  complete  stock 
of  the  best  varieties  of  the  choicest  fruits,  and  his 
long  experience  has  made  him  an  expert  in  regard 
to  the  proper  care  and  treatment  to  be  exercised  in 
connection  therewith. 

Mr.  Ticknor  came  to  Illinois  from  his  native 
State,  New  York.'  in  the  spring  of  1858.  He  was 
born  in  Upper  Lisle  Township,  Broome  County.  that 
State,  Aug.  1  3,  1  825,  and  is  the  son  of  Eli  as  and  Marv 
(Covy)  Ticknor.  Elias  Ticknor,  also  a  native  of 
Broome  County,  was  born  on  the  farm  thathad  been 
taken  up  in  the  woods  by  his  father.  Elias  Ticknor, 
Sr.,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  sons 
and  three  daughters.  Grandfather  Ticknor  was  a 
native  either  of  New  Hampshire  or  Massachusetts, 
and  sprang  from  a  family  which  had  settled  in  New 
England  probably  during  the  Colonial  days.  They 
were  mostly  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
were  almost  uniformly  well-to-do,  and  people  noted 
for  their  honesty  and  integrity.  Grandfather  Ti.-k- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


311 


nor  was  married  in  early  manhood  to  Miss  Lydia 
Bingham,  and  not  long  afterward  emigrated  to 
Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  settled  in  the 
woods,  and  gradually  cleared  up  a  farm.  After  liv- 
ing to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years,  he 
was  accidentally  killed  by  falling  from  ashed.  His 
good  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  silent  land  some 
years. 

Elias  Ticknor,  Jr.,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
reared  at  the  homestead  in  Broome  County,  N.  Y., 
and  in  that  county  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Covy, 
a  native  of  New  York  State,  who  traced  her  an- 
cestry to  Holland.  After  emigrating  to  the  United 
States,  they  settled  in  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  at  a 
very  early  day.  The  parents  of  our  subject,  after 
their  marriage,  began  their  wedded  life  at  the  old 
Ticknor  farm,  where  they  lived  for  a  few  years, 
then  removed  to  Grandfather  Covy's  farm  in  the 
same  county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  days;  the  father  dying  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight 
years,  and  the  mother  soon  afterward  at  about  the 
same  age. 

Four  sons  and  four  (laughters  comprised  the 
household  of  Elias  Ticknor,  Jr.,  and  his  estimable 
wife,  of  whom  Levi  F.,  our  subject,  was  the  eldest. 
The  children  are  all  living  and  married,  with  the 
exception  of  one  son,  Horace.  This  son,  during 
the  Civil  War,  enlisted  in  Company  K,  27th  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  and  was  killed  by  the  rebels  nt  Mud 
Creek,  Tenn.,  when  about  twenty-four  years  old. 
He  enlisted  as  a  private,  and  was  promoted  to  Cor- 
poral. Levi  F.,  like  his  brothers  and  sisters,  was 
reared  under  the  home  roof,  and  at  an  early  age 
taught  to  make  himself  useful  about  the  farm.  He 
acquired  a  common-school  education,  and  grew  up 
sound  in  mind  and  body,  and  amply  fitted  for  the 
future  duties  and  responsibilities  of  life. 

The  life  of  our  subject  was  passed  in  a  compara- 
tively uneventful  manner  until  his  marriage,  which 
occurred  in  Cattaraugus  County,  N.  Y.,  at  the  home 
of  Miss  Flora  Thompson,  who  was  a  native  of  that 
county,  and  was  born  in  1826.  The  parents  of  Mrs. 
Ticknor  were  John  and  Mary  Thompson,  natives 
of  Vermont,  where  they  were  born,  reared  and 
married,  and  whence  they  removed  to  Cattaraugus 
County.  N.  Y.,  while  it  was  still  a  wilderness.  The 
father  took  up  a  tract  of  Government  land,  from 


which  he  constructed  a  comfortable  homestead,  and 
there  both  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
days.  Their  family  consisted  of  five  children. 

Mrs.  Ticknor  remained  with  her  parents  during 
her  childhood  and  youth,  receiving  a  common- 
school  education,  and  being  trained  to  habits  of 
thrift  and  industry.  Of  her  union  with  our  sub- 
ject, there  have  been  born  four  children.  The  eld- 
est son,  Leroy,  married  Miss  Helen  Farnham,  and 
they  arc  living  on  a  farm  in  Gage  County,  Neb.; 
Elmer  E.  H.  married  Miss  Eva  Bramham,  and  they 
are  living  on  a  farm  in  township  15,  range  11; 
Alena  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Losee,  and  they  live  on 
a  farm  near  Gibbon,  Buffalo  Co.,  Neb.;  Harry  M. 
is  at  home  with  his  parents.  Mr.  Ticknor,  politi- 
cally, is  a  sound  Republican,  in  the  principles  of 
which  party  he  is  fully  engrafted  by  the  example 
of  his  father  and  grandfather  before  him,  who  be- 
longed to  the  old-line  Whigs. 


HARLES  S.  FRENCH,  is  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Mor- 
gan County.  His  property  is  situated  on 
section  2,  township  15,  range  12.  He  was  born  on 
the  25th  of  March,  1851,  to  Samuel  (deceased) 
and  Martha  (Fox)  French,  at  Chapin,  in  this 
county.  His  father  was  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  was  born  on  the  19th  of  November, 
1813.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Morgan  Count}', 
111.  The  paternal  ancestors  of  our  subject  were 
German,  while  on  the  maternal  side  the  family  is 
of  English  descent. 

Samuel  French,  the  father  of  our  subject,  emi- 
grated to  Illinois  in  1837,  came  to  this  county  in 
1839,  and  for  a  number  of  years  lived  upon  a 
rented  farm  near  Jacksonville;  after  which  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  the  present  village  of  Chapin, 
and  settled  thereon.  Here  his  widow  and  younger 
son  still  continue  to  reside.  He  was  twice  marrii'd, 
the  first  alliance  being  with  Nancy  Thompson,  who 
bore  him  four  children,  only  one  of  whom  sur- 
vived, Laura,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  John  A. 
Smith,  also  of  this  county,  The  maiden  name  of 
his  second  wife  was  Martha  Fox,  who  presented 
him  with  two  children, — Charles  S.,  our  subject, 


312 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


and  Arthur  L.,  who  is  residing  on  the  homestead 
near  Chapin.  At  the  time  of  his  settlement  on  the 
above  farm  Mr.  Samuel  French  had  only  about 
&300  or  $400,  but  by  industry,  perseverance  and 
practical  economy  he  accumulated  1,200  acres  of 
land,  well-improved  and  stocked. 

The  decease  of  Samuel  French  occurred  on  the 
25th  of  January,  1878.  He  was  a  man  of  firm 
principle,  unimpeachable  honor,  and  strict  conscien- 
tiousness; all  his  business  dealings  were  marked  by 
such  qualities  as  demanded  and  obtained  the  heartiest 
respect.  He  was  a  public  spirited  man  even  to  the 
extent  of  sacrificing  his  private  interests  where  they 
seemed  to  conflict  with  the  public  weal.  He  was 
one  of  the  representative  citizens  of  the  county. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  thorough  Republican,  but 
latterly  became  a  strong  Prohibitionist.  He  was  a 
consistent  member  and  liberal  supporter  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  and  a  friend  of  every  en- 
terprise of  a  benevolent  or  charitable  nature. 

Charles  S.  French,  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  county.  He 
is  the  possessor  of  a  good  English  education,  re- 
ceived in  that  most  excellent  and  unique  institu- 
tion of  the  American  people,  the  common  school. 
From  his  boyhood  he  was  engaged  in  farming,  and 
made  it  his  chosen  occupation  in  life,  supplementing 
it  by  stock-raising.  He  was  married  on  the  31st 
of  December,  1874,  to  the  lady  of  his  choice, 
Adelia  Anderson,  who  was  born  upon  the  loth  of 
November,  1 852,  in  this  county,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  Alexander  and  Mary  (deceased)  Anderson,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Kentucky  and  Ohio.  In  the 
fall  of  1830  they  emigrated  from  Ohio,  and  since 
that  time  have  been  residents  of  this  county.  Mr. 
Anderson  was  classed  among  the  oldest  pioneer 
farmers  in  the  county,  and  has  always  been  a  stanch 
friend  of  the  Republican  party.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
French  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  whose 
names  are  as  follows:  Rena  M.,  born  Jan.  1,  1876; 
Clarence  A.,  July  1,  1878,  and  Laura,  born  March 
25,  1886. 

In  all  political  matters  our  subject  shows  himself 
a  capable  and  worthy  citizen.  He  is  a  true  and 
stanch  friend  of  the  Republican  party  and  always 
votes  its  ticket.  In  the  spring  of  1887  he  was 
elected  one  of  the  village  -Trustees  of  Chapin,  of 


which  board  he  is  now  President.  He  enjoys  the 
entire  confidence  of  the  community  no  less  as  an 
official  than  as  a  private  citizen.  He  is  the  owner 
of  400  acres  of  land  and  his  farm  is  one  of  the  best 
cultivated  in  the  county.  His  home  also  is  in 
keeping  therewith,  being  most  admirably  situated 
amid  pleasant  surroundings,  and  designed  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  the  domestic  circle.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  French  are  active  members  of  local  society 
and  are  everywhere  well  received,  being  held  in 
high  regard  by  the  community  at  large. 

The  first  man  to  cast  a  vote  for  the  Free-Soil 
ticket  in  Bethel  precinct  was  Samuel  French,  the 
father  of  our  subject.  He  was  always  a  very  strong 
advocate  of  the  temperance  cause  and  active  in  its 
interests.  His  wife  is  a  native  of  Morgan  County, 
111.,  and  was  born  upon  the  18th  of  January,  1832. 
Her  parents.  John  and  Martha  Fox,  were  natives 
of  England.  They  came  to  Morgan  County  in 
1834,  and  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  the  dis- 
trict. She  was  one  of  three  children  born  to 
her  parents,  of  whom  she  and  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Mary  Markillie,  of  Winchester,  111.,  are  the  only 
survivors.  Mr.  Fox  was  a  man  of  large  influence, 
and  for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Church,  and  a  local  preacher,  prominent  in  po- 
litical circles,  but  always  along  the  line  of  reform, 
good,  right  and  true. 


ARTIN  L.  ROBINSON  is  a  fine  represent- 
ative of  the  sons  of  the  old  pioneers  of 
Morgan  County,  who  were  born  and  reared 
within  its  borders,  and  for  several  years 
have  been  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  sustenance 
and  extension  of  its  marvelous  agricultural  re- 
sources. His  farm,  which  is  in  mai\y  respects  one 
of  the  most  desirable  in  the  vicinity,  is  finely  lo- 
cated in  township  16,  section  13,  range  9,  and  on 
section  18,  range  8 ;  is  amply  provided  with  conven- 
iently arranged,  suitable  frame  buildings,  including 
a  comfortable  dwelling,  barn,  corn-cribs,  etc.,  all  in 
good  repair,  and  looking  neat,  and  Substantial.  lie 
has  built  all  of  these  himself,  with  the  exception  of 
a  part  of  the  house  which  stood  on  the  place  when 
it  came  into  his  possession. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


315  ' 


The  subject  of  this  brief  biography  was  born  in 
in  this  county,  on  the  homestead  where  his  father 
still  lives.  His  parents  were  Harrison  and  Eliza- 
beth (Thompson)  Robinson,  pioneers  of  this  county. 

Our  subject  gleaned  a  very  good,  practical  edu- 
cation in  the  district  school,  and  in  his  native 
township  was  reared  to  an  independent,  stalwart, 
manly  manhood.  lie  early  began  to  make  his  own 
wa}-  in  the  world,  and  when  he  was  only  nineteen 
years  old  established  a  home  of  his  own,  marrying, 
Oct.  22,  1872,  Miss  Lydia,  daughter  of  William 
,1.  Lathom,  of  this  county.  (For  parental  history 
see  sketch  of  W.  J.  Lathom  on  another  page  of  this 
volume.)  Mrs  Robinson  is  an  excellent  housewife 
and  has  cooperated  with  her  husband  in  his  work, 
and  has  been  an  important  factor  in  bringing  about, 
his  prosperity.  In  their  pleasant  home  five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them — Carrie,  Anna,  Rhoda, 
Leroy,  and  Pearl. 

Mr.  Robinson  is  a  man  of  unlimited  energy,  ca- 
pacity and  expedience,  who  has  met  success  more 
than  half  way  and  has  already  acquired  a  com- 
l>etence.  His  farm  of  220  acres  is  not  surpassed 
in  cultivation  and  point  of  improvement  by  any 
other  in  the  neighborhood,  and  it  yields  to  his  su- 
perior management  abundant  harvests.  It  is  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  raising  stock,  and  our  subject 
makes  a  specialty  of  feeding  all  the  cattle  that  he 
can  ship  at  home  to  advantage. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson  stand  high  in  the  social 
circles  of  their  community,  and  they  have  one  of 
the  cosiest  and  most  attractive  of  homes,  where  the 
coming  guest  is  cordially  welcomed  and  the  parting 
visitor  kindly  sped,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of 
true  hospitality.  They  have  a  Bne  family  whom 
they  are  educating  and  training  to  be  useful  and 
honorable  members  of  society. 


\¥  OHN  G.  BOBBITT.  A  residence  of  sixty 
years  in  this  county  has  made  this  gentle- 
man quite  well  acquainted  with  its  history, 
//  and  he  has  also  become  well  known  to  a  ma- 
jority of  its  older  residents.  He  was  brought  here 
by  his  parents  when  a  child  five  years  of  age,  and 
spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  amid  the  primitive 


scenes  of  life  on  the  frontier,  practically  growing 
up  with  the  countiy,  with  little  education,  but 
forming  those  habits  of  industry  which  have  served 
him  well  in  his  struggle  with  the  world.  In 
starting  out  for  himself  he  had  no  capital  but  his 
perfect  health  and  strong  hands,  together  with 
sound  common  sense  and  good  judgement,  but 
these  qualities  have  served  him  well  and  he  is  now 
numbered  among  the  independent  farmers  who,  sit- 
ting under  their  own  vine  and  fig  tree,  have  few 
apprehensions  for  the  future,  being  in  possession  of 
a  competence  and  fortified  against  want  in  their 
declining  years. 

The  property  of  Mr.  Bobbitt  embraces  340  acres 
of  choice  land,  located  on  sections  7  and  18,  the 
residence  being  on  the  former.  He  secured  this 
land  in  its  wild  and  uncultivated  state,  and  has 
brought  it  to  its  present  condition  largely  by  the 
labor  of  his  own  hands.  A  native  of  Southern 
Missouri,  he  was  born  Nov.  6,  1824,  and  came 
with  his  father's  family,  to  this  county  in  1829, 
when  but  few  white  men  had  ventured  to  this  re- 
gion from  which  the  Indians  had  not  yet  departed. 
Wild  game  .of  all  kinds  was  plentiful  but  neighbors 
were  few  and  far  between,  and  the  journey  to  mill 
and  market,  performed  frequently  by  the  slow 
means  of  an  ox  team,  was  a  trip  occupying  several 
days.  The  little  family  established  themselves  in 
a  rude  log  cabin,  which  sheltered  them  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  until  their  means  and  circumstances 
enabled  them  to  replace  it  by  a  more  modern 
dwelling. 

William  J.  Bobbitt,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  a  millwright  by 
trade  and  a  natural  mechanic.  He  was  the  son  of 
Southern  parents,  and  his  father  Isham  Bobbitt, 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  from  the  time 
the  feeble  band  of  patriots  took  arms  against  a 
powerful  nation  until  peace  was  declared.  He 
died  in  this  county,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
four  years  old.  William  J.,  inherited  from  his 
honored  sire,  his  talent  of  handling  edged  tools, 
and  became  a  master  mechanic.  Upon  leaving  his 
native  State  he  located  in  Kentucky,  where  in  due 
time  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hale.  This 
lady  was  a  distant  relative  of  the  celebrated  John 
I*.  Hale.  After  their  marriage  the  parents  of  our 


316 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


subject  settled  in  Hopkins ville,  Christinn  Co.,  Ky.. 
where  they  lived  until  after  the  birth  of  two  i-hild- 
reu.  Then  hoping-  to  better  their  financial  condition, 
they  sought  the  Southwest,  locating  in  Madison 
County,  Mo.,  where  the  father  put  up  a  mill  and 
engaged  ns  a  miller  and  general  mechanic  until 
coming  to  this  county. 

The  elder  Bohbitt  now  purchased  forty  acres  of 
land  from  the  Government  and  began  the  construc- 
tion of  a  homestead  in  the  wilderness.  He  lived 
but  seven  years  thereafter,  resting  from  his  earthly 
labors  in  1836,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Regu- 
lar Baptist  Church.  The  wife  survived  her  hus- 
band many  years,  dying  at  the  age  of  Hjventy-six. 
She  was  a  number  of  years  younger  than  he,  and 
of  their  union  there  were  born  eleven  children — 
five  sons  and  six  daughters,  all  of  whom  had  reached 
mature  years  and  married  before  a  death  occurred 
in  the  family.  One  son,  William  C.,  was  waylaid 
and  killed  for  his  rnonejr  in  the  gold  regions  of 
California.  Three  sisters  are  now  deceased,  all  of 
whom  left  families.  The  eldest  brother  living  has 
now  reached  the  advanced  age  of  over  eighty  years 
and  the  youngest  member  of  the  family  is  past 
fifty. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  at  an  early  age  was 
taught  to  make  himself  useful  around  the  pioneer 
homestead.  In  1848  he  established  domestic  ties  of 
his  own,  being  married  to  Miss  Martha  J.  Newton, 
who  was  born  in  Trigg  County,  Ky.,Oct.  22,  1827, 
but  who  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  (which  took 
place  in  Brown  County,  this  State,)  was  a  resident 
of  Bloomington,  111.  Her  parents,  Henry  and  Mar- 
tha (Ezell)  Newton  were  natives  of  Virginia,  and 
are  long  since  deceased.  Henry  Newton  was  twice 
married  and  was  the  father  of  a  large  family. 
Mrs.  Bobbitt  was  a  daughter  of  the  first  wife,  who 
died  when  comparatively  a  young  woman.  She 
lived  with  her  father  and  her  sister  Mary,  princi- 
pally in  this  county,  growing  up  with  a  limited  ed- 
ucation. In  those  early  days  the  plan  of  the  pres- 
ent school  system  had  not  been  developed,  for  the 
children  were  scattered  over  the  desolate  country 
at  such  distances  as  to  prevent  a  common  meeting 
ground.  Only  armed  men  would  traverse  the 
lonely  paths  leading  from  one  cabin  to  another. 


Mrs.  Bobbitt  like  her  husband,  was  taught  to  make 
herself  useful  at  an  early  age,  learning  to  l>e  a  good 
house-keeper  and  to  perform  all  those  duties  neces- 
sary to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  the  household. 
Of  the  three  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bob- 
bitt, one  son,  Louis  M.,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
four  years,  in  township  15,  range  10.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Ellen  Busey,  who  survives  him. 
They  had  two  children  —  Walter  N  ,  and  John  C. 
Mary  L..  became  the  wife  of  J.  B.  Holliday,  and 
the3'  are  living  on  a  farm  in  township  15,  range  1  1. 
They  have  four  children  —  Ralf,  Mable,  Charles  L., 
and  Frank  S.  Hattie  E.,  remains  at  home  with  her 
parents;  she  is  a  very  intelligent  young  lady, 
greatly  interested  in  music.  Mrs.  Bobbitt  and  her 
children  belong  to  the  Christian  Church.  Our 
subject,  politically,  was  in  former  years  a  Demo- 
crat, but  his  warm  interest  in  the  temperance  move- 
ment has  since  led  him  to  identify  himself  with  the 
Prohibitionists. 

This  volume  will  be  cherished  by  its  possessors, 
not  only  on  account  of  its  historical  value,  but  al- 
so as  presenting  to  view  the  familiar  faces  of  old 
friends.  Among  all  these  the  portrait  of  Mr.  Bob- 
bitt is  important,  as  delineating  a  pioneer  and 
prominent  resident  of  Morgan  County. 


RS.  WESLEY  MATHERS,  who  was  born 
at  Warsaw,  Ky.,  Sept.  25,  1827,  was  the 
youngest  of  six  children  of  Henry  and 
Millicent  (Vates)  Yates.  These  children 
who  have  grown  up  and  taken  their  places  in  hon- 
orable walks  of  life  nre  as  follows:  Thomas  Yates, 
and  Richard.  Ex-Governor  of  Illinois,  deceased; 
Aimer,  who  until  recently  resided  in  Jacksonville, 
but  now  lives  at  Yates  Centre,  Kan.,  a  town  platted 
by  and  named  after  him;  Martha,  the  wife  of  John 
Scott,  of  Berlin,  in  this  State:  Jane,  now  Mrs.  F. 
H.  Elliott,  also  living  in  Berlin;  and  Millicent  our 
subject. 

Henry  Yates,  the  father  of  our  subject,  and  also 
his  wife  are  natives  of  Virginia.  In  the  env]y  days 
of  their  married  life  they  emigrated  to  Kentucky, 
and  resided  at  Warsaw,  where  our  subject  was  born. 
About  the  year  1830,  Mr.  Y^ates  came  to  Spring- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


317 


I 


field,  in  this  State,  and  remained  for  a  few  years  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  pursuits.  Closing  up  his 
business  he  removed  into  the  country  in  the  same 
county  and  bought  a  tract  of  land  and  there 
founded  both  old  and  new  Berlin.  At  the  time 
when  the  Wabash  railroad  was  built  the  cars  were 
drawn  by  horses,  and  thus  came  into  town.  There 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the 
year  1866.  He  carried  on  until  that  time  a  flour- 
ishing business  in  Berlin,  and  was  enabled  to  give 
each  of  his  children  a  good  start  in  the  same  place. 
The  first  wife  of  Mr.  Yates  died  at  Warsaw;  in 
the  same  town  he  was  remarried,  the  name  of  the 
lady  being  Mary  Ann  Snuff,  a  native  of  that  place. 
There  was  one  child  born  to  them  to  whom  the 
name  of  Henry  was  given.  He  was  educated  at 
Jacksonville,  and  subsequently  engaged  in  business 
with  his  father,  in  which  he  continued  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  War,  when  he  entered  the  Union 
service,  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  26th 
Regiment,  and  after  some  months  was  promoted 
to  be  Colonel  of  the  Regiment.  The  second 
wife  of  Mr.  Yates  died  at  Berlin.  Subsequently  he 
wns  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  McMillan,  of  that 
town.  This  lady  was  a  first  cousin  of  his  second 
wife.  Of  this  union  there  were  born  six  children: 
William,  John,  Hawes,  (the  family  name  of  the  great 
grandmother),  Marshall,  Mary,  and  James,  who 
died  in  infancy.  The  others  came  to  mature  years, 
but  are  all  dead  excepting  John,  who  resides  in 
Allburg,  Iowa,  and  Hawes  in  Jacksonville. 
Wesley  Mathers  the  husband  of  our  subject,  now 
deceased,  was  born  on  the  17th  of  October,  1821, 
near  the  city  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  to  Wesley  and 
Mary  Ann  (Drennan)  Mathers,  and  was  the  young- 
est child  of  four,  viz:  John,  Mary  Ann,  Eliza  and 
Wesley.  Mr.  Mather,  Sr.,  came  with  his  family 
to  this  country  and  settled  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  in 
1823,  but  removed  to  Jacksonville  in  the  year 
1830,  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1 852.  His  wife  survived  him  about  one 
year.  After  the  death  of  his  parents,  Wesley  was 
married  to  our  subject,  the  event  being  celebrated 
on  the  30th  of  May,  1854,  at  Berlin,  Sangamon 
Count}-.  He  brought  his  wife  to  Jacksonville,  to 
his  home  on  East  State  street,  which  has  since  that 
time  been  the  family  residence.  Of  this  marriage 


one  daughter — Marietta,  was  born  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1857,  and  has  always  lived  at  home.  She 
graduated  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal  College,  at 
Jacksonville,  1875,  and  became  the  wife  of  Fred- 
erick Harvey  Rowe,  of  Poultney,  Vt.  in  the  year 
1884. 

Both  families  represented  in  the  above  have  been 
prominent  in  the  State  and  have  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  work  of  building  up  that  section  thereof 
with  which  they  were  more  immediately  connected. 
They  have  always  moved  in  the  best  of  society  and 
enjoyed  to  an  unusual  degree  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  the  community,  which  has  been  in  nowise 
denied  to  the  lad}',  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Her  life,  temperament,  disposition,  education  and 
culture  all  bespeak  and  insure  for  her  the  highest 
regard  of  all,  more  especially  those  who  have  the 
honor  to  know  her  best.  The  various  trials  of  her 
life  not  excluding  her  bereavement,  have  been  borne 
in  a  spirit  of  Christian  resignation  and  womanly 
fortitude,  that  while  exciting  the  sympathy  at  the 
same  time  won  the  respectful  admiration  of  her 
friends. 


,,OBERT  NEWBY  owns  and  operates  a  fine 
farm  on  sections  21  and  22,  township  15, 
i'  range  1 1.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising,  and  has  lived  on  his 
present  farm  since  1856.  Since  he  bought  his 
place  he  has  made  many  improvements  on  it,  and 
all  these  show  the  marks  of  ingenuity  and  enterprise. 
He  has  made  his  farm  a  model  one  for  the  purposes 
of  breeding  stock. 

Mr.  Newby  has  been  a  resident  of  Morgan 
County  since  the  spring  of  1833,  coming  here  from 
Pennsylvania  with  his  parents.  He  was  born  in 
Yorkshire,  England,  Aug.  12,  1827.  His  parents, 
John  and  Hannah  (Green)  Newby,  were  also  na- 
tives of  Yorkshire,  and  there  were  married.  John 
Newby  was  a  mechanic,  having  learned  a  trade 
while  a  young  man.  He  was  the  father  of  only 
two  children,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  England: 
Robert,  and  a  daughter,  Sarah,  now  deceased,  and 
who  died  in  Macoupin  County.  111.,  in  1882.  She 
was  twice  married,  having  children  only  by  her 
first  husband,  Mr.  Thomas  Wheat.  In  the  spring 


I 


318 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


t 


of  1831  John  Newby  and,  his  wife  concluded  to 
try  their  fortunes  in  the  New  World,  when  they 
took  passage  on  a  sailing-vessel  from  Liverpool, 
and  landed  in  Baltimore,  after  a  voyage  which 
covered  nine  weeks  and  six  days.  In  Baltimore 
John  Newb}'  was  occupied  as  a  house  carpenter, 
but  later  removed  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.  At  that  time 
the  vmisrration  to  Illinois  was  large.  The  reputa- 
tion of  its  virgin  prairies,  coupled  with  the  easy 
manner  of  procuring  land  by  pre-empting  it  and 
after  a  nominal  residence,  paying  but  $1.25  an 
acre,  all  these  induced  Mr.  Newby  to  emigrate  to 
the  new  State.  He  accordingly  located  in  town- 
15  and  range  1 1,  where  he  made  his  home  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newby  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  were  consistent  Christians. 
Mr.  Newby  was  a  Republican  in  polities.  His  wife 
followed  him  to  the  "rave  in  18x2,  and  at  the  time 
of  her  death  was  about  eighty-two  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Robert  Newby.  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch,  lived  at  home  until  he  became  of  age.  and 
has  always  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  was  first  married  in  Morgan  County  to  Miss 
Hall,  who  was  born  here  of  English  parentage. 
Her  father  and  mother,  William  and  Mary  (Kil- 
ham)  Hall,  are  both  deceased,  They  died  in  this 
county,  where  they  settled  at  an  early  day,  having 
emigrated  from  England.  Their  daughter,  Mrs. 
Mary  Newby,  died  in  1K74.  She  was  a  Christian 
woman,  being  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  in  which  religious  organization  she  took  great 
interest.  She  left  six  children  to  mourn  her  loss, 
four  of  whom  are  living:  Robert  F.  is  at  home, 
and  is  assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  his 
farm;  Mary  E.,  (1.  Albert,  and  Emma  J.  arc  also 
at  home;  John  W.  was  killed  by  a  horse,  which 
became  frightened,  and  rearing  up,  fell  upon  him, 
injuring  John  so  badly  that  he  died  five  days  after 
the  accident.  His  death  occurred  in  1885.  He  was 
a  single  man,  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  and  was 
employed  by  a  cattle  rancher.  Charles  L.  married 
Miss  Sarah  Moody,  and  died  in  this  county  in 
1880.  He  left  a  wife  and  one  child. 

Mi-.  Newby  took  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Julia 
A.  McGinuis.  She  was  born  in  Morgan  County, 
in  1851,  and  lived  here  up  to  the  time  of  her  mar- 


riage. She  is  the  daughter  of  American  parents, 
both  of  whom  are  deceased.  She  is  the  mother  of 
four  children,  whose  names  follow:  Lodella,  Walter 
U.,  Clarence,  and  Emily.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newby 
are  communicants  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  politically,  Mr.  Newby  is  a  stanch 
Democrat.  He  is  not  what  may  be  termed  a  politi- 
cian, but  takes  interest  in  public  affairs,  as  all 
wide-awake  and  intelligent  citizens  should. 


>HOMAS  BUTLER,  whose  place  among  the 
prosperous  and  progressive  farmers  and 
stock-raisers  of  Morgan  County  is  unques- 
tioned, resides  on  section  21  of  township  14.  He 
was  born  near  the  ancient  city  of  Chester,  England, 
in  the  year  of  1832.  He  was  the  fourth  child  in 
a  family  of  eight  born  to  William  and  Mary 
(Sheffield)  Butler  both  of  whom  were  born  in  the 
same  country.  His  father  followed  the  avocation 
of  farming  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
and  died  in  the  year  1871.  His  wife  survived  un- 
til the  year  1885,  and  during  that  time  did  every- 
thing in  her  power  to  fill  the  place  of  both  parents 
to  the  children  that  had  been  given  her. 

Our  subject  was  raised  upon  a  farm,  and  from 
his  earliest  years  fulfilled  various  tasks  of  ever 
increasing  magnitude  and  importance,  until  lie  was 
enabled  to  take  charge  of  any  department  of  agri- 
cultural labor; his  education  was  received  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  England.  He  came  to  this  country 
when  twenty-six  years  of  age,  bringing  with  him  his 
wife  and  family.  He  had  been  married  in  the  year 
1858  to  Miss  Sarali  Filkin.  This  lady  was  born  in 
the  year  1833  near  Chester,  England,  and  was  the 
fifth  of  nine  children,  who  comprised  the  family 
of  Richard  and  Elizabeth  (Fisher)  Filkin. 

Mr.  Butler  sailed  from  Liverpool  in  the  year 
1858  on  the  Ocean  Monarch,  a  sailing  vessel  that 
occupied  three  full  weeks  in  making  the  trip; 
partly  owing  to  the  rough  weather  encountered 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  passage,  which 
we  may  rest  assured  did  not  greatly  assist  in  mak- 
ing those  who  were  on  shipboard  for  the  first  time, 
feel  at  home  and  in  no  wise  added  to  the  comfort 
of  their  ocean  experiences.  Landing  at  Castle 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


319 


Garden,  New  York  City,  they  came  direct  to 
Morgan  Count}',  arriving  on  the  12th  of  Juno, 
1K58.  They  finally  determined  to  settle  in  Lynn- 
ville,  in  this  county,  and  there  made  their  home 
for  about  two  years,  when  they  removed  to  a  farm 
at  Franklin,  and  remained  for  a  like  period.  From 
that  place  they  went  to  Woodson  and  remained  for 
one  year. 

About  that  time  our  subject  made  his  first  pur- 
chase, buying  eighty  acres  of  improved  land  in 
township  13,  and  operated  the  same  for  about  two 
years.  In  1866  an  additional  eighty  was  pur- 
chased, situated  on  section  22,  township  14.  This 
also  was  improved  land,  and  upon  it  the  family 
lived  for  eight  years.  In  1874,  he  was  enabled  to 
buy  a  farm  of  1 60  acres  of  well-improved  land, 
which  is  that  upon  which  he  now  resides.  He  lias 
retained  possession  of  his  former  purchases  and  is 
therefore  the  owner  of  240  acres,  situated  on  sec- 
tions 21  and  22.  His  farm  is  stocked  with  good 
full  blooded  Short-horn  cattle  and  a  large  number 
of  Berkshire  and  Poland-China  hogs. 

In  political  matters  our  subject  is  not  very 
active,  although  on  the  other  hand  he  is  not  neg- 
lectful of  his  duties  as  a  citizen  and  usually  votes 
with  the  Democratic  party.  For  several  years  our 
subject  has  been  one  of  the  (School  Directors  and 
holds  that  office  at  the  present  time.  The  religious 
home  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Butler  is  in  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  which  they  have  been  devoted  mem- 
bers from  their  youth. 

There  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler 
seven  children,  whose  names  are  as  follows: 
Samuel  Mil  ford,  William  Ritchie,  Charles  Edwin, 
Thomas  Henry,  Beatrice  Elenor,  John  Simpson, 
and  Edna  Jane.  Samuel  M.  is  married  and  resides 
in  this  county;  the  remainder  of  the  family  still 
reside  at  home — the  two  youngest  are  attending 
school. 

Mr.  Butler  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Mor- 
gan County  and  despite  many  difficulties  in  the 
beginning  and  that  it  was  hard  work  in  obtaining 
his  start,  he  has  continuously  progressed  from  the 
very  first.  Slowly  he  accumulated  sufficient  to 
make  his  first  purchase  and  from  that  time  he  has 
gone  on  more  rapidly  until  he  occupies  a  place 
.as  onepf  the  mostsucccssful  fanners  in  the  county. 


:  He  takes  a  lively  interest  in  ill  matters  pertaining 
to  the  promotion  of  educational  and  religious 
affairs  and  is  never  weary  of  well-doing  in  this 
direction.  He  is  proud  of  the  growth  of  Morgan 
County,  and  is  happy  that  it  has  been  his  privilege 
to  help  at  least  in  some  measure  to  that  end. 


ALLIE  (HEAD)  WRIGHT  relict  of  James 
Wright,  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Ky., 
on  the  25th  of  December,  1811.  Poets 
have  sung  of  the  vicarious  suffering  of  man; 
painters  have  made  their  canvas  eloquent  with 
lights  and  shadows  of  human  endeavor,  historians 
have  recorded  in  imperishable  words  the  deeds  of 
heroes,  but  when  the  history  of  this  great  land 
shall  have  been  stripped  of  prejudice,  and  truth 
in  its  simplicity  recorded,  the  brave  suffering  pio- 
neer mother  will  stand  as  the  synonym  of  grand 
character.  Leaving  the  comforts  of  civilization, 
and  the  happy  scenes  of  childhood,  bidding  farewell 
to  the  sacred  ties  that  cluster  around  associations 
that  appeal  to  the  better,  higher  and  nobler  feel- 
ings, she  exhibited  a  bravery  that  would  put  to 
blush  the  deeds  of  the  soldier  of  Gettysburg  or  the 
adamantine  heroism  at  Thermopyhe.  The  lady 
whose  name  initiates  this  sketch  is  a  typical  pio- 
neer mother,  a  class  of  early  settlers  whose  suffer- 
ings are  entitled  to  a  place  on  record  not  a  whit 
below  the  husband.  With  finer  nature*  their  pri- 
vations were  more  acute,  and  a  fair-minded  writer 
of  history  can  make  no  distinction  between  the 
sexes. 

Mrs.  Wright's  father,  John  Head,  was  born  in 
Culpeper  County,  Va..  May  23,  1788,  and  died, 
Aug.  7,  1850.  Her  mother  was  a  native  of  Frank- 
lin, County,  Ky.  In  this  family  were  ten  children, 
a  history  of  whom  is  herewith  given.  Those  liv- 
ing are  William,  Permelia  A.,  Henry  H.,  and  Sallie. 

William  was  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was 
Sarah  Norris,  of  Scott  County,  Ky.  His  second 
wife  was  Anastasia  Norris,  of  Scott  County,  Ky., 
by  whom  he  had  seven  children.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent minister  of  the  Baptist  Church;  Permelia  A. 
married  George  Triplett,  of  Franklin  County,  Ky. 
He  was  born  in  1808  and  died  in  1887,  while  the 


320 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


date  of  his  wife's  birth  was  1809.  Mr.  Triplett 
was  politically  prominent  in  the  State  of  Kentucky. 
He  served  in  both  Houses  of  the  Legislature,  and 
when  the  South  seceded  he  was  sent  to  the  Con- 
federate Congress,  a  position  he  resigned  to  enter 
the  Rebel  Army  under  Gen.  Breckenridge.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  native  place, 
and  immediately  assumed  his  old  place  in  the  pol- 
itical world.  He  was  mainly  instrumental  in 
electing  Samuel  McCreary  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  after  which  he  was  chosen  to  the  position 
of  County  Judge.  He  was  the  father  of  ten  chil- 
dren; Henry  H.,  is  a  fanner  in  Davis  County,  Ky. 

Mrs.  Wright  was  married  to  James  Wright,  of 
Franklin  County,  Ky.,  Sept.  25,  1830,  and  in  a  few 
clays  subsequent  to  that  event  they  started  for 
Morgan  County,  a  distance  of  350  miles,  the  whole 
distance  being  covered  on  horse-back.  Mr.  Wright 
was  born  in  1794  and  died  March  13,  1872. 
His  parents  came  from  Culpeper  County,  Va.,  and 
were  of  Irish  and  Welsh  ancestry.  His  father  was 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  served  seven  years 
under  Gen.  Washington. 

Mrs.  Sallie  Wright  was  the  mother  of  eleven 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  living — William  H., 
John  A.,  George  M.,  Permelia  A.,  Alexander  H., 
Thomas  B.,  Maggie  K.,  and  Benjamin  F.  William 
II.  married  Leonora  Reinbach,  of  Morgan  County, 
and  lives  in  Jacksonville.  He  is  President  of  the 
Franklin  Bank,  and  is  reckoned  as  one  of  the  solid 
men  of  this  section  of  the  State.  In  early  life  he 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  and  was  140  days 
on  the  road,  arriving  there  March  10,  1853.  lie 
was  transported  by  an  ox  team.  He  left  Califor- 
nia Oct.  3,  1863,  and  returned  by  the  way  of  Pan- 
amn,  arriving  at  the  old  homestead  in  Morgan 
County,  Nov.  5,  1863.  He  then  directed  his  at- 
tention to  farming  and  at  intervals  taught  school. 
He  was  elected  Treasurer  of  Morgan  County,  and 
served  eleven  years,  after  which  he  filled  the  office 
of  Deputy  Sheriff  for  four  years.  He  was  married 
June  10,  1884,  and  is  the  father  of  two  children- 
Leonora  B.  and  William  H.  John  A.  married  Pau- 
lina Ilarney,  of  Morgan  County;  George  M.  a  retired 
farmer,  married  Catherine  Ward,  and  is  the  father 
of  five  children — William  E.,  Effle,  Charles,  Myrtle, 
Kinmiie  May.  Permelia.  married  George  N.  Boul- 


\varo.  They  have  four  children — Ma}',  Sallie, 
George  W.,  and  Maggie.  Thomas  B.  married 
Anna  Reinbach.  He  is  a  stock-dealer  and  a  farmer; 
Maggie  married  Dr.  William  E.  Mauley,  a  physi- 
cian, of  Franklin.  They  have  two  children — Carl 
W.,  and  an  infant,  Mary  Z.  Benjamin  F.  married 
Sallie  Hill,  of  Morgan  County.  He  is  a  commer- 
cial traveler  and  lives  in  Jacksonville,  and  is  the 
father  of  two  children — Emma  and  Alfred. 

Mr.  James  Wright,  husband  of  her  of  whom  this 
sketch  is  written,  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  was  the 
owner  of  a  small  farm  of  eighty  acres,  though  at 
his  decease,  his  holdings  covered  500  acres.  He 
was  a  man  noted  for  his  sympathetic  nature,  a  kind 
husband  and  a  good  citizen.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church. 


yg^gffSSSSr. 

ORATIO  R.  GREEN.  The  subject  of  this 
notice  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light 
within  the  limits  of  this  county  April  2» 
1834,  during  the  period  of  its  early  settle- 
ment. His  early  education  was  conducted  in  the 
primitive  schools,  but  later  he  attended  school  at 
Jacksonville,  and  at  the  Berean  College;  and  these 
advantages,  in  addition  to  his  natural  inclination 
of  observing  what  was  going  on  around  him  in  the 
world,  have  contributed  to  make  him  an  intelligent 
and  well-informed  man.  He  is  the  offspring  of  a 
good  family,  and  occupies  no  secondary  position 
among  the  leading  men  of  this  part  of  the  State. 

Stephen  Green,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Ohio,  where  he  lived  until  a  lad  of  fourteen 
years.  He  then  came  with  his  parents,  John  and 
Susan  Green,  to  Illinois,  of  which  he  remained  a 
resident  until  his  decease,  Jan.  4,  1889,  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years,  he  having  been  born  in  1808.  The 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Cynthia  Riggs, 
passed  away  a  number  of  years  prior  to  the  decease 
of  her  husband,  April  8,  1878.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  of  Scotch  origin, 
and  married  a  lad}'  of  German  descent. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there  were  born 
eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  The  eldest 
daughter,  Louisa,  married  John  Potts,  of  Greene 
County,  this  State,  who  is  now  a  retired  farmer 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


321 


living  in  Jacksonville,  and  doing  an  extensive  busi- 
ness as  a  dealer  in  live-stock,  mostly  thorough-bred 
Short-horn  cattle.  Franklin  left  Illinois  about 
1850  and  went  to  Oregon,  but  he  is  now  living  in 
Washington;  he  married  a  Missouri  lady,  and 
operates  a  ranch,  keeping  large  numbers  of  horses 
and  cattle.  Horatio,  our  subject,  was  the  third  child; 
Austin  married  Miss  Mary  Rector,  of  this  county, 
and  carries  on  farming;  Elvira  married  Oliver 
Culley,  of  Indiana,  who  is  now  a  farmer  and  stock  - 
raiser  of  this  county.  Marshall  was  first  married 
to  Miss  Anna  Dolby,  who  died  leaving  three  chil- 
dren— Frank,  Nathan,  and  Alice;  he  was  then  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Lizzie  Wagoner,  of  this  count}7,  where 
they  reside  on  a  farm.  Oliver  married  Miss  Mattie 
Cheeney,  and  is  connected  with  the  stock-yards  of 
Kansas  City,  Mo.;  they  have  one  child,  Mamie. 
Cynthia  is  unmarried,  and  lives  in  Jacksonville. 

Tlio  subject  of  this  biography  was  married  in 
1863,  to  Miss  Mary  O'Neal,  who  was  born  April 
13,  1838,  in  this  county,  and  who  died  Dec.  24, 
1884.  The  seven  children  born  of  this  union  are 
all  living.  They  were  named  respectively:  Ed- 
ward ().,  Laura  J.,  Thomas  S.,  Amy  R.,  Effle  M., 
Scott  1?.,  and  Mary  E.  Thomas  is  a  student  of  the 
university  at  Champaign,  and  Amy  R.  is  attending 
the  Female  Seminary  at  Jacksonville;  the  other 
children  are  at  home  with  their  father.  The  O'- 
Neal family  were  of  Irish  descent,  and  came  to 
Illinois  from  Kentucky. 

At  the  time  the  father  of  our  subject  came  to 
this  county  it  was  very  thinly  settled,  he  being 
among  its  earliest  pioneers.  He  took  up  eighty 
acres  of  Government  land,  and  was  greatly  pros- 
pered in  liis  labors  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  At  the 
time  of  his  decease  he  was  the  owner  of  535  acres, 
all  improved  and  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 
Besides  this  he  owned  a  $12,000  home  in  Jackson- 
ville. He  was  a  man  benevolent,  kind,  and  hospit- 
able, with  an  open  hand  to  aid  the  poor  and  un- 
fortunate, and  was  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  Originally  a  Whig,  politically,  he 
biter  joined  the  Republican  party,  and  was  recog- 
nized by  his  fellow-citizens  as  one  of  the  most  use- 
ful members  of  his  community. 

Mr.  Green,  our  subject,  owns,  besides  his  home- 
stead of  200  acres,  335  acres  of  which  h,e  farms  a 


part,  and  rents  a  pait  for  pasture.  He  has  good 
buildings  at  the  home  place,  and  all  the  convenien- 
iences  of  modern  country  life.  He  keeps  a  goodly 
assortment  of  live-stock  —  horses,  cattle,  and  swine 
—  :ind  avails  himself  of  modern  methods,  and  the 
latest  improved  machinery  in  carrying  on  his  farm. 
Politically,  like  his  honored  father,  he  votes  the 
straight  Republican  ticket,  but  is  not  a  member  of 
any  church.  Mrs.  Green  belonged  to  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  at  Jacksonville.  Mr.  Green,  aside 
from  serving  as  School  Director  in  his  district,  has 
had  very  little  to  do  with  public  affairs,  but  is  a 
member  of  the  Anti-Horse  Thief  Association  at 
Jacksonville. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Green  died  when  she  was  an 
infant,  but  the  father  lived  until  a  few  years  ago. 
The  parental  household  included  eight  children,  of 
whom  only  three  are  living:  Melvina  married 
James  Clark,  an  architect  of  this  county,  and  they 
are  living  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.;  Ruth  is  the  wife 
of  Dwight  Graves,  a  farmer  and  stockman  of  this 
county;  they  have  three  children  —  Thomas,  Will- 
iam, and  Charles.  Bryant  married  Miss  Mary 
Arrt,  of  this  county,  and  they  live  on  a  farm  in 
Iowa. 


ni,ENJAMIN  F.  MOSS.  For  the  long  period 
I^R  of  sixty-two  years  the  face  of  Mr.  Moss  has 
been  familiar  to  the  older  residents  of  this 
county,  to  which  he  came  in  the  fall  of 
1827.  Twenty  years  of  this  time  he  hns  been  Post- 
master at  Concord,  and  about  that  length  of  time 
has  been  engaged  in  general  merchandising.  lie  is 
a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence  and  busi- 
ness capacities,  and  while  with  every  other  enter- 
prising and  progressive  citizen,  he  has  watched 
with  interest  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
Great  West,  he  has  at  the  same  time  contributed 
manfully  in  bringing  his  adopted  county  to  its  pres- 
ent position  among  the  communities  of  Central  Illi- 
nois. In  the  meantime  he  spent  a  few  years  both 
in  Fulton  and  Peoria  counties,  but  finally  chose 
Morgan  as  the  scene  of  his  future  operations,  and 
within  whose  limits  he  has  been  content  to  invest 
his  labor  and  his  capital. 

In  glancing  at  the  early  history  of  our  subject, 


322 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


we  tint!  that  he  was  horn  in  Bedford  County,  Middle 
Tenn.,  Jan.  13,  1822.  and  he  is  consequently  now 
past  the  sixty  seventh  year  of  his  age.  His  father, 
William  Moss,  a  native  of  one  of  the  Carolinas,  was 
the  son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Galloway)  Moss,  who 
traced  their  ancestry  to  England  and  Wales.  John 
Moss  wns  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  coming  to 
Illinois  in  1829,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  joined 
his  son,  William,  who  had  emigrated  to  this  locality 
several  years  before,  being  the  first  member  of  the 
family  to  remove  from  their  native  State.  Grand- 
father Moss  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  days  in  this  county,  and  lived  to  the  advanced 
ages  of  ninety-one  and  ninety-four  years  respect- 
ively. They  were  upright  in  their  lives,  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Regular  Baptist  Church. 

Grandfather  Moss  and  his  estimable  wife  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, of  whom  William,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
the  eldest  born.  Most  of  them  lived  to  mature  years, 
and  were  married.  William  was  reared  in  South 
Carolina  and  Middle  Tennessee,  and  when  reach- 
ing man's  estate,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Rachel  Brat  ton.  This  lady  was  the  daughter  of 
Benjamin  F.  and  Mary  (Hill)  Bratton,  who  were 
natives  of  one  of  the  Carolinas,  and  were  early  sel- 
lers of  Middle  Tennessee.  Later,  like  the  Moss 
family,  they  came,  about  1817,  to  Illinois  Terri- 
tory-, the  year  prior  to  its  admission  into  the  Union 
as  a  State.  They  located  in  Bond  County,  where  the 
death  of  Mr.  Bratton  occurred  a  few  years  later. 
Subsequently  his  wife  came  to  this  county,  and  here 
spent  her  last  days;  both  lived  to  be  quite  well  ad- 
vanced in  years. 

William  Moss,  after  his  marriage,  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Tennessee,  where  he  lived  until  after  be- 
coming the  father  of  eight  children.  He  then,  in 
1827,  came  with  his  family  to  this  county,  locating 
in  township  16,  range  11,  where  he  opened  a  farm 
from  the  wilderness,  and  built  up  a  comfortable 
home,  upon  which  both  he  and  his  wife  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  days.  The  latter  died  when 
only  fifty-three  years  old,  but  William  Moss  lived 
to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two.  Their  family 
consisted  of  seventeen  children,  ten  sons  and  seven 
d:i lighters,  of  whom  Benjamin  F.,  our  subject,  was 
the  fifth  child.  For  a  good  many  years  the  parents 


and  all  the  children  were  living,  and  nearly  all  of 
the  latter  lived  to  become  men  and  women.  Benja- 
min F.  was  but  a  child  when  the  family  came  to 
this  county,  and  he,  like  his  brothers  and  sisters, 
although  attaining  only  a  limited  education,  wiis 
trained  to  those  habits  of  industry  and  principles 
of  honor  which  made  of  him  an  honest  man,  and  a 
good  citizen. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Martha  A. 
Martin,  took  place  in  this  county  in  1848.  Mrs. 
Moss  was  born  in  Wood  ford  County,  Ky.,  March 
13,  1829,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  and  Italy 
(Hammond)  Martin,  who  were  likewise  natives  of 
that  State,  and  the  father  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
They  left  the  Blue  Grass  State  about  1 829,  and  com- 
ing to  this  county,  located  in  township  16,  range 
1 1,  where  the  father  improved  a  farm  from  the  for- 
est. He  only  lived  about  twenty  years  after  the  re- 
moval, passing  away  in  1849,  at  the  age  of  fifty 
years.  His  first  wife  had  died  several  years  previ- 
ously, and  he  contracted  a  second  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  Brown,  who  survived  him  some  years. 

Mrs.  Moss  was  quite  young  at  the  time  of  her 
mother's  death,  and  lived  with  her  father  and  step- 
mother until  her  marriage.  Her  first  born,  a  son, 
F.  Edgar,  died  when  five  weeks  old;  Oscar  was 
taken  from  the  home  circle  when  a  promising  lad 
of  eight  years;  Eddie  the  third  and  last  child,  died 
when  two  years  old.  After  their  marriage,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Moss  lived  for  a  time  at  Peoria,  where  our 
subject  engaged  as  a  carpenter.  In  1850  they  re- 
moved to  Farmington,  Fulton  County,  where  the}1 
sojourned  eight  years,  and  Mr.  Moss  dealt  in  chain 
pumps.  Finally  Ire  returned  to  this  county,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  home. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  1862,  the  Civil  War  being 
in  progress,  our  subject  enlisted  as  a  Union  sold- 
ier in  Company  B,  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  under 
command  of  Capt.  N.  B.  Brown  and  Col.  Charles 
H.  Fox.  Mr.  Moss  proceeded  with  his  regiment  to 
the  front,  and  met  the  enemy  in  several  hard-fought 
battles.  At  Holly  Springs,  the  101st  was  detailed 
for  special  duty,  after  which  nearly  five  companies 
were  captured  by  the  rebels,  but  were  soon  after- 
ward paroled  and  exchanged.  Our  subject  subse- 
quently joined  his  regiment  at  Union  City,  near 
Columbus,  West  Tenn.,  and  shortly  afterward  they 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


323 


were  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  un- 
der Hooker's  general  command,  and  were  held  in 
reserve  at  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge.  Afterward 
the}'  were  sent  to  relieve  Gen.  Burnside,  at  Knox- 
ville.  We  next  find  them  at  Chattanooga,  and 
later  at  Ivelley's  Ferry  and  Bridgeport,  Ala. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  1864,  the  101st  started  for 
Atlanta  with  the  20th  Army  Corps  under  Gen. 
Hooker,  and  on  the  way  fought  at  the  battle  of 
Resaca  and  New  Hope  Church,  during  which  Com- 
pany B,  was  in  the  front  line,  and  exposed  to  the 
full  fire  of  the  enemy.  Our  subject,  however,  lived 
to  meet  the  rebels  again  at  Kenesaw  Mountain  and 
Peachtree  Creek,  and  on  the  25th  of  July,  1804,  en- 
countered the  enemy  at  Atlanta.  At  this  place 
Mr.  Moss  received  a  gunshot  wound  in  the  leg 
above  the  ankle,  and  was  sent  to  Nashville,  Tenn., 
where  lie  suffered  amputation  twice.  Being  of  ro- 
bust constitution,  he  survived  the  shock  of  the  two 
oi>erations,  and  lived  to  receive  his  honorable  dis- 
charge, and  to  return  home.  He  was  appointed 
Postmaster  at  Concord  in  1866,  which  office  he  has 
since  held  with  the  exception  of  about  eighteen 
months.  He  established  himself  as  a  general  mer- 
chant in  1870,  and  is  now  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances. He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  with  his 
excellent  wife,  in  religious  matters  inclines  to  Uni- 
versalist  doctrines. 


J^jOHN  MORRISON  is  one  of  the  oldest  living 
i  settlers  of  Morgan  County.  He  is  a  native 
'  of  Ohio,  and  was  born  Feb.  4,  1815,  in  what 
'  is  now  known  as  Wyandotte  County.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (McCorklin)  Morri- 
son. .His  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  is 
said  to  be  of  English  descent.  In  the  fall  of  1832, 
with  his  parents  he  emigrated  to  what  is  now 
known  as  Scott  County,  111.,  and  settled  near  Ox- 
ville,  and  there  they  both  died.  They  were  among 
those  people  who  came  to  Illinois  to  seek  better 
homes,  and  to  gain  an  independence,  and  they  found 
both.  When  they  died  the}'  .'eft  to  their  children 
a  good  property  and  the  heritage  of  a  good  name. 
Little  did  they  expect  that  a  busy  empire  was  to 
spring  up  in  the  wilderness  that  surrounded  them 


when  they  came  to  this  great  State.  They  reared 
a  large  family  of  children,  of  whom  the  following 
survive:  Robert  lives  in  Iowa;  John;  Henry  B. 
lives  in  .McLean  County,  111.,  and  Richard  in  Hutch- 
inson,  Kan. 

John  Morrison  of  whom  this  is  written,  was  prac- 
tically reared  in  Ohio  and  Scott  County,  III.,  and 
was  denied  the  privilege  of  properly  gaining  an 
education,  but  he  persevered,  reading  all  that  came 
in  his  way  until  he  became  a  self-educated  man. 
He  was  married  Dec.  31,  1840,  to  Sarah  Coultns,  a 
native  of  England.  She  was  born  March  31, 1821, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Richard  and  Sarah  (Hard- 
wick)  Coultas,  both  natives  of  England.  Her 
mother  died  leaving  Mrs.  Morrison  when  she  was 
:i  helpless  babe.  When  nine  years  of  age,  with  her 
father,  and  the  other  children,  five  in  all,  she  emi- 
grated to  America,  making  the  voyage  on  a  sailing- 
vessel,  which  sailed  from  Liverpool,  and  after  a 
voyage  of  over  three  months,  landed  in  Quebec, 
from  which  place  they  came  directly  to  what  is 
now  known  as  Scott  County,  III.,  but  which  then 
was  a  part  of  Morgan  County.  They  resided  a 
short  time  near  Lynnville,  and  then  removed  to  a 
farm  near  Riggston.  In  the  early  days  the  snow 
seemed  to  fall  deeper  than  latterly.  The  winter 
preceding  their  removal  to  Riggston,  the  snow  fell 
to  an  extraordinary  depth,  and  the  old  settlers  al- 
ways referred  to  that  winter  as  "the  winter  of  the 
deep  snow."  Her  father  died  on  his  original  farm 
:i  number  of  years  ago,  leaving  seven  children,  of 
whom  four  are  living :  William  is  living  in  Morgan 
County;  John  is  a  resident  of  Scott  County.  III., as 
are  also  Thomas  and  Mrs.  Morrison.  Mr.  Coultas 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  was  one  of  the  best  known  men  of  Morgan 
County,  and  his  reputation  as  a  man  of  industry 
and  integrity,  was  the  very  best. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrison  there  have  been  born 
nine  children,  of  whom  seven  survive,  namely:  Rob- 
ert C.,  is  living  in  Morgan  County :  Charles  R.  re- 
sides in  Cass  County,  Mo.;  Thomas  L.  is  a  resident 
of  Morgan  County;  Ada  C.,  is  the  wife  of  Marshall 
Smith;  Sarah  E.  is  the  wife  of  James  Rexroat,  and 
lives  in  Morgan  County;  Mary  J.,  wife  of  M.  H. 
Creig,  is  living  in  Cass  County,  Mo.;  and  Louisa 
C.  Mr.  Morrison  settled  on  his  present  farm  in 


324 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


1847.  As  a  matter  of  course,  the  land  at  that  time 
was  undeveloped,  and  the  hard  work  incident  to 
tilling  new  land  fell  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  Morrison,  but 
he  and  his  wife  persevered  until  they  have  accumu- 
lated their  present  magnificent  farm  of  270  acres  of 
land,  which  is  all  under  good  cultivation,  and  they 
have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  it  was  all 
earned  honestly.  They  have  been  identified  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  a  great  many 
years,  of  which  Mr.  Morrison  has  served  as  Stew- 
ard and  Class- deader.  They  are  both  active  in  all 
church  matters. 

Mr.  Morrison  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  is 
an  ardent  supporter  of  the  principles  of  that  party. 
He  gave  his  second  son,  William  H.,  to  his  coun- 
try, he  having  died  while  in  the  army.  His  son 
was  on  his  way  home  from  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and 
while  at  Mound  City,  111.,  he  died,  after  having 
been  in  the  service  for  over  a  year.  Mr.  Morrison 
has  been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  nearly  twelve 
years,  nnd  has  filled  the  office  with  credit.  As  an 
exhibition  of  his  possessing  a  public  spirit,  it  may 
be  stated  that  he  aided  largely  in  building  the 
school-house  in  district  No.  1,  which  was  erected 
by  means  of  subscription,  and  that  he  contributes 
liberally  to  the  church,  is  a  well-known  fact.  John 
Morrison  is  one  of  the  very  best  men  of  Morgan 
County. 


WILLIAM  M.  CALVERD,  hotel  proprietor 

at  Franklin,  is  a  decided  favorite  with  the 
traveling  public  on  account  of  his  uniform 
courteous  treatment  of  his  guests,  and  the  natural 
qualities  of  character  which  stamp  him  as  a  gentle- 
man, acknowledged  as  such  by  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and 
was  born  in  Macoupin  County,  April  20,  1850.  He 
acquired  his  education  in  the  district  schools,  giving 
good  attention  to  his  studies,  and  is  thoroughly  well 
informed.  Politically,  he  supports  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  socially  belongs  to  the 
Modern  AVoodmen.  In  religious  matters  both  he 
and  his  estimable  wife  are  connected  with  the 
Baptist  Church. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was   William  J.   Cal- 
verd,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  came  to  Macoupin 


County,  this  State,  poor  in  pocket,  and  for  five 
years  thereafter  was  employed  as  a  farm  laborer. 
He  married  Miss  Sarah  C.  Parker  and  finally  came 
to  this  county,  where  he  became  owner  of  a  good 
farm,  which  he  built  up  from  a  tract  of  wild  land, 
and  which  he  occupied  five  years.  Then  selling 
out  he  removed  to  Jersey  County,  and  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  wagons  and  carriages.  Finally, 
however,  with  a  desire  for  the  quiet  of  country  life, 
he  secured  another  farm  and  upon  it  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days,  passing  away  on  the  2d  of 
April.  1879.  The  mother  is  still  living  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Medora,  Macoupin  County.  Her  father 
was  Joel  Parker,  of  Kentucky. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there  were  born 
eleven  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased.  Hen- 
rietta married  Aaron  Arkman,  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  is  a  harnessmaker,  and  they  live  in  Macoupin 
County,  this  State;  Andrew,  a  wagon-maker  by- 
trade,  married  Miss  Kate  Stanton,  and  lives  in 
Mertorp ;  Charles  married  Miss  Mattie  Sublett,  of 
this  county;  he  is  a  barber,  and  the}'  live  in  Liteh- 
field;  Malinda  is  the  wife  of  James  Owens,  who 
operates  an  extensive  ranche  in  Colorado;  Mark 
also  lives  in  Colorado;  Harry  is  a  resident  of  Kan- 
sas; Thomas  and  Sally  live  in  Medora.  These  are 
unmarried. 

Our  subject,  in  1871,  was  married  to  Miss  Fran- 
ces Warmouth,  of  Morgan  County,  Ky.  Her  par- 
ents removed  at  an  early  day  from  the  Blue  Grass 
State  to  Indiana  and  from  there  to  Knox  County 
Mo.,  where  they  are  now  living  on  a  farm.  Their 
six  children  are  recorded  as  follows:  Lucinda  mar- 
ried Phillip  Stultz,  a  farmer,  and  they  live  in  Shelby 
Count}-,  Mo.;  they  have  six  children.  Thomas 
married  Molly  Elliott  and  lives  in  Missouri;  Annie 
is  the  wife  of  Sheldon  Davis,  of  Kentucky,  and 
they  live  in  Henry  County,  Mo.;  Ellen  is  unmar- 
ried and  makes  her  home  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Cal- 
verd.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Calverd  died  Feb.  2, 
1885,  in  Missouri. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calverd,  after  their  marriage,  lived 
on  a  farm  in  Missouri  for  three  \'ears,  and  then 
Mr.  Calverd  resumed  his  trade  of  a  carpenter,  which 
he  followed  thereafter  almost  uninterruptedly  for 
a  period  of  fourteen  years.  In  1886  he  established 
himself  as  an  hotel-keeper  at  Medora,  but  on  the 


-4« 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


325 


1st  of  February,  1888,  having  come  to  Franklin, 
opened  the  house  which  lie  is  now  conducting  and 
wherein  he  is  doing  a  good  business.  It  is  the 
leading  establishment  of  its  kind  in  the  village,  and 
the  traveler  who  once  takes  refuge  under  its  hos- 
pitable roof  will  be  sure  to  repeat  the  experiment 
when  traveling  this  way  a  second  time.  One  daugh- 
ter, Ida,  born  April  11,  1874,  completes  the  house- 
hold circle  of  our  subject  and  wife,  and  is  now  an 
interesting  girl  on  the  threshold  of  womanhood. 


BATEMAN  is  one  of  the  many 
prominent  farmers  of  Morgan  County  who 
have  started  in  life  with  but  little,  and  now 
can  point  with  pride  to  their  lands  and  estates.  He 
was  born  in  Greene  County,  III.,  June  27,  1831, 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  Samuel 
Bateman,  the  father  of  William,  was  born  in  York- 
shire, England,  Aug.  25,  1804.  When  a  young 
man  he  became  imbued  with  the  spirit  that  has  sent 
many  people  across  the  Atlantic  in  search  of  better 
homes  and  better  prospects,  and  in  1830,  he  took 
passage  at  Liverpool,  on  a  sailing-vessel,  and  in  due 
time  landed  at  New  York.  From  there  he  pro- 
ceeded West,  going  down  the  Ohio  River,  finally 
reaching  St.  Louis.  Thence  he  came  toCarrallton, 
Greene  Co.,  111.,  on  foot,  arriving  there  with  just 
fifty  cents  as  capital  upon  which  to  make  a  start  in 
life.  He  worked  upon  a  farm  by  the  month  for 
eight  years,  until  his  earnings  aggregated  enough 
for  the  purchase  for  forty  acres  of  land,  which  he 
bought,  and  building  a  log  cabin,  he  set  to  work 
improving  his  land  and  making  a  home.  In  a  few 
years  he  sold  this  place,  and  purchased  a  farm  con- 
taining 120  acres.  This  he  sold  also  in  1839,  and 
in  April,  1840,  in  pursuance  of  a  desire  to  better 
his  condition,  he  removed  to  Lynnville,  Morgan 
Count}'.  He  lived  in  the  village  for  eight  years, 
when  liis  old  desire  to  own  a  farm  came  back  to 
him.  He  bought  a  farm  in  1850,  after  which  he 
sold  it.  and  thereafter  resided  with  his  youngest  son 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  March  24,  1883. 
His  wife,  and  our  subject's  mother,  was  Sarah  Lee. 
She  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  came 


with  her  husband  to  America  in  1830,  a  brother  ac- 
companying her.  In  after  years  the  balance  of  her 
family  came  from  England  to  Morgan  County. 
There  were  six  children  in  the  family,  three  of- 
whom  are  living:  Ann  E.,  Thomas,  and  William. 
Ann  E.  married  Samuel  T.  Sanderson,  of  Morgan 
County,  who  is  now  a  farmer  in  Caldwell  County, 
Mo.  They  have  six  children:  William,  Nellie, 
George,  Lizzie,  Ada  and  Ford.  Thomas  married 
Sarah  E.  1'enrose.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  has  six 
children:  Clara  B.,  John,  Mary,  Jessie,  Allie  and 
Charles. 

William  Bateman,  whose  name  appears  at  the 
head  of  this  article,  was  man  led  twice.  His  first 
wife  was  Charlotte  Leak,  of  Morgan  County,  who 
died  in  I860,  aged  twenty -one  years.  They  were 
married  in  1858.  Mrs.  Bateman's  parents  were  na- 
tives of  Yorkshire,  England.  Two  children  were 
the  result  of  this  union,  one  of  whom  is  living,  Sarah 
E.,  while  William  died  at  an  early  age.  Mr.  Bate- 
man's second  wife  wss  Sarah  A.  Massie,  a  native  of 
Scott  County,  Ky.,  and  who  was  born  Feb.  5,  1832. 
Her  ancestry  was  Welsh  and  English.  She  came 
from  the  old  country  with  her  people  to  Morgan 
County,  in  1836,  while  but  four  years  old.  She  is 
the  mother  of  five  children:  Jesse  T.,  Mary  J., 
John  L.,  Annie  E.,  and  Flora.  Mary  married  Fred 
Burnett,  of  Morgan  County,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming.  The  balance  of  the  children  are  at  home 
with  their  parents. 

.  Our  subject  commenced  life  on  a  farm,  working 
for  monthly  wages,  and  was  also  a  laborer  for  three 
years.  He  then  rented  a  farm,  continuing  in  that 
business  two  years,  and  before  his  marriage,  he  was 
the  owner  of  a  farm  of  100  acres  of  good  land,  to 
which  has  been  added  thirty  acres.  His  farm  is  well 
stocked,  well  cultivated,  and  well  managed.  He  is 
engaged  in  a  general  farm  business,  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  fattening  cattle  for  the  Chicago  market. 
He  has  been  eminently  successful  in  all  his  under- 
takings, and  is  counted  one  of  the  solid  men  of  his 
neighborhood.  This  record  has  come  to  him  by 
reason  of  merit. 

Mr.  Batemau  is  a  sound  Republican  in  politics, 
and  has  filled  several  local  offices  with  the  fidelity 
which  lias  characterized  his  private  business,  and 
his  neighbors  ascribe  to  him  all  the  attributes  that 


t 


326 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


surround  the  name  of  a  good  citizen.  The  offices 
which  lie  has  held,  are  Road  Supervisor,  School 
Director,  and  Clerk  of  the  Board,  and  he  has  served 
on  the  county  juries  several  times.  Mrs.  Bateman 
is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 


CLOUD  ANTROBUS,  who  has  so 
long  been  the  skilled  blacksmith  of  Chapin, 
and  in  that  capacity  won  golden  opinions 
from  those  who  have  sought  his  services,  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  county,  and  a  true  Illinoisian.  He  was 
born  upon  the  29th  of  December,  1821 ;  his  parents 
were  Thomas  and  Mary  (Wyatt)  Antrobus,  who 
were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  who  came  to  Mor- 
gan County  in  its  early  days,  and  were  among  the 
pioneers.  His  father  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  and  passed  through  some  most 
exciting  and  thrilling  experiences. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  reared  to  manhood 
in  this  county,  and  received  what  education  was 
obtainable,  although  at  that  time  the  facilities  for 
such  acquisition  were  not  what  they  now  are,  and 
it  is  therefore  somewhat  limited.  He  began  to 
learn  his  trade  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  after  which 
he  went  into  business  for  himself  at  Winchester. 
In  1852  he  came  to  Bethel  Village,  in  this  county, 
and  there  continued  in  business  until  1885,  when 
he  removed  to  Chapin,  where  he  has  continued 
since  that  time.  He  has  quite  a  large  trade  built 
up,  and  is  considered  a  good  workman. 

Mr.  Antrobus  was  married,  on  the  3d  of  Octo- 
ber, 1854,  to  Nancy  J.  Sullins.  This  lady  was 
born  on  the  6th  of  October,  1833,  in  Tennessee,  and 
came  to  this  county  with  her  parents,  Larkin  and 
Mary  Snllins,  in  1834.  They  decided  to  locate  in 
Scott  County,  but  when  their  daughter  was  about 
twelve  years  of  age  came  to  Morgan  County,  where 
they  remained  until  their  decease.  The  family 
circle  of  our  subject  included  four  children,  only 
two  of  whom,  however,  it  was  given  him  to  firing 
to  years  of  maturity,  viz:  George  T.  and  Edward 
F.  George.  T.  is  a  blacksmith  and  dealer  in  agri- 
cultural implements  at  Bethel.  Remarried  Minnie 
Turner,  and  they  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mil- 
dred. Edward  F.  lives  in  Chapin;  he  married 


Ella  Eagan,  and  by  occupation  is  a  telegraph  oper- 
ator. The  two  deceased  are  William  and  Josephine. 
The  parents  of  Mrs.  Antrobus  had  quite  a  large 
family,  of  whom  but  five  survive:  Martha,  the 
wife  of  Burton  Funk,  of  Scott  County;  Margaret, 
now  Mrs.  Perry  Jones,  also  of  Scott  County;  Thur- 
man,  of  this  county;  Wesley,  who  resides  in  Scott 
County,  and  the  wife  of  our  subject,  who  was  the 
youngest  member  of  the  family.  She  was  brought 
up  to  attend  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and 
has  always  continued  an  active  member. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  formerly  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  0.  O.  F.  society;  he  is  a  true  citizen 
and  of  public  spirit.  He  has  always  been  a  stanch 
Republican,  supporting  both  by  his  ballot  and  in- 
fluence the  principles  and  policy  of  the  party.  He 
makes  his  religious  home  within  the  pale  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and  has  filled  many 
important  offices  connected  therewith.  In  both 
religious,  business,  and  political  circles  he  is  es- 
teemed and  en  joys  the  confidence  of  the  community 
at  large,  which  sentiments  are  also  extended  to  his 
family. 


RS.  NANCY  STRAWN,  whose  home  is 
situated  upon  section  23,  township  15, 
range  9,  of  Morgan  County,  was  born  in 
the  year  1825,  in  this  county,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Fanny  (Elkin)  Bradshaw. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  her 
mother  of  Kentucky.  Her  father  was  born  on  the 
5th  of  January,  1788.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life  continued  to 
follow  that  calling.  Me  came  to  Illinois  in  1818, 
and  settled  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Jacksonville.  He  entered  a  tract  of  land,  to  which 
he  afterward  added  by  various  purchases  until  he 
became  the  owner  of  840  acres,  the  whole  of  which 
he  brought  to  a  well-nigh  perfect  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. He  continued  thus  employed  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  17th  of  March,  1846.  Then 
the  farm  was  divided  and  sold  to  different  persons. 
During  his  life  he  had  been  quite  prominent  as  a 
citizen,  and  was  a  consistent  and  energetic  member 
of  the  Christian  Church,  to  which  his  wife  also  was 
attached.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  chil- 


T 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


327 


dren,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  their  tenth 
child.  Charles  Bradshaw.  a  leading  lawyer  of  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  is  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Strawn;  the 
other  members  of  the  family  are  chiefly  identified 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  different  places 
where  they  reside. 

Our  subject  became  the  wife  of  James  G.  Strawn 
on  the  19th  of  September,  1844,  which  relation  was 
happily  sustained  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  the  18th  of  February,  1887.  He  was  the  son  of 
Jacob  and  Mathilda  (Green)  Strawn,  and  was  the 
third  child  born  to  them.  He  was  appointed 
Postmaster  at  Orleans,  and  continued  to  hold  the 
same  for  a  number  of  years,  but  never  attended  to 
the  active  duties  of  the  office,  which  were  left  to 
the  care  of  a  deputy.  He  was  actively  engaged  in 
farming,  in  which  he  was  prosperous  beyond  the 
average.  He  was  an  upright  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Disciples.  In  political  matters  he  took  his 
stand  with  the  Republicans,  and  was  always  ready 
to  act  in  concert  with  his  party  as  far  as  it  was  pos- 
sible to  do.  In  the  fall  of  1845  he  moved  on  the 
farm  still  occupied  by  his  wife.  It  was  320  acres 
in  extent  in  the  beginning,  that  being  the  gift 
of  his  father,  but  at  his  death  comprised  2,240 
acres.  Different  portions  were  given  to  the  chil- 
dren who  reside  near  the  old  farm,  so  that  it  is  now 
reduced  to  370  acres,  which  are  operated  under  the 
supervision  of  Mrs.  Strawn.  Before  its  division  it 
was  one  of  the  largest  i'arms  in  the  county,  and  is 
still  well  furnished  and  heavily  stocked.  , 

Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Strawn,  whose  names  arc  recorded  as  follows:  John 
A.,  Jacob  H.,  William  S.,  Charles  B.,  Isah,  James 
G.  and  Joel  G.  Isah,  the  only  member  of  the 
family  deceased,  departed  this  life  on  the  9th  of 
May,  1874.  With  the  exception  of  William,  who 
is  the  proprietor  of  a  mercantile  house  in  Alexan- 
dria, all  are  agriculturists. 

The  Strawn  family  were  for  several  generations 
identified  with  the  Quaker  community,  but  in  later 
years  became  Methodists.  The  father  of  Mr.  Strawn 
was  born  in  the  year  1830,  and  came  to  this  county 
in  1831,  and  was  largely  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
He  was  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  citizens 
of  the  county,  and  owned  land  to  the  extent  of 


several  thousand  acres.  His  wife  took  the  greatest 
delight  in  her  home,  and  endeavored  at  all  times 
to  make  it  the  most  desirable  place  on  earth  for 
each  of  its  members.  She  succeeded  in  rearing  her 
family  therein  with  such  an  appreciation  for  it  as 
have  led  them  to  prize  its  memory  through  life. 
Her  husband's  death  occurred  Aug.  23,  1865. 

Mrs.  Strawn  has  received  only  the  education  ob- 
tainable in  the  common  schools,  but  is  nevertheless 
now  a  well-informed  woman,  and  without  detracting 
in  any  wise  from  the  dignity  of  her  sex.  is  abund- 
antly capable  of  superintending  the  proper  working 
of  her  farm.  She  is  a  worthy  member  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  in  that  communion  is  held 
in  high  regard,  and  also  in  the  community  at  large. 


EORGE  W.  WHORTON.  A  man  has  not 
lived  in  vain  when  leaving  behind  him  those 
who  hold  his  name  in  loving  remembrance. 
The  subject  of  this  memoir,  who  passed  from 
earth  on  the  28th  of  May,  1888,  in  Concord 
Precinct,  had  spent  nearly  his  entire  life  in  this 
county,  whose  people  had  learned  to  estimate  him 
at  his  true  worth.  He  belonged  to  an  excellent 
family,  was  reared  to  manhood  healthful  and  vig- 
orous in  mind  and  body,  and  built  up  a  valuable 
estate  on  section  24,  township  16,  range  12. 

Mr.  Whorton  was  born  in  this  county,  and  was 
the  son  of  John  and  Mary  Whortou.  The  boyhood 
and  youth  of  George  W.,  our  subject,  passed  in  a 
comparatively  uneventful  manner,  nothing  of  im- 
portance transpiring  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War.  He  then  enlisted  in  Company  B,  101st  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  did  good  service  as  a  soldier  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  participating  in  many  important 
battles  thereof — being  at  Bull  Run,  and  marching 
with  Sherman  to  the  sea.  During  this  time  lie  sel- 
dom missed  a  roll-call,  was  never  wounded,  and, 
although  suffering  hardship  and  privation  in  com- 
mon with  his  comrades,  he  returned  home  com- 
paratively unharmed. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  1867,  George  W.  Whorton 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Naomi  Ream. 
This  lady  was  born  Nov.  4,  1844,  on  North 
Prairie,  Cass  Co.,  ill.  She  is  still  living,  and  occu- 


328 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


<    r 

f 


pies  the  valuable  homestead  left  her  by  her  hus- 
band, and  which  is  located  as  noted  in  our  opening 
paragraph.  Mrs.  Whorton  is  the  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Mary  (Parr)  Ream,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  The  Ream  family  is  of  Ger- 
man ancestry.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Ream  were 
early  settlers  of  Cass  County,  this  State,  and  located 
on  North  Prairie.  Their  family  included  six  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  survive,  namely  :  Mrs.  Whor- 
ton ;  Lydia,  the  wife  of  James  Van  Dyke,  of  Gallatin, 
Mo.,  and  Maggie,  the  wife  of  Anderson  Hood,  of 
Cherokee  City,  Ark. 

Mrs.  Whorton  suffered  the  loss  of  her  mother 
when  aliout  twelve  years  old,  and  was  then  taken 
into  the  family  of  the  late  John  H.  Fox,  of  this 
county,  where  she  lived  until  her  marriage,  which 
occurred  April  4,  1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whorton 
commenced  their  wedded  life  together  in  Concord 
Precinct,  and  for  years  labored  with  the  mutual 
purpose  of  building  up  a  homestead  for  themselves 
and  their  children,  and  giving  to  the  latter  advan- 
tages beyond  what  they  themselves  had  enjoyed  in 
their  youth.  They  were  greatly  prospered  in  their 
labors,  and  Mr.  Whorton  at  his  death  left  a  valu- 
able farm  of  200  acres  and  other  property.  As  an 
agriculturist  he  was  thorough  and  skilful,  and  as 
a  man  and  a  citizen  possessed  all  the  elements 
which  inspire  esteem  and  respect  among  men.  He 
was  a  man  of  decided  views — one  whose  opinions 
were  held  in  respect — and  gave  his  support,  politi- 
cally, to  tlie  Republican  party.  In  his  death  Mor- 
gan County  lost  one  of  her  best  citizens  and  most 
enterprising  men.  He  was  not  a  member  of  any 
G.  A.  R.  Post,  but,  at  the  request  of  immediate 
friends,  the  funeral  was  conducted  by  Chapin  Post 
No.  524,  under  Commander  Anderson,  assisted  by 
Camp  No.  40,  of  Chapin,  and  Camp  No.  20,  of 
Concord.  A  sermon  was  delivered  by  the  Rev. 
A.  J.  Ives,  at  the  residence,  and  was  listened  to  by 
a  large  audience  which  had  assembled  to  show 
their  respects  to  the  deceased.  When  the  last  car- 
riage had  passed  down  the  drive-way  at  his  late 
home  the  hearse  had  almost  reached  the  cemetery, 
about  a  mile  distant.  The  beautiful  burial  service 
of  the  Grand  Army  was  then  delivered  by  the 
officers  present.  Most  all  of  the  brothers  and  a 
goodly  number  of  the  comrades  attended  in  regu- 


lation uniform,  and  the  services  were  exceedingly 
impressive.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whorton  was  born 
a  family  of  five  children,  only  two  of  whom  sur- 
vive namely :  Jessie  M.  and  Grace  E.  The  others 
are  Oscar,  Charles  W.,  and  a  babe  unnamed,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Mrs.  Whorton  and  her  two  daughters  reside  at 
the  homestead — a  very  pleasant  place,  where  they 
are  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  of  life.  Mrs. 
Whorton  and  her  daughters  are  active  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  are  promi- 
nent and  popular  in  the  social  circles  of  their 
community. 


C.  STEVENSON,  Postmaster  at  Orleans, 
and  a  well-to-do  fanner  of  Morgan  County, 
has  a  fine  estate  on  township  15,  range  9, 
section  27.  Here  he  has  carried  on  agri- 
culture and  stock-raising  for  a  term  of  forty  years. 
He  has  been  a  prominent  man  in  his  community, 
occupied  many  positionsof  trust  and  responsibility, 
and  has  taken  an  especial  interest  in  educational 
matters.  He  lias  been  a  School  Director  for  more 
than  thi.'ty  years,  and  his  voice  and  influence  have 
ever  been  heard  in  the  encouragement  of  those  en- 
terprises calculated  for  the  general  welfare  of  the 
community.  He  is  noted  for  his  liberality  in  all 
works  of  charity,  and  during  the  late  Civil  Wai- 
donated  large  sums  of  money  to  the  Union  cause. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  Sept.  21, 
1821,  in  Scott  County, .Ky.,  and  is  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Martha  (Elliot)  Stevenson,  natives  re- 
spectively of  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  and 
Wood  ford  County,  Ky.  William  C.  Stevenson 
was  born  June  21,  1779,  and  was  the  son  of  James 
and  Jane  Stevenson,  who  emigrated  to  Kentucky 
and  settled  near  Louisville,  in  March,  1780.  He 
followed  farming  his  entire  life.  lie  was  married, 
March  1,  1803,  to  Miss  Martha,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Elizabeth  Elliott,  at  that  time  residents  of 
Wood  ford  County,  Ky.  They  became  the  parents 
of  nine  sons  and  one  daughter,  four  of  whom  are 
living.  „.  , 

-The  parents  of  our  subject,  with  their  family  of 
eight  children,  came  to  this  county  in  the  fall  of 
1829,  and  settled  five  miles  east  of  the  then  un- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


329 


pretentious  village  of  Jacksonville.  There  the 
father  labored  industriously  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil, 
and  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  April 
27,  1863,  after  he  had  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  He  had  outlived  his  faithful 
companion  a  period  of  seventeen  years,  the  death 
of  the  mother  having  taken  place  July  27,  1846,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  The  birth  of  both 
occurred  on  the  21st  of  June,  and  both  died  on  the 
27th  day  of  the  month. 

S.  C.  Stevenson  was  the  seventh  child  of  the  par- 
ental family,  and  settled  in  Morgan  County  in 
1829.  The  homestead  now  embraces  320  acres  of 
fine  farming  land,  a  large  portion  of  which,  how- 
ever, he  has  divided  among  his  two  children.  His 
early  school  privileges  were  exceedingly  limited, 
but  being  fond  of  reading  and  study,  he  has  kept 
abreast  of  the  times,  and  is  a  man  well-informed 
and  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence.  Upon  ap- 
proaching manhood  he  began  making  his  arrange- 
ments for  the  establishment  of  a  home  of  his  own, 
and  was  married,  in  February,  1847,  to  Miss  live- 
line  Hill,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Charlotte  Hill,  natives  of  Kentucky.  She 
became  the  mother  of  seven  children,  and  departed 
this  life  at  her  home  in  Morgan  County,  Sept.  14, 
1867.  She  was  a  lady  highly  esteemed  in  her  com- 
munity, an  active  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  a  teacher  in  the  Sabbath-school. 

Of  this  union  there  were  born  the  seven  children 
named  respectively,  Irvin,  Fanny  F.,  Thomas, 
Charlotte,  John  W.,  Cornelia  May,  and  Fred.  Fan- 
ny is  the  wife  of  James  M.  Cully,  and  lives  on  a 
farm  in  this  county;  Charlotte  is  the  wife  of  George 
Guthrie,  a  merchant  of  Zanesville,  Ohio;  Cornelia 
May  married  Charles  S.  Rannells,  a  farmer  of  Mor- 
gan County. 

Mr.  Stevenson,  on  the  16th  of  December,  1868, 
contracted  a  second  marriage  with  Miss  Minerva, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Love  D.  (Snow)  Bosworth. 
This  lady  was  the  eldest  child  of  her  parents,  and 
born  iu  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  25,  1821. 
Mr.  Bosworth  was  a  jeweler,  and  carried  on  busi- 
ness a  number  of  years  in  Fredonia,  N.  Y.  The 
parents  spent  their  last  days  in  Fredonia,  the 
mother  d}'ing  in  1850,  and  the  father  in  1859. 
Mrs.  Stevenson,  together  with  our  subject,  is  a 


member  of  the  Presb3'terian  Church,  and  active  in 
all  good  works,  serving  as  President  of  the  For- 
eign Mission  Board,  is  a  teacher  in  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  devotes  much  of  her  time  and  energies 
to  the  Christian  cause.  She  is  a  lady  of  excellent 
education,  having  completed  her  studies  in  the 
famous  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  in  Massachu- 
setts. She  taught  school  first  at  Westfield,  N.  Y., 
and  later  in  Jacksonville,  this  State,  in  the  Presby- 
terian Female  Academy.  She  was  thus  occupied 
several  years,  and  until  her  marriage  with  our  sub- 
ject. The  residence  of  the  Stevenson  family  with 
its  surroundings  forms  one  of  the  most  complete 
homes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Jacksonville. 

Irvin  Stevenson,  ths  eldest  son  of  our  subject, 
married  Miss  Kate  Clark,  and  is  farming  in  this 
count}';  Thomas  also  following  agricultural  pursuits, 
married  Miss  Alice  Snow,  of  Fredonia,  N.  Y.,  but 
she  is  now  deceased;  John  W.  married  Miss  Libby 
Reynolds,  of  Jacksonville,  and  is  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  at  Aurora,  Neb.,  where  he  holds  a 
position  among  the  leading  lights  in  the  profession; 
Fred  Stevenson  was  married  Nov.  20,  1888,  to 
Miss  Loulie  M.  Green  leaf,  of  Jacksonville.  Mr. 
Stevenson,  politicall}',  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
maintains  a  warm  interest  in  the  success  of  the 
temperance  cause. 


\wOHN  C.  O'NEAL.  The  farm  property  of 
Mr.  O'Neal,  while  in  itself  of  great  value, 
,  has  a  peculiar  significance  to  him,  as  it 
comprises  the  old  homestead  of  his  father, 
which  was  purchased  by  the  latter  upon  coming  to 
this  county  during  the  period  of  its  early  settle- 
ment. Jt  embraces  200  acres  of  choice  land,  which 
is  under  a  thorough  state  of  cultivation  and  im- 
proved with  good  buildings.  Mr.  O'Neal  carries 
on  general  agriculture,  but  makes  a  speciality  of 
graded  Short-horn  cattle,  keeping  usualty  in  the 
neighborhood  of  100  head.  In  this  industry  he 
has  been  remarkable  successful,  and  takes  pride 
in  the  fact  that  he  is  able  to  exhibit  some  of  the 
finest  animals  of  this  description  in  Central  Illi- 
nois. He  also  breeds  horses  and  swine,  but  his 


330 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


f 


chief  pride  is  in  his  cattle,  and  it  probable  that  in 
this  department  of  farming  he  takes  the  lead  in 
the  county. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  this  county,  Aug.  12, 
1845,  and  grew  up  amid  the  peaceful  pursuits  of 
rural  life.  He  remained  a  member  of  the  parental 
household  until  marriage.  When  approaching  the 
thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age  he  was  married  Oct.  19, 
1880,  at  the  bride's  home  in  Clinton  County,  Mo., 
to  Miss  Kate  Duval,  of  that  county. 

Mr.  O'Neal  and  his  bride  commenced  the  jour- 
ney of  life  together  at  the  homestead  where  they  now 
live  and  where  they  have  since  resided.  Mrs.  O'Neal 
is  the  daughter  of  William  T.  Duval  and  wife,  who 
were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri.  The 
mother  died  and  the  father  is  still  a  resident  of 
Missouri.  Their  family  consisted  of  five  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living.  The  eldestson,  Edward, 
married  a  Chicago  lady,  and  is  the  manager  of  the 
Electric  Light  system  of  Milwaukee,  Wis. ;  Claude, 
a  railroad  man,  is  unmarried  and  makes  his  head- 
quarters at  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Maude  married  Fred 
O'Neal,  a  brother  of  our  subject,  who  died  in 
1888,  and  she  now  lives  in  Clinton  County,  Mo.; 
she  has  three  children — Ernest,  William,  and 
Maude. 

The  four  children  of  our  subject  and  his  estim- 
able wife  were  named  respectively:  Duval,  C'arlton, 
Fred,  and  Donald.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
of  Scotch  ancestry,  while  the  mother's  people  came 
from  Ireland.  Thomas  O'Neal,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Nelson  County,  Ky.,  in  No- 
vember. 1794.  and  lived  there  until  reaching  his 
majority.  He  served  in  the  War  of  1812  with  the 
Kentucky  Rangers  under  Capt.  Wickliffe,  and  was 
a  pensioner  under  the  Act  of  March,  1873.  He 
was  first  married  in  1823,  in  his  native  county  to 
Miss  Langley,  who  died  in  1837.  Of  their  five 
children  four  are  living:  Oscar  married  a  Miss 
Foster,  and  leaving  his  native  State,  was  for  a 
long  time  supposed  to  be  dead,  but  it  has  since 
been  learned  that  he  is  a  resident  of  Arizona,  the 
owner  of  a  large  ranclie  in  the  Territory.  Melvina 
became  the  wife  of  James  Clark,  of  this  county, 
and  they  lived  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  where  Mr. 
Clark  operates  extensively  as  an  architect  and  con- 
tractor. Ruth  is  the  wife  of  N.  D.  Graves,  of  this 


county,  and  the  mother  of  three  children — Thomas, 
William,  and  Charles.  Bryant  married  Miss  Mary 
Arrt,  of  this  county,  and  is  now  farming  in  De- 
catur  County,  Iowa. 

The  second  wife  of  Thomas  O'Neal  was  Martha 
Ratcliff,  of  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  and  they  were 
married  in  1840.  Of  this  union  there  were  born 
five  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  living — John  C.. 
our  subject;  his  mother  makes  her  home  with  him. 
The  father  died  in  March,  1877. 

Our  subject,  politically,  votes  the  straight  Repub- 
lican ticket..  He  enjoys  a  large  acquaintance 
throughout  the  county,  and  is  classed  among  its 
representative  men. 


|5)HOMAS  NAYLOR  fully  exemplifies  what 
can  be  achieved  by  a  constant  and  intelli- 
gent adherence  to  any  business.  His  early 
training  was  of  that  kind  that  leaves  an  indelible 
imprint  of  the  industry,  intelligence  and  integrity 
of  the  parents.  While  he  was  denied  the  privilege 
of  an  education  that  would  serve  him  to  gain  a 
livelihood,  he  was  not  discouraged,  but  pushed 
stead ily  forward,  and  by  his  own  efforts  has  made 
a  place  for  himself  on  the  list  of  those  who  have 
gained  a  success  unaided  by  rank  in  society, 
or  political  preference.  Of  such  men  as  he,  is  a 
great  State  constructed,  and  a  nation  made  strong. 
All  honor  is  due  to  the  pioneers  of  this  grand 
country  for  training  their  children  in  a  manner  so 
that  when  they  take  their  place  on  the  stage  of 
action  their  parts  may  be  well  played. 

Thomas  Naylor  is  a  representative  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  of  section  9,  township  1C,  range  12, 
and  is  a  native  of  Rutlandshire,  England.  He  was 
born  on  the  15th  of  September,  1849,  and  is  a  son 
of  P.  H.  Naylor,  of  whom  an  extended  sketch 
appears  in  another  part  of  this  volume.  He 
came  to  America  witli  his  parents  in  the  year 
1851,  and  here  he  has  been  virtually  reared  to 
manhood,  and  he  may  be  called  one  of  the  sons  of 
Morgan  County.  lie  chose  the  life  of  a  farmer, 
and  in  this  choice  exhibited  great  sense,  for  there- 
is  no  better  tiller  of  the  soil  in  this  neighborhood 
than  Thomas  Naylor.  lie  was  married  March  28, 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


331 


1873,  to  Martha  J.  Wilday,  who  was  born  in  this 
county,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Ta- 
litliia  (Drinkwater)  Wilday. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Naylor  are  the  parents  of  two 
children:  Anne  B.  and  Benlah.  Mr.  Naylor  owns 
a  half  interest  in  a  good  farm  in  Cass  County,  111., 
beside  his  Morgan  County  property.  He  is  at 
present  serving  as  School  Director,  an  office  which 
he  fills  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  constituents. 
Religiously,  he  is  identified  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  is  serving  as  Trustee.  A 
sketch  of  Alexander  Wilday.  father  of  Mrs.  Naylor, 
appears  in  another  part  of  this  ALBUM.  In  politics 
Mr.  Naylor  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party. 


I 


VHILLIP  COWDIN.  The  preservation  of 
family  history  is  a  matter  to  which  most 
intelligent  people  of  the  present  day  are 
giving  especial  attention,  and  the  subject 
•>f  this  notice  is  one  of  those  who  appreciate  its 
propriety  and  importance.  lie  is  usually  to  be 
found  at  his  pleasant  homestead,  comprising  160 
acres  of  well-cultivated  land  on  section  33,  town- 
ship I!!,  range  1  1  ,  a  part,  however,  lying  on  section 
34.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  this  township  most 
of  the  time  since  coining  to  this  county,  in  the 
spring  of  1857,  and  is  one  of  the  self  made  men  who 
by  their  own  efforts  have  accumulated  a  competence 
for  their  declining  years. 

Mr.  Cowdin  is  past  sixty-nine  years  of  age,  hav- 
ing been  born  Jan.  12,  1820.  His  native  place 
was  Worcester  County.  Mass.,  and  his  father,  Phillip 
Farrington  Cowdin,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  a  native  of  the  same  count}'  as  his  son.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Thomas  Cowdin,  served  for 
a  brief  time  as  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  being  the 
son  of  a  commissioned  officer  of  the  same  war,  and 
who  bore  the  same  name.  The  latter,  Capt.  Thomas 
Cowdin,  was  born  on  the  Atlantic  while  his  parents 
were  crossing  from  Ireland.  They  located  in 
Worcester  County,  Mass.,  and  were  represented  by  a 
large  number  of  descendants,  many  of  whom  lived 
and  died  in  the  Bay  State,  of  which  one  brother 
and  two  sisters  of  our  subject  are  still  residents. 


Both  Thomas  Cowdin,  Sr.,  and  his  son,  were 
farmers  by  occupation,  and  lived  to  an  advanced 
age.  Both  became  fathers  of  large  families.  Thomas, 
Sr.,  had  twelve  children.  Thomas,  Jr.,  married 
Miss  Mary  Farrington.  She  also  was  born  and  reared 
in  Massachusetts,  and  had  a  brother,  Lieut.  Jacob 
Farrington,  who  was  a  commissioned  officer  under 
King  George  III.  Thomas  Cowdin,  Jr.,  and  wife, 
after  their  marriage  spent  their  lives  at  the  old  farm 
constituting  land  upon  which  their  ancestors  first 
settled  when  coming  to  this  country,  as  members  of 
the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony.  They  also  reared 
a  large  family,  of  whom  Phillip  Farrington  Cow- 
din,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  the  second  son 
and  fourth  child.  His  life  passed  in  a  simple  and 
uneventful  manner  until  he  attained  to  man's  estate, 
and  he  was  then  married  in  his  native  county  to 
Miss  Eunice  Sawyer,  who  was  born  in  Fitch  burg, 
Mass.,  and  was  of  ancestry  similar  to  that  of  her 
husband. 

After  their  marriage  the  parents  of  our  subject 
settled  on  the  old  farm  where  the  father  and  grand- 
father before  them  had  lived  and  died,  and  where 
they  also  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  both 
being  within  a  few  years  of  fourscore  when  gathered 
to  their  fathers.  They  are  remembered  as  people  of 
more  than  ordinary  worth  and  intelligence,  and  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  four  of  whom  are  yet  living,  including 
the  eldest  and  youngest  child.  Phillip,  our  subject, 
was  the  youngest  but  one  of  the  family,  and  the 
first  who  came  to  this  county  was  Putnam,  now 
deceased.  He  made  his  way  to  the  West  early  in 
the  thirties,  and  died  here.  Phillip  is  the  only  one 
now  living  in  the  West. 

Our  subject  was  reared,  educated  and  married  in 
his  native  county,  his  bride  being  Miss  Emily  Pratt, 
their  wedding  being  celebrated  at  her  home  in 
Massachusetts.  Mrs.  Cowdin  was  born  in  Fitchburg, 
Mass.,  July  26,  1823.  and  is  the  daughter  of  Levi 
and  Emily  (Fuller)  Pratt,  natives  of  Worcester 
County,  and  of  New  England  parentage.  Levi 
Pratt  was  the  son  of  David  Pratt,  who,  the  records 
indicate,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
who  later  settled  down  on  a  farm  in  Worcester 
County,  after  having  been  married  to  Hepsibnh 
Fay.  Both  he  and  his  wife  lived  to  be  quite  aged. 


332 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


After  his  marriage  Levi  Pratt,  with  his  young 
wife,  settled  down  on  a  farm  near  Fitchburg,  where 
his  death  took  place  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years. 
His  wife  Emily,  had  preceded  him  to  the  better 
land  when  forty-seven  years  old.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Phebe  (Poor)  Fuller, 
who  were  born  and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  the  Hay 
State.  Mrs.  Cowdin  was  the  third  child  and  sec- 
ond daughter  in  a  family  of  six  boys  and  five  girls 
born  to  her  parents,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living. 
She  was  well  reared  and  educated,  and  is  the  only 
member  of  her  family  in  this  State.  The  six  chil- 
dren born  of  this  marriage  of  our  subject  is  re- 
corded as  follows:  John  Prescott,  who  resides  in 
the  West,  is  married  and  the  father  of  one  child ; 
Anna  F.  became  the  wife  of  Isaac  Houston,  and  they 
live  on  a  farm  in  Sherman  County,  Kan.;  Frank 
P.  operates  a  farm  in  the  same  township  as  his 
father;  Sarah  E.,  Lincoln  P.  and  Grace  are  at  home 
with  their  parents.  John  P.  and  Anna, also  Grace, 
have  followed  the  profession  of  teachers.  Lincoln 
was  graduated  in  the  Business  College  at  Jackson- 
ville. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cowdin  form  a 
bright  and  interesting  group,  and  reflect  great 
honor  upon  their  parentage  and  training,  and  both 
parents  and  children  attend  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  uniformly  give  their  encouragement 
to  the  projects  having  in  view  the  moral  and  social 
elevation  of  the  people  around  them.  Our  subject 
cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  Clay,  and  politi- 
cally is  a  decided  Republican. 


J"^  OHN  GERMANN,  a  very  intelligent  German 
citizen  of  township  14,  owns  and  occupies  a 
j    well-regulated  farm  of  120  acres,  and  alto- 
'    gether  owns  250  acres  of  land  iji  this  county. 
The  results  of   industry  and   perseverance  are  ad- 
mirably7 represented  in  his  career  and  his  surround- 
ings, and  being  thrown  upon  his  own   resources  at 
the  beginning,  too  much  credit  cannot  be  awarded 
him  for  what  he  has  accomplished.     Not  only  has 
he  surrounded  himself  and  his  family  with  all    the 
comforts  of  life,  but  lias  fully   established   himself 
in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens. 


I 


The  subject  of  this  notice  was  the  second  child 
in  a  family  of  eight  children,  was  born  in  Dukow, 
the  Prussian  Province  of  Pomerania,  Oct.  21,  1834, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Johanna  (Beindchnieder) 
Germann,  who  were  also  of  German  parentage  and 
ancestry,  the  father  a  native  of  the  same  place  as 
his  son.  After  marriage  the  parents  continued  resi- 
dents of  their  native  place  until  August,  1868, 
when,  resolving  upon  a  change  of  residence,  in  the 
hope  of  bettering  their  condition,  they  sailed  for 
America,  landing  in  New  York  City.  Thence  they 
went  into  Erie  County,  Pa.,  where  they  lived  six 
or  seven  years,  and  from  there  came  to  this  county, 
locating  in  township  14,  range  11,  where  the  father 
took  up  land,  and  thereafter  gave  his  attention  ex- 
clusively to  farming  pursuits.  lie  departed  fiis 
life  Jan.  10,  1880.  The  mother  is  still  living,  and 
has  arrived  at  an  advanced  age.  Their  surviving 
children  are  located  mostly  in  Illinois. 

Our  subject  was  reared  to  manhood  in  the  Fa- 
therland, and  lived  there  until  reaching  his  ma- 
jority, in  1855.  That  year  he  set  out  for  America 
in  advance  of  any  of  his  family,  and  from  New 
York  City  made  his  way  to  Chicago,  111.,  where  he 
resided  three  years,  employing  himself  at  whatever 
he  could  find  to  do.  His  next  removal  was  to 
Douglas  County,  this  State,  where  he  rented  a  tract 
of  land  and  sojourned  three  years.  We  next  find 
him  in  this  county,  operating  on  land  belonging  to 
the  late  Jacob  Strawn,  which  he  worked  four  or 
five  years,  and  then  purchased  that  which  he  now 
occupies.  While  a  resident  of  Chicago  he  was  mar- 
ried, Feb.  16,  1855,  to  Miss  Johanna,  daughter  of 
John  and  Ida  (Niendorf)  Buchin.  Both  daughter 
and  parents  were  born  in  the  Fatherland,  and  emi- 
grated to  America,  the  parents  in  the  summer  of 
1859.  settling  in  Douglas  County,  this  State;  the 
daughter  had  preceded  them,  coming  to  Chicago  in 
1855.  The  parents  then  removed  to  this  county, 
settling  in  township  14,  range  1 1,  where  they  spent 
their  last  days,  both  being  deceased.  Mrs.  Germann 
was  the  eldest  of  her  parents'  five  children,  and  was 
born  in  Ponnow,  Germany.  March  6,  1836.  She 
was  consequently  a  young  woman  of  twenty-throe 
years  when  crossing  the  Atlantic.  Of  her  union 
with  our  subject  there  have  been  born  twelve 
children,  viz.:  Sophia,  Mary,  Anna,  John,  Lizzie, 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


333 


4 


Caroline,  Minnie,  Eddie.  Ida,  Emma,  Hannah  and 
Frances.  Mr.  Germann,  politically,  votes  with  the 
Democracy,  and  with  his  excellent  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber in  good  standing  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
They  have  a  pleasant  and  comfortable  home,  and  are 
universally  respected  by  their  neighbors  and  fellow- 
citizens. 


&HOMAS  MANDAVILLE.  There  are  few 
homes  in  Woodson  Township  more  attrac- 
tive or  desirable  than  that  belonging  to  the 
subject  of  tins,  notice.  He  is  the  owner  of  210 
acres  of  choice  land,  where  he  has  built  a  neat  and 
commodious  residence,  around  which  have  been 
planted  here  and  there  fruit  and  shade  trees,  while 
adjacent  to  the  residence  are  the  barn  and  other  out- 
buildings necessary  for  the  successful  prosecution 
of  agriculture.  At  this  industry  Mr.  Mandaville 
has  proved  a  success,  and  in  the  raising  of  grain 
and  stock,  especially  the  latter,  there  are  few  men 
in  the  county  who  excel  him.  As  a  citizen,  he  is 
highly  popular,  being  a  man  prompt  to  meet  his 
obligations,  and  he  occupies  no  unimportant  j>osi- 
tion  socially  and  financially. 

A  native  of  County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  our  sub- 
ject was  born  about  1829,  and  lived  there  until  a 
young  man  of  twenty  years,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  school,  and  becoming  familiar 
with  farm  pursuits.  He  was  more  than  ordinarily 
energetic  and  ambitious,  and  at  an  early  period  in 
his  life  decided  to  do  something  in  the  world,  and 
become  a  man  among  men.  Seeing  little  prospect 
of  realizing  his  desires  in  his  native  land  he  re- 
solved to  emigrate  to  America,  and  embarking  at 
Walerford  on  an  ocean  vessel,  landed  duly  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  Thence  he  proceeded  to  New 
•Jersey,  in  which  State  he  sojourned  about  four 
years,  and  then  going  to  Ohio  was  employed  on 
a  railroad  six  months.  From  the  Buckeye  State  he 
emigrated  South,  and  worked  on  the  levee  in 
Louisiana  about  six  months,  after  which  he  returned 
to  New  Jersey. 

The  return  of  Mr.  Mandaville  to  the  above- 
mentioned  State  was  the  occasion  of  more  than  or- 
dinary importance,  as  lie  was  there  soon  afterward 
married,  .June  12,  185,'i,  to  Miss  Mary  Hicki-y. 


This  lady  was  a  native  of  the  same  county  in  Ire- 
land as  our  subject,  and  was  born  about  the  same 
year.  After  marriage  they  lived  in  New  Jersey 
probably  about  three  years,  and  then  removed  to 
this  county,  of  which  they  have  since  been  resi- 
dents. Mr.  Mandaville  was  variously  employed 
thereafter  in  the  vicinity  of  Jacksonville,  then  came 
to  Woodson,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  he  rented 
land  five  years,  and  finally  bought  a  part  of  the 
land  which  he  now  occupies.  This  comprised 
ninety-four  acres — the  homestead  proper — to  which 
he  added  later,  and  which  now  represents  a  fine 
amount  of  taxable  property. 

To  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  there  have 
been  born  nine  children,  viz.:  Luke,  Ellen,  Annie, 
John,  Thomas,  Mary,  Maggie,  Julia  (who  died 
when  six  years  old),  and  Lizzie.  Mr.  Mandaville, 
politically,  votes  the  straight  Democratic  ticket, 
and  with  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  attending  services  at  Murray  ville. 


OBERT  B.  WALLACE,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  of  Bethel  Township,  and  also  one 
the  largest  fruit  raisers  in  his  section,  is  a 
.  native  of  Morgan  County,  and  was  born 
July  18,  1844.  He  is  a  son  of  William  H.  Wallace, 
deceased,  who  was  a  native  of  Vermont.  His  father 
is  supposed  to  have  been  of  Scotch  descent.  Rob- 
ert's mother  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  her  father 
is  supposed  to  be  of  Welch  descent.  Her  maiden 
name  .was  Samantha  Jones.  Her  parents  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Bethel  Precinct,  having 
come  here  about  a  half  century  ago. 

Robert  B.  Wallace  was  one  of  five  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living:  Robert  B.,  Richard  M.,  who  is 
now  in  Kansas;  Kearney,  deceased;  William,  who  is 
living  in  this  State;  Armenia,  wife  of  Turner  Funk, 
of  Vernon  County,  Mo.  Robert's  father,  in  1849, 
went  to  California  at  the  time  of  the  gold  excite- 
ment and  was  moderately  successful  in  his  quest  for 
the  precious  metal.  He  remained  in  California 
about  two  years,  when  he  returned  to  Illinois,  but 
he  subsequently  went  back  to  California  and  there 
died,  about  1853.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat, 
and  like  all  pioneers  had  done  much  hard  labor.  He  , 


4- 

,     334 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


f 


was  known  in  his  day  to  be  the  best  cradler  in 
Morgan  County,  and  he  was  equally  good  in  Iwnd- 
ling  the  scythe.  He  was  always  in  favor  of  any 
move  that  was  for  the  public  good  and  that  would 
elevate  society,  and  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  neighbors.  Robert's  mother  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  Church,  and  is  now  well  ad- 
vanced in  years.  She  subsequently  married  Samuel 
Poole;  they  purpose  making  their  home  in  Califor- 
nia. 

Robert  B.  Wallace  was  reared  to  manhood  in  this 
county,  and  received  the  education  incident  to  dis- 
trict schools,  and  having  been  an  extensive  reader 
all  his  life  is  well  posted  on  general  topics.  He 
enlisted  July  2,  1862,  and  was  mustered  into 
service  in  the  following  August,  in  Company  K, 
101st  Illinois  Infantry,  as  a  private  soldier.  After 
his  regiment  went  South  it  was  assigned  to  the 
Army  of  the  Mississippi,  and  latterly  to  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland.  He  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Missionary  Ridge,  Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca, 
Dallas,  Peachtree  Creek,  and  was  in  the  siege  of 
Atlanta  from  start  to  finish.  From  Atlanta  he 
went  with  Sherman  in  his  march  to  the  sea,  and  on 
that  celebrated  expedition  he  was  on  duty  as  one 
of  the  foragers,  during  part  of  the  trip.  He  was 
also  in  the  battles  of  Averysboro  and  Bentonville. 
He  also  participated  in  numerous  minor  engage- 
ments. He  was  captured  by  the  rebels  at  Holly 
Springs.  Miss.,  and  was  a  prisoner  six  months;  he 
was  paroled,  and  spent  some  time  at  Benton  Bar- 
racks, St.  Louis,  Mo.,  until  he  was  duly  exchanged. 
He  finished  up  a  creditable  war  record  by  taking 
part  in  the  Grand  Review,  which  occurred  in  the 
month  of  May,  1865,  at  Washington,  and  on  the 
following  27th  of  June  he  was  honorably  discharged, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Morgan  County,  where 
he  has  since  resided. 

Mr.  Wallace  was  married,  Feb.  2,  1 859,  to  Mary  F. 
Anderson,  daughter  of  Alexander  Anderson,  a  pio- 
neer of  Morgan  County.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wallace 
have  been  born  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living:  Cornelia,  Lottie,  Myrtle  and  James  W.;  the 
following  are  deceased;  Arthur,  William  and  Lulu. 
Mr.  Wallace's  home  is  a  model  of  comfort  and  con- 
venience. He  is  a  member  of  Rollin  Taylor  Post 
No.  524.  G.  A.  R.,  and  has  been  commander  for 


three  terras  in  succession,  and  is  now  adjutant  of 
the  post.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  take  a 
great  deal  of  interest  in  social  matters.  Mr.  Wal- 
lace politically,  is  a  Republican.  He  is  reckoned 
one  of  the  good  citizens  of  Morgan  County,  and  in 
his  business  he  is  meeting  with  deserved  success. 


;ILLIAM  S.  STRAWN.  The  mercantile 
interests  of  Morgan  County  are  fairly  rep- 
resented by  the  subject  of  this  memoir, 
who  in  former  3~ears  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  but 
finally  sold  out*  and  engaged  in  general  merchan- 
dising at  Alexander.  He  carries  a  full  stock  of 
fine  dry-goods,  boots  and  shoes,  hardware,  men's 
clothing  and  Yankee  notions,  and  also  deals  in  ag- 
ricultural implements.  He  operates  on  a  capital  of 
$6,000,  and  in  1  888  enjoyed  a  trade  of  $20,000.  He 
has  a  fair  prospect  of  an  increase  the  current  year 
(1889).  In  view  of  these  facts  his  enterprise  and 
business  methods  are  beyond  question. 

Our  subject  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Jacob 
Strawn,  of  Somerset  Count3r,  Pa.,  and  was  born  in 
Morgan  County,  July  28,  1853.  He  attended  the 
district  school  during  his  boyhood,  and  was  trained 
to  those  habits  of  industry  and  frugality  which 
have  been  the  secret  of  his  success  in  life.  His  father, 
James  G.  Strawn,  a  native  of  Ohio,  was  the  son  of 
Jacob  Strawn,  Sr.,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  this 
county  at  an  early  day.  Here  he  married  Miss 
Nancy  Bradshaw,  whose  parents  were  natives  of 
Kentucky,  and  whose  father  died  Feb.  28,  1887. 
Mrs.  Strawn  lives  at  the  old  homestead.  Of  their 
seven  children,  six  are  living:  John  A.,  Jacob  H., 
Charles  B.,  James  G.,  Joel  G.  and  William  S.  John 
A.  married  Miss  Emma  Dixon,  of  Hancock  County, 
this  State,  is  a  farmer  and  the  father  of  three  chil- 
dren —  Ella,  May  and  Gracie;  Jacob  H.  married 
Emma  J.  Corington,  is  a  farmer  and  has  two  chil- 
dren —  Clifton  and  John;  Charles,  a  farmer  in  Lo- 
gan County,  married  Anna  Johnson  of  this  county, 
and  they  have  four  children  —  Maude,  James  H., 
Carrie  and  a  babe  unnamed;  James  G.  is  living 
with  his  third  wife,  who  was  formerly  Miss  Mamie 
Arnold,  and  they  have  two  children  —  May  and 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


335 


Alice.  By  his  second  wife  there  was  born  one 
child — Cora.  Joel  G.,  a  farmer  of  this  county, 
married  Miss  Kate  Covington,  and  they  have  three 
children — Ernest,  Mabel  and  Henry. 

William  8.  Strawn,  our  subject,  shortly  before 
reaching  the  twenty -first  year  of  his  age  was  mar- 
ried, April  9,  1874,  to  Miss  Rosa  Mason  of  this 
county.  Her  parents  came  from  Morgan  County, 
Ohio,  to  Pike  County,  this  State,  and  later  to  this 
county,  where  they  now  reside.  The  father  fol- 
lowed blacksmithing  during  his  younger  years,  but 
at  the  present  time  officiates  as  clerk  for  Mr.  Strawn. 
In  this  family  there  were  born  four  children — Will- 
iam A.,  Ulysses  Grant,  Elsworth  E.  and  Rose,  Mrs. 
Strawn.  William  A.  married  Miss  Mary  Mapes 
of  this  county,  and  is  blacksmilhing  in  Orleans;  he 
is  the  father  of  one  daughter — Iva;  Ulysses  G. 
married  Miss  Susie  Wiswal,  and  is  living  on  a  farm ; 
they  have  no  children.  Elsworth  is  unmarried  and 
lives  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strawn  are  the  parents  of  three 
children,  one  of  whom,  Mabel  Lillian,  died  when 
eighteen  months  old.  The  survivors  are  Pearl  and 
Joe  Fifer.  From  the  name  of  the  latter  child  may 
be  inferred  the  politics  of  our  subject,  who  became 
a  member  of  the  Republican  party  when  casting 
his  first  vote.  He  has  served  on  the  Grand  and 
Petit  Juries,  but  has  no  aspiration  for  office.  A 
solid,  reliable  citizen  in  whom  the  people  have  the 
utmost  confidence,  he  has  borne  no  unimportant 
part  in  the  development  of  this  part  of  the  county, 
and  lias  been  the  encourager  of  those  enterprises 
calculated  to  elevate  the  people.  He  is  not  iden- 
tified with  any  religious  organization,  but  with  his 
estimable  wife  attends  the  Christian  Church. 


•3HOMAS  M.  ANGELO.  All  his  life  long, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  familiar 
with  agricultural  pursuits,  and  that  he  has 
met  with  success,  is  but  the  natural  result  of  his  ex- 
perience, perseverance  and  industry.  He  is  the 
owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  280  acres,  located  on  sec- 
tions 8,  9,  and  10,  township  14,  range  11,  the  resi- 
dence being  on  section  8.  The  most  of  his  land  is 
under  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  he  has  com- 


fortable  farm  buildings.  He  has  made  his  home 
here  for  the  long  period  of  thirty-four  years,  hav- 
ing taken  possession  of  the  place  in  1855.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  say  that  it  then  bore  little  re- 
semblance to  its  present  condition,  being  in  a  wild 
state,  without  buildings  or  other  improvements.  It 
has  taken  years  of  labor  and  involved  an  outlay  of 
thousands  of  dollars  to  bring  the  farm  to  a  point 
which  places  it  on  an  equality  with  those  which 
have  been  built  up  by  the  better  class  of  men  in 
this  county. 

Mr.  Angelo  was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Pa., 
May  25,  1825,  and  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
this  county  at  an  early  day,  they  settling  on  what 
is  known  as  Buck  Horn  Prairie.  His  father,  James 
Angelo,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersej',  and  it  is 'sup- 
posed was  born  of  American  parents.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  State,  and  being  of  an  advent- 
urous disposition,  went  to  sea  and  followed  the  life 
of  a  sailor  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  not 
far  from  Meadville,  Crawford  Co.,  Pa.  His  bride, 
Miss  Lucy  McDowell,  was  born  and  reared  in  that 
county,  and  was  of  an  excellent  family  of  Scotch 
ancestoy. 

After  their  marriage,  the  parents  of  our  subject 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Crawford  Count3%  where  all 
their  children,  seven  sons,  were  born,  and  all  lived 
to  mature  years.  Five  were  married,  and  four  arc 
yet  living.  Thomas  M.  was  the  youngest  but  one, 
and  was  a  little  boy  of  five  when  his  parents  came 
in  1830,  to  Illinois.  The  journey  was  made  over- 
land with  teams,  and  upon  their  arrival  in  this 
county,  the  father  purchased  a  claim  on  what  is  now 
Buck  Horn  Prairie,  securing  his  title  to  the  land 
when  it  came  into  the  market.  He  with  his  family 
endured  all  the  hardships  and  privations  of  life  on 
the  frontier,  but  he  succeeded  in  gathering  around 
him  many  comforts  and  built  up  a  good  home, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  passing 
away  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-five  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  active, 
industrious  and  enterprising,  in  politics  a  sound 
Democrat,  and  in  religion,  a  devout  Methodist. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  survived  her  husband 
only  about  four  weeks,  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  3rears.  She  also  was  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  and  was  one  of  the  typical  pioneer  ' 


f 


336 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


f 


wives  and  mothers  who  stood  bravely  by  their  hus- 
oanrts*  side  during  the  trying  times  of  life  in  the 
wilderness,  and  were  ever  faithful  and  efficient 
helpmates.  The  children  could  only  receive  a  lim- 
ited education,  but  they  were  trained  to  habits  of 
industry  and  economy,  and  the  sentiments  of  honor 
which  laid  the  basis  of  a  character  necessary  to  all 
good  citizenship. 

Our  subject,  upon  reaching  man's  estate,  desirous 
of  establishing  a  fireside  of  his  own,  was  first  mar- 
ried in  Macoupin  County,  111.,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Hoover,  a  lady  of  German  descent,  who  was  born 
and  reared  in  that  county,  of  which  her  parents 
were  early  settlers.  Her  father,  Felix  Hoover,  died 
there.  Of  this  union  there  were  born  three  chil- 
dren, and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hoover  departed  this  life 
at  her  home  in  this  county  in  April,  1864.  Their 
eldest  son,  Samuel,  married  Miss  Hattie  Mawson, 
and  lives  on  a  farm  in  the  same  township  as  his 
father;  Sarah  J.  is  the  wife  of  David  N.  Markillie, 
and  they  live  on  a  farm  in  Scott  County;  William 
T.  mnrried  Ellen  Black,  and  is  engaged  as  a  practic- 
ing physician  in  California. 

Mr.  Angelo,  in  1866,  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage with  Mrs.  Mary  J.  (Horton)  Marker,  a  native 
of  Iowa,  born  and  reared  in  Jefferson  County.  Of 
her. first  marriage  there  was  one  child,  Samantha  E., 
now  the  wife  of  Alonzo  Groves,  of  Franklin,  this 
county.  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Angelo  died  very  suddenly 
while  ministering  to  the  wants  of  a  sick  son  in 
Franklin.  Of  her  marriage  with  our  subject,  there 
had  been  born  two  children,  the  eldest  of  whom, 
Alonzo  E.,  married  Mrs.  Jennie  Gassier,  and  they 
live  on  a  farm  in  Sangamon  County;  George  E. 
remains  at  home,  the  chief  assistant  of  his  father  on 
the  farm. 

Our  subject  was  married  to  his  present  wife, 
formerly  Mrs.  /#blly  (Horton)  Stockton,  April  4. 
1889.  This  lady  was  born  in  Fulton  County,  this 
State,  Aug.  6,  1855,  and  is  the  daughter  of  William 
and  Sarah  J.  (Dennis)  Horton,  the  father  a  native 
of  Ohio,  and  the  mother  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Horton  were  married  in  Coshocton  Count3r, 
Ohio,  where  they  began  life  together  on  a  farm, 
and  resided  until  after  the  birth  of  eight  children. 
Then,  eirly  in  the  fifties,  they  came  to  this  county, 
settling  near  its  southern  line  where  the  father  took 


up  land  and  established  a  homestead  upon  which 
lie  lived  until  departing  hence,  about  1883,  after  he 
had  reached  his  three-score  years  and  ten.  The 
mother  survives,  and  is  now  seventy-six  years  old; 
she  lives  at  the  old  farm  in  Fulton  County,  and  is 
a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Haptist  Church. 
Mrs.Polly  Angelo  was  reared  to  womanhood  un- 
der the  parental  roof,  and  was  first  married  in  Han- 
cock County,  this  State,  to  C.  W.  Stockton,  by 
whom  she  became  the  mother  of  two  children,  Ida 
and  Eugene,  who  remain  with  her.  Mr.  Angelo, 
politically,  ig  a  sound  Republican,  and  in  religion  is 
a  Methodist.  For  twelve  years  he  served  as  a  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace.  He  is  the  Master  of  Lodge  No. 
No.  382,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  at  Lynnville,  in  which  he 
has  filled  all  the  Chairs.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Encampment  No.  9,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Jacksonville, 
and  of  Subordinate  Lodge  No.  356,  at  Lynnville, 
in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  Chairs  several  times, 
and  of  which  he  is  now  Treasurer. 


ORDAN  W.  McALISTER,  Among  the 
rising  citizens  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
this  county  may  be  properly  numbered  the 
subject  of  this  notice,  who  is  still  young  in 
years  but  who  has  made  a  good  start  in  life,  being 
the  owner  of  a  100-acre  farm  on  section  22.  He 
has  a  neat  and  substantial  brick  residence,  a  good 
barn  and  the  other  outbuildings  necessary  to  com- 
plete the  rural  homestead.  Although  perhaps  not 
the  hero  of  any  very  thrilling  event,  he  is  looked 
upon  as  a  thorough  and  skillful  farmer,  an  honest 
man  and  a  good  citizen,  and  is  thus  amply  worthy 
of  representation  in  a  work  designed  to  perpetuate 
the  record  of  those  who  took  part  in  the  growth  and 
development  of  this  county. 

The  McAlister  family  is  of  ancient  orgin  and  has 
borne  an  honorable  name  as  far  back  as  the  records 
go.  The  father  of  our  subject,  Jordan  W.  Mc- 
Alister, Sr.,  was  born  in  Anderson  County,  Ky., 
May  5,  1818,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  his  youth,  set- 
tling with  his  parents  in  this  county.  Upon  reaching 
man's  estate  he  married  Miss  Lucy  Henry,  a  native 
of  this  county,  and  they  settled  in  township  14, 
where  they  established  a  comfortable  homestead, 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


33? 


and  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom 
our  subject  was  the  second  born.  He  spent  his 
earlier  years  in  a  manner  similar  to  that  of  the  sons 
of  pioneer  farmers  generally,  and  chose  agriculture 
for  his  life  occupation.  He  acquired  a  common- 
school  education,  while  his  natural  adaptability  to 
business  has  sufficed  for  all  his  later  needs  in  the 
educational  line. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  event  iu  the  life  of 
our  subject  was  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in 
West  Quincy,  Mo.,  Aug.  26,  1877,  the  bride  being 
Miss  Eliza  Harney.  This  lady  was  born  in  town- 
ship 14,  this  county,  Aug.  12,  1860,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Francis  and  Mary  (Kitner)  Harney, 
both  natives  of  this  county,  and  who  are  now  re- 
siding near  Jacksonville.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  McAlister  is  the  eld- 
est. She  remained  under  the  home  roof  until  her 
marriage,  acquiring  her  education  in  the  common 
school,  and  being  trained  to  those  housewifely 
duties,  a  knowledge  of  which  has  so  much  influence 
in  the  happiness  and  comfort  of  a  home. 

To  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  there  have 
been  born  five  children,  namely:  Grace  E.,  Henry 
C..  Hessie  L.,  Carl  F.  and  Oliver  1).  The  eldest  is 
ten  years  old  and  the  youngest  two.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
MeAlister  are  connected  with  the  Christian  Church, 
attending  services  at  Woodson,  and  our  subject, 
politically,  is  an  unwavering  supporter  of  Repub- 
lican principles.  His  father  possessed  considerable 
inventive  genius,  and  is  the  patentee  of  the  Tile 
Ditching  Machine,  which  has  become  quite  exten- 
sively known  among  the  farmers  of  this  part  of  the 
State  where  it  has  been  used  to  excellent  advan- 
tage. 


AMKS  F.  SELF,  a  resident  of  township  14, 
range  10,  has  for  years  been  pursuing  the 
even  tenor  of  his  way  at  a  comfortable  home- 
stead on  section  27.  He  is  yet  in  the  prime 
of  life,  having  been  born  Jan.  27,  1843,  and  is  a 
native  of  this  county,  his  birthplace  being  north  of 
Jacksonville,  where  he  spent  his  early  life  upon  the 
farm  which  was  his  father's  old  homestead.  The 
latter,  James  H.  Self,  was  a  native  of  Fayette 
County,  Ky..  and  married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Abraham, 


who  was  born  in  Lexington  County,  that  State. 
After  marriage  they  came  to  Illinois,  settling  upon 
the  land  which  their  son,  James  F.,  now  occupies, 
and  where  they  lived  about  five  years.  They  then 
changed  their  residence  to  Greene  County,  this 
State,  where  they  sojourned  two  years,  then  returned 
to  this  county -and  located  east  of  Woodson,  and 
there  the  father  died  April  2,  1884;  the  mother  is 
still  living. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there  were  born 
twelve  children  of  whom  he  was  the  third.  His 
early  life  passed  uneventfully  in  attendance  at  the 
cqmiuon  school  and  assisting  his  parents  in  the 
various  employments  of  the  farm.  Upon  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War,  however,  his  thoughts  were 
turned  in  an  entirely  new  direction,  and  after 
watching  the  conflict  a  few  months  he  decided  to 
proffer  his  services  to  assist  in  the  preservation  of 
the  Union.  He  enlisted  in  Company  H,  10th  Illin- 
ois Infantry,  Feb.  10,  1862,  but  in  less  than  a  year, 
greatly  to  his  disappointment,  was  obliged  to  accept 
his  discharge,  in  March,  18G3,  on  account  of  dis- 
ability. He  had,  however,  met  the  enemy  in 
battle  in  some  of  the  most  important  engagements 
of  that  year,  fought  b}-  the  army,  being  at  the 
siege  of  Corinth  in  the  spring  of  1 862,  and  the 
second  battle  there  in  the  October  following. 
He  was  also  at  New  Madrid,  and  assisted  in  the 
capture  of  the  prisoners  at  Tiptonville,  Tenn.,  who 
had  escaped  from  Island  No.  10.  He  endured  his 
full  share  of  the  privation  and  hardship  of  army 
life,  and  retired  with  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that 
as  far  as  he  was  able,  he  had  performed  his  duty 
as  an  American  citizen. 

Upon  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  Mr. 
Self  returned  to  his  old  home  in  this  county  where 
he  has  since  remained.  His  farm  includes  100  acres 
of  good  land  with  fair  improvements,  and  where  Ife 
has  a  comfortable  home  comparatively  free  from 
care  and  wholly  free  from  want.  He  was  married 
June  13.  1866,  in  township  14,  north  of  Woodson, 
to  Miss  Mary  J.  Snelling  who  was  born  in  Jackson- 
ville June  3,  1844.  Mrs.  Self  was  the  3'oungest  of 
four  children,  the  offspring  of  Aquilla  and  Eliza- 
beth (McAllister)  Suelling,  who  are  now  both  de- 
ceased. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Self  there  were  born  three  chil- 


<  >    338 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


dren:  William  H.,  Ltiella  and  Laura  A.  The 
latter  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years,  and  Mrs.  Mary 
(Snelling)  Self  departed  this  life  at  the  homestead 
Jan.  2.  1877.  Mrs.  Self  was  a  lady  possessing  all 
the  Christian  virtues,  a  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
a  kind  friend  and  neighbor,  and  respected  by  all 
who  knew  her.  She  was  a  member  in  good  stand- 
ing of  the  Christian  Church,  and  her  name  is  held 
in  kindly  remembrance  by  a  large  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances.  Mr.  Self,  politically,  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  has  held  the  offices  of  School  Director  and 
Constable.  Socially,  he  belongs  to  Watson  Post 
No.  420,  G.  A.  R.  at  Murrayville.  and  is  also  a 
member  of  Murrayville  Lodge  No. 432,  A.  F.  <fe  A.M. 


OBERT  L.  CALDWELL,  a  pioneer  settler 
of  this  county  and  one  of  its  most  promi- 
nent  farmers  and  stock-raisers,  came  to  this 
region  as  early  as  1830,  and  has  been  the 
interested  witness  of  its  growth  and  progress  for  a 
period  of  nearly  sixty  years.  The  story  of  changes 
which  he  has  witnessed,  if  properly  related,  would 
fill  a  good  sized  volume,  and  not  much  less 
wonderful  than  his  long  residence  here,  is  the  fact 
that  all  this  time  he  has  lived  on  the  same  farm, 
which  comprises  land  secured  by  his  father,  David 
B.  Caldwell,  and  where  the  latter  spent  his  last 
days,  after  having  expended  a  great  amount  of 
labor  in  bringing  the  land  to  a  good  state  of  culti- 
vation !>nd  building  up  a  comfortable  homestead. 
David  B.  Caldwell,  who  departed  this  life  in 
1852,  was  afflicted  with  blindness  for  seventeen  long 
years  prior  to  his  decease.  He  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  came  of  a  good  family — old  Scotch 
Presbyterian  stock,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  at  an 
early  day.  His  parents  finally  left  Pennsylvania 
and  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  David  B.  spent 
his  boyhood  clays,  not  far  from  the  town  of  Car- 
lisle; there  his  parents  passed  away  and  there  he  at- 
tained to  his  majority  and  was  first  married  to  a 
Kentucky  lady,  who  died  and  left  two  children. 
His  second  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  Mrs. 
N.'incy  (Iludleson)  Crawford,  was  born  in  Ireland 
and  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  in 
her  girlhood.  They  located  in  Pennsylvania, 


where  it  is  supposed  that  she  was  married  to  Mr. 
Crawford,  who  died  in  Kentucky,  leaving  her  with 
one  child. 

After  his  second  marriage,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject settled  on  a  farm  near  Carlisle,  Ky.,  where  his 
four  sons  and  two  daughters  were  born  and  of 
whom  our  subject  was  the  youngest,  his  birth  oc- 
curring Nov.  13,  1828.  He  was  but  two  years  old 
when  his  parents  decided  to  try  their  fortunes  among 
the  prairies  of  Central  Illinois.  They  came  to  this 
county  with  very  little'  means,  but  well  provided 
with  courage  and  industry  the  result  of  which  was 
shown  in  the  success  with  which  they  built  up  their 
homestead  and  gathered  about  them  all  the  com- 
forts of  life.  Mrs.  Caldwell  survived  her  husband 
a  number  of  years,  dying  at  the  old  home  April  11, 
1874,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two.  She, 
like  her  husband  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  at  an  early  age 
trained  to  habits  of  industry,  and  began  to  as- 
sist his  parents  around  the  farm,  receiving  very- 
limited  educational  advantages.  Soon  after  be- 
coming of  age  he  was  married  in  the  township 
where  he  now  lives,  Dec.  16,  1852,  to  Miss  Juliet 
Smith.  This  lady  was  born  in  Indiana,  April  16, 
1837,  and  is  the  daughter  of  William  R.  and  Eli/.a 
(Carlock)  Smith,  who  are  now  deceased.  The  father 
was  born  July  12,  1805,  in  Erie  County,  Pa.,  and 
died  at  the  homestead  in  township  15,  range  11, 
Aug.  7,  1877.  The  mother  was  born  March  21, 
1814,  in  Kentucky,  and  departed  this  life  Oct.  22, 
1860,  at  the  homestead  in  this  county.  Both  were 
members  of  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church. 
Their  family  comprised  five  daughters  and  three- 
sons,  of  whom  Mrs.  Caldwell  was  the  eldest  born 
and  all  but  herself  are  natives  of  this  county. 

To  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  there  have 
been  born  twelve  children,  three  of  whom — liobert 
E.,  Mattie  B.,  and  Ezra  N.  died  young.  The  sur- 
vivors are  Nancy  M.  at  home;  Samuel  W.,  who 
married  Sallie  Hamilton,  and  lives  near  Orleans,  this 
county;  James  H.,  who  married  Kate  Pliel,  and 
who  follows  the  profession  of  engineer  at  Jackson- 
ville; Eliza  S.  the  wife  of  Lewis  Wilson,  a  farmer 
of  Wyoming,  Territory;  Edwin  G.,  George  A., 
Lewis  W.,  Charles  R.,  and  Effle  M.,  at  home  with 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


339 


their  parents.  Mr.  Caldwell,  politically,  is  iden- 
tified with  the  National  Greenbackers,  and  both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  Mr.  Caldwell,  officiates  as  Steward 
and  Trustee.  Otherwise  than  serving  as  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  he  has  carefully  avoided  the  responsibil- 
ities of  office. 

J~jOEL  TURNHAM,  one  of  the  oldest  living 
!  settlers  of  this  county,  retired  in  1876  from 
|  active  labor,  and  is  now  living  amid  the 
'  comforts  of  a  snug  home  in  Meredosla.  He 
was  born  in  Spencer  County,  Ind.,  over  sixty-six 
years  ago,  Feb.  14,  1823,  and  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Barrett)  Turnham,  who  were  natives  of 
Nelson  County,  Ky.  His  paternal  ancestors  are 
supposed  to  have  come  from  England,  while  on  the 
mother's  side  he  believes  himself  to  be  of  Scotch 
blood.  The  former  died  when  his  son  Joel  was  a 
little  lad  four  years  of  age,  and  he  was  wholly 
orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  mother,  which  occur- 
red when  he  was  a  boy  of  twelve.  ,  Thereafter  he 
lived  with  his  sister,  Mrs.  Elener  Pointer,  until 
reaching  his  majority.  In  May  1st,  1828,  with  his 
mother  and  other  members  of  the  family  he  emi- 
grated to  Illinois,  and  they  all  located  in  Meredo- 
s'a  Precinct,  this  county. 

Mr.  Turnham  pursued  his  early  studies  in  a  sub- 
scription school  conducted  in  a  log  cabin  with 
greased  paper  for  window-panes,  and  sometimes 
simply  mother  earth  for  the  floor.  The  benches 
and  desks  were  fashioned  from  slabs,  all  hand-made, 
and  the  other  appliances  of  the  institution  were  of 
the  most  primitive  style.  After  the  death  of  his 
mother  young  Turnham  was  thrown  largely  upon 
his  own  resources,  and  since  that  time  has  had  many 
a  rough  encounter  with  the  world,  but  for  the  most 
part  has  been  successful.  He  was  employed  as  a 
farm  laborer,  during  his  early  manhood,  a  number 
of  years,  and  after  accumulating  a  little  capital 
operated  as  a  renter.  In  1869  he  purchased  160 
acres  of  land  in  township  16,  range  13,  section  24, 
in  which  he  still  retains  a  one-half  interest.  Dur- 
ing the  early  days  he  broke  quite  a  large  amount 
of  prairie  with  oxen,  and  probably  no  one  man  has 

«• 


done  more  downright  hard   work  on  the    frontier 
than  Mr.  Turnham. 

Our  subject  has  been  three  times  married,  and  is 
the  father  of  three  children.  Mr.  Turnham's  first 
marriage  was  September,  1847,  to  Sarah  Beauchamp, 
by  whom  he  had  one  son,  George.  She  died  when 
he  was  two  years  old.  His  second  wife  was  Mary 
Beauchamp,  whom  he  married  September.  1851, 
and  by  her  had  one  daughter,  Mary,  now  the  wife 
of  Mr.  Waldo.  Mrs.  T.  died  when  Mary  was  twenty- 
eight  days  old.  He  was  married  to  his  present  wife, 
Mary  Jane  Thompson,  Aug.  18,  1855,  and  by  her 
has  one  child,  Horace.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  by 
each  wife  he  had  one  child.  George  Turnham  mar- 
ried Martha  Ann  Harris.  He  carries  on  the  old 
homestead.  Mary,  is  the  wife  of  James  D.  Waldo; 
and  Horace  is  seventeen  years  old,  and  resides  with 
his  parents;  he  was  graduated  May  6,  1889,  at  the 
High  School  at  Meredosia.  Our  subject  cast  his 
first  Presidential  vote  for  James  K.  Polk,  and  since 
becoming  a  voting  citizen,  has  given  his  unquali- 
fied support  to  the  Democratic  party,  lie  has  led 
a  strictly  temperate  life,  and  has  always  been  warmly 
interested  in  the  labors  of  those  who  are  endeavor- 
ing to  put  down  the  liquor  traffic.  Otherwise  than 
serving  as  a  Township  Trustee,  he  has  had  very 
little  to  do  with  public  affairs,  but  is  regarded  as 
one  of  those  reliable,  and  substantial  citizens,  of 
whom  the  best  elements  of  the  community  are 
formed,  and  whose  word  is  considered  as  good  as 
his  bond. 


IF^ICHAKD  MATHEWS  (deceased),  was  born 
4&  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  Dec.  14,  1815. 
He  emigrated  from  his  native  State  in 
company  with  his  father,  and  reached  Mor- 
gan County  in  1823.  These  people  may  truly  be 
called  pioneers. 

The  future  is  full  of  possibilities  for  the  young 
man  who  has  secured  a  foothold  in  almost  any  place 
in  the  Great  West,  for  he  has  none  of  the  condi- 
tions with  which  to  contend  that  clustered  around 
the  early  settlers.  The  difference  between  the  pio- 
neer and  the  young  man  who  becomes  a  tiller  of  the 
soil  to-day,  is  about  the  difference  that  exists  be- 
tween a  path  in  the  woods  and  a  modern  boulevard. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


The  difficulties  surrounding  early  citizenship  have 
been  relegated  to  the  past,  and  the  conditions  now, 
if  not  luxurious,  are  at  least  comfortable,  and  if 
one  becomes  the  happy  owner  of  an  Illinois  farm 
it  is  all  ready  for  the  reaper  and  the  plow. 
There  are  now  no  wild  unbroken  prairies  to  subdue, 
no  swamps  to  drain  or  trees  to  fell.  This  prelim- 
inary work  has  been  done  by  a  hardy  set  of  pio- 
neers, and  it  is  only  necessary  for  those  who  follow 
them  to  reap  the  benefits  of  their  labors.  And  the 
one  of  whom  we  write  is  entitled  in  every  respect 
to  the  honor  that  inevitably  attaches  to  the  names 
of  those  who  fought  the  unequal  battle  in  a  man- 
nerthat  made  it  possible  for  the  prairies  of  Illinois 
to  teem  with  plenty. 

Richard  Mathews,  Sr.,  as  has  been  before  stated, 
came  here  in  1823,  at  the  time  when  the  celebrated 
author  of  the  Monroe  Doctrine  was  President  of 
the  I'liiced  States,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  his 
father,  Richard  S.,  purchased  his  land  of  the  Gov- 
ernment. Our  subject  was  married  four  times;  he 
hnd  five  children. 

Richard  Mathews,  Jr.,  whose  name  appears  at  the 
head  of  this  sketch,  was  married,  Feb.  1,  1866,  to  his 
present  wife,  and  resided  on  the  homestead  contin- 
uously up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
May  22.  1878.  lie  was  the  father  of  five  children, 
whose  records  follow :  Martha  H.,  born  Oct.  28, 1 866; 
Sarah  M.,  born  Jan.  2,  1869;  Lilian  M.,  born  April  3, 
1871;  Richard  R.,  born  May  4,  1873;  Fred  M., 
born  Oct.  13,  1875.  The  children  are  all  living 
at  home  witli  their  mother. 

Mr.  Mathews  owned  at  the  time  of  his  death  a 
magnificent  estate  comprising  587  acres  of  land, 
with  fine  buildings,  and  the  land  is  in  a  good  state 
of  cultivation.  The  farm  has,  since  the  decease  of 
Mr.  Mathews,  been  subdivided,  the  heirs  getting 
the  parts  due  them,  and  is  now  carried  on  in  an 
excellent  manner  by  the  elder  son.  They  do  a 
general  farm  business,  and  are,  like  their  father 
before  them,  extensive  handlers  of  cattle,  horses 
and  hogs. 

Mr.  Mathews  was  a  nian  of  sterling  character, 
who  commanded  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact.  He  was  successful  both  in  a  busi- 
ness and  social  way.  He  held  the  office  of  Deputy- 
Sheriff  for  a  long  time  and  acquitted  himself 

<• 


in  a  highly  creditable  manner.  Charity,  to  him, 
was  a  cardinal  virtue,  for  he  was  ever  ready,  and 
without  ostentation,  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  those 
who  were  pulling  hard  against  the  stream.  He 
belonged  to  the  Methodist  Church  and  also  the 
Masonic  order. 

Our  subject  was  a  Republican  in  jwlitics,  simply 
beeause  he  believed  that  party  to  be  right.  When 
Richard  Mathews  died  the  world  was  the  loser. 


„.•!  DAM  ALLINSON,  Jr.,  is  a  prominent  far- 
LJi     mer   and  stock  raiser  on  section  32,  town- 


ship 15,  range  11,  and  that  he  has  been 
successful,  the  surroundings  of  his  beauti- 
ful place  are  ample  evidence.  His  house,  which  is 
large,  well  arranged  and  architecturally  perfect,  is 
located  on  an  elevation  of  land  that  commands  a 
magnificent  view  of  the  surrounding  country. 
The  Uouse  is  encircled  by  fine,  large  evergreens  and 
the  whole  place  indicates  that  the  man  who  owns 
it  has  a  love  for  the  beautiful. 

Mr.  Allinson's  farm  has  reached  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  is  counted  as  one  of  the  best  in 
Morgan  County.  He  owns  a  block  of  500  acres 
nearly  all  of  which  is  tillable,  and  is  one  of  those 
places  peculiarly  adapted  to  stock  raising.  He 
constantly  feeds  a  large  amount  of  stock  for  the 
market,  and  takes  great  pride  in  raising  fine  cattle. 
Mr.  Allinson  was  born  in  this  county,  June  20, 
1834.  His  father,  Adam  Allinsou,  was  a  native  of 
Yorkshire,  England,  and  came  from  a  good  English 
family.  He  was  a  veterinarian.  Adam  Allinson, 
Sr.,  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1820,  and 
first  located  in  Indiana.  His  father  died  not  Ions; 

O 

after  their  arrival  in  Indiana,  at  an  advanced  age. 
Adam  Allinson,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  yet  a  single  man,  when  in  1821,  he  left 
Indiana  for  the  West.  He  built  a  rude  Hat  boat 
which  he  tloated  down  the  Wabash  River  and  push- 
ed up  the  Mississippi,  passing  through  an  unbro- 
ken wilderness.  He  finally  landed  in  what  is  now 
Morgan  County,  where  he  concluded  to  make  his 
future  home.  As  a  matter  of  course,  the  country 
here  then  was  wild,  and  the  settlers  who  had  preceded 
him  were  nearly  all  pecuniarily  embarassed,  a  natu- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


341    ,  , 


ral  condition  which  generally  attaches  to  pioneers, 
especially  in  the  second  or  third  year  from  the 
time  of  their  arrival  in  a  new  country.  lie  located 
Government  land  where  the  County  Poor  Farm 
now  is,  and  also  where  the  Illinois  College  stands. 
His  possessions  at  one  time,  in  an  early  day,  cov- 
ered 1,000  acres  of  land,  and  he  lived  to  see  his 
property  advance  in  value,  and  to  witness  the 
wonderful  transition  this  country  has  made  from  a 
wilderness  to  a  garden.  lie  also  lived  to  see  his 
original  farm  constitute  one  of  the  finest  homes  in  the 
county.  His  son,  and  the  one  of  whom  the  biography 
is  written,  now  owns  that  farm.  lie  died  at  his  home 
which  he  had  worked  so  hard  to  beautify,  and 
where  he  had  spent  such  an  active  and  useful  life, 
on  March  26,  1880,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He 
cared  little  for  politics,  nor  did  he  ever  seek  an 
oflice,  neither  did  he  adhere  to  any  particular  faith 
religiously,  but  he  was  a  strictly  moral  man.  His 
memory  is  held  in  kindly  remembrance  by  all  who 
enjoyed  the  privilege  of  his  acquaintance,  for  when 
he  died,  a  man  passed  away.  He  was  married  in 
this  county  to  Miss  Mary  Norwood,  a  native  of 
Yorkshire,  England,  who  came  while  still  young,  to 
America.  Her  parents  were  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Morgan  County  and  they  resided  on  their 
farm  here  until  they  died  at  an  advanced  age. 
Mrs.  Allinson,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  died 
some  years  before  her  husband  was  called  away,  at 
sixty -five  years  of  age.  She  was  a  woman  who 
possessed  all  the  characteristics  that  arc  attributed 
to  a  noble  mother  and  woman.  She  was  the  moth- 
er of  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living. 
Two  died  when  quite  young,  and  one  after  marriage. 
She  was  at  the  time  of  her  death  Ann  Funk,  being 
the  wife  of  John  Funk.  The  living  are:  Sarah, 
wife  of  Robert  Hills,  who  is  farming  in  this  town- 
ship, and  Mary,  wife  of  George  Brainhain. 

Adam  Allinson,  Jr.,  was  carefully  reared  by 
conscientious  parents,  and  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead that  was  built  up  by  his  worthy  father,  and 
the  most  of  his  life  has  been  spent  there.  He  was 
married  in  this  township  to  Miss  Ruth  Jefferson,  a 
native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  who  was  born  in 
1848.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Jefferson. 
Her  mother  died  in  England,  while  her  father  emi- 
grated with  his  children  to  America  soon  after  her 


death  and  located  in  Morgan  County,  where  he 
still  resides.  He  is  retired  from  active  work.  Mrs. 
Allinson  was  about  six  years  of  age  when  she  came 
to  America,  and  has  but  dim  recollections  of  her 
native  land.  She  is  the  mother  of  two  children: 
Adareene  died  aged  two  years.  Mary  N.  is  at 
home. 

Mrs.  Allinson  worships  at  the  Methodist  Church 
and  is  an  ardent  member  thereof.  Mr.  Allinson. 
politically,  is  a  sound  Republican  and  thoroughly 
believes  in  his  party. 


HARLES  J.  DRURY.  One  of  the  finest 
i  farms  in  Morgan  County,  and  the  property 

^&&1J  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  comprises  360 
acres  of  choice  land  lying  on  section  27,  township 
15,  north  range,  9  west.  It  is  largely  devoted  to 
stock-raising,  and  under  the  careful  cultivation  of 
a.  period  of  fifty-six  years,  is  abundantly  product- 
ive of  any  crop  which  the  proprietor  may  wish  to 
raise.  He  early  began  a  system  of  tiling,  using 
before  pottery  came  into  existence,  fence  boards, 
which  have  since  been  replaced  by  the  more  mod- 
ern methods  of  drainage.  The  farm  buildings  in 
their  style  of  architecture  and  substantial  character 
complete  the  modern  idea  of  improvements  upon 
the  country  estate  of  to-day. 

Mr.  Drury  and  his  wife  occupy  a  position  among 
the  first  families  of  Morgan  County.  The  latter 
is  the  author  of  "A  Fruitful  Life,"  compiled  from 
memory  on  the  life  of  her  father,  and  which  is  pub- 
lished and  sold  by  the  American  Sunday-school 
Union  of  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Drury  is  a  gentleman, 
charitable,  refined,  and  one  who  from  the  advant- 
ages of  a  fine  library  gains  rich  stores  of  informa- 
tion. The  home  comforts  that  surround  this  fam- 
ily are  unexcelled.  Every  tiling  within  and  without 
indicates  cultivated  tastes  and  ample  means,  and 
they  welcome  within  their  hospitable  doors  a  host 
of  friends. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Sciota  County,  Ohio, 
Oct.  6,  1822.  His  parents  were  Lawson  and  Ann 
(Smith)  Drury,  natives  respectively  of  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Vermont,  and  both  were  born  in  the  year 
1800.  Lawson  Drury  died  when  a  young  man  of 


Hf- 


342 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


thirty-three  years,  of  cholera,  at  the  farm  which  his 
son  now  occupies.  The  mother  survived  her  husband 
a  period  of  thirty-three  years,  remaining  a  widow  and 
passed  away  in  March,  18G5.  The  parents  came  to 
Illinois  in  the  spring  of  1831,  and  the  father  pur- 
chased 160  acres  of  land,  afterward  entering  eighty 
acres  adjoining.  Charles  J.  continued  with  his 
mother  and  took  care  of  her  until  her  death,  attend- 
ing the  district  school  and  nmking  himself  useful 
about  the  homestead  as  he  gained  in  strength  and 
knowledge. 

Lnwson  Drury,  8r.,  the  paternal  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Shrewsbury.  Mass.,  1770. 
lie  was  a  man  of  fine  capacities,  taught  school  dur- 
ing his  younger  years,  and  upon  leaving  his  native 
Slate  located  in  New  Hampshire.  Thence  he  emi- 
grated to  Ohio,  where  he  officiated  as  Postmaster 
and  Magistrate  at  Haverhill,  and  finally  became 
Associate  Judge,  occupying  the  bench  for  a  period 
'  of  ten  years  in  Portsmouth,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Ann  (Smith) 
Drury,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  a  well  edu- 
cated lady  and  taught  school  successfully  for  a 
number  of  years  before  her  marriage.  Possessing 
great  refinement  and  cultivation,  she  was  highly 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her,  and  was  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  ten  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  and  under  the  wise 
and  judicious  training  of  his  excellent  mother  de- 
veloped into  a  man  imbued  with  the  highest  prin- 
ciples of  right  and  rectitude.  Strictly  temperate, 
he  was  the  first  man  in  his  community  to  dispense 
with  whiskey  in  the  harvest  field,  a  custom  which 
was  once  prevalent  during  the  early  history  of  Illi- 
nois. He  still  continues  a  stanch  advocate  of  the 
cause  of  temperance.  As  soon  as  of  sufficient 
years  and  judgment  he  assumed  the  management 
of  a  farm,  and  with  the  aid  of  his  mother  con- 
ducted it  successfully  •  from  that  time  on.  The 
household  included  six  children,  only  two  of  whom 
are  living,  our  subject  and  a  sister  older,  Mrs. 
Martha  J.  Wiswell,a  resident  of  Henry  County,  Mo. 

On  the  21st  of  May,  1867,  Mr.  Drury  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Belle  Paxson  at  the  home  of 
the  bride  in  Jacksonville.  The  parents  of  Mrs. 
Drury,  Stephen  and  Sarah  (Pryor)  Paxson.  were 
natives  respectively  of  Tennessee  and  Ohio.  The 


hitter  is  still  living,  making  her  home  with  her  son, 
in  the  cily  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  She  was  in  early  life 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but 
Inter  identified  herself  with  the  Congregationalists, 
with  whom  she  still  preserves  her  membership. 

Stephen  Paxson,  who  in  earlier  days  was  well 
known  as  the  pioneer  Sunday-school  Missionary  of 
Illinois  and  Missouri,  was  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  (Lester)  Paxson,  and  was  born  Nov.  3,  1808, 
in  New  Lisbon.  Ohio.  The  name  was  originally 
spelled  with  a  t.  The  first  representatives  of  the 
family  in  this  country  were  three  brothers  who 
crossed  the  ocean  from  England  during  the  Colon- 
ial daj's.  Joseph  Paxson  was  born  in  Virginia,  and 
his  wife,  Mary,  in  Maryland.  They  were  married 
in  the  Old  Dominion,  whence  they  removed  to  Co- 
lumbiana,  Ohio.  They  became  the  parents  of 
seven  children  of  whom  Stephen  was  next  to  the 
youngest.  The  father  died  while  these  were  young; 
her  circumstances  forced  the  mother  to  seek  homes 
for  her  children  among  strangers.  Each  one  be- 
came a  child  of  Him  who  has  made  a  special  prom- 
ise to  the  fatherless. 

Through  his  own  exertions  Stephen  Paxon  se- 
cured an  education,  after  mastering  untold  difn'cul- 
culties,  late  in  life,  for  he  at  the  age  of  thirt3r  years 
was  scarcely  able  to  read.  He  was  early  imbued 
with  those  sentiments  of  religion  which  inclined 
him  to  earnest  effort  in  the  Master's  vineyard, 
and  to  strain  every  nerve  in  this  field  of  labor. 
By  his  untiring  energy  he  established  over  1,300 
Sunday-schools,  by  which  means  80,000  children 
were  brought  under  the  influence  of  religious  train- 
ing. He  became  one  of  the  most  effective  speakers 
in  the  land,  holding  spell-bound  audiences  in  all  the 
leading  cities  in  the  United  States  as  he  recited  his 
experiences  in  the  cause  to  which  he  had  devoted 
his  life. 

To  Stephen  Paxson,  Illinois  is  indebted  for  her 
admirable  system  of  county  and  township  Sunday- 
school  organization.  lie  was  the  instigator  of  the 
first  convention  held  in  the  Slate  of  Illinois,  and 
frequently  assembled  mass-meetings  in  the  groves, 
which  were  attended  oftentimes  by  as  many  as 
3,000  people.  He  was  never  lengthy  or  tiresome 
in  his  discourse;  an  earnest  talk  of  thirty  minutes 
was  usually  the  time  he  employed  to  convince  his 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


343 


hearers  of  the  necessity  and  importance  of  this  great 
work  among  the  young.  From  his  excessive  labors 
grew  the  present  county  and  township  Sunday- 
school  organizations  of  the  Prairie  State. 

At  the  seventh  annu.il  convention  of  Illinois 
Sunday-school  workers  held  in  Peoria  in  June, 
1865,  Mr.  Paxson  presented  his  views  on  this  sub- 
ject and  urged  the  appointment  of  a  special  com- 
mittee whose  duty  it  should  be  to  take  the  matter 
in  hand  and  prosecute  it  throughout  the  State.  His 
plan  was  seconded  by  D.  L.  Moody,  Mr.  Vincent 
and  others,  and  unanimously  adopted  by  the  con- 
vention. Moreover  a  fund  of  $2,500  was  raised  on 
the  spot.  Those  interested  immediately  went  to 
work  and  never  ceased  their  pious  efforts  until  102 
counties  of  Illinois  were  thoroughly  organized.  The 
whole  life  of  Mr.  Paxson  was  devoted  to  religous 
labors,  and  thousands  of  hearts  well  nigh  stood  still 
when  the  telegram  flashed  over  the  country  that 
"Father  Paxson"  was  no  more.  His  death  occurred 
in  May,  1881,  and  the  long  funeral  train  which  fol- 
lowed his  remains  to  their  last  resting  place,  attested 
more  forcibly  than  words  could  do  the  estimation 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  people. 

The  lady  now  familiarly  known  in  this  county  as 
Mrs.  Belle  (Paxon)  Drury  was  graduated  from  the 
Methodist  Female  College  at  Jacksonville,  in  1863. 
She  continued  in  that  institution  as  ateachiT  for  a 
period  of  four  years.  Previous  to  becoming  a  student 
at  Jacksonville  she  had  pursued  her  studies  at  Mon- 
ticello  Seminary  in  Godfrey,  111.  Of  her  union  with 
our  subject  there  were  born  two  children,  a  son 
and  daughter.  Frank  E.,  June  11,  1869,  and  Edith, 
July  16,  1873.  The  former,  a  bright  and  prom- 
ising young  man,  has  just  entered  upon  his  jun- 
ior year  in  the  college  at  Jacksonville.  Edith 
is  pursuing  a  classical  course  in  the  Presbyterian 
Female  Academy. 

Mr.  Drury  is  identified  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  which  he  is  a  Deacon,  while  his  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr. 
Drury,  politically,  is  an  earnest  Republican,  rind 
and  has  held  the  office  of  Township  Trustee  for  a 
number  of  years.  Mr.  Drury  first  visited  the  farm 
which  later  became  and  still  continues  his  home, 
when  a  lad  nine  years  of  age,  in  company  with  his 
uncle  and  his  mother,  riding  in  a  carriage  once 


owned  by  Gen.  LaFayette,  and  which  he  rode  in 
while  visiting  this  country  in  182  I.  The  General 
met  with  the  misfortune  of  having  his  carriage 
overturned  into  the  river,  and  its  white  silk  linings 
were  thereby  very  much  damaged.  Taking  another, 
lie  proceeded  on  his  journey,  leaving  orders  to  have 
his  carriage  sold,  and  the  uncle  of  Mr.  Drury  pur- 
chased it. 

To  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Drury  there  were  born 
eleven  children,  five  of  whom  died  in  infancy;  six 
are  now  living.  William  is  a  Presbyterian  minis- 
ter and  Superintendent  of  the  missions  of  the  Sun- 
day-school Union  for  the  Southwest,  having  under 
his  supervision  twenty-six  men  engaged  in  mission- 
ary labors.  lie  usually  spends  his  winters  in  the 
East  lecturing  in  behalf  of  the  mission.  The  man- 
tle of  his  honored  father  has  in  a  large  measure 
descended  upon  him.  Corey,  the  youngest  brother, 
and  also  an  evangelist,  has  for  three  years  been  the 
assistant  of  Dr.  Pentecost  in  his  pastoral  work  in 
the  city  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Frederick  is  a  lawyer 
of  note  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


jf.ILLIAM  BURRUS,  is  a  resident  of  section 
2,  township  16,  range  12,  is  a  native  of 
Overton  County,  Tenn.,  and  was  born 
April* 26,  1820.  He  was  a  son  of  Martin  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Davis)  Burrus,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Tennessee.  His  paternal  ancestors  were  English 
while  on  his  mother's  side  they  were  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. 

William  Burrus  was  the  eldest  child,  and  is 
probably  the  oldest  living  male  member  of  the 
Burrus  family.  About  the  year  1832  in  company 
with  his  parents,  he  moved  to  Morgan  County,  III., 
and  at  the  time  of  their  arrival  here,  Jacksonville 
was  but  a  small  hamlet.  Then  there  was  but  little 
prospect  of  there  being  built  a  thriving  city.  His 
father  died  in  1852,  and  his  mother  followed  him 
a  few  years  later.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  of  whom  the  following  survive:  William, 
Susan,  wife  of  Thomas  Hodges  of  Morgan  County; 
Ma  1-3-,  wife  of  Robert  Ray,  of  Kansas;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Edward  Beeeham  of  Menard  County-,  III. 

William    Burrus   has  lived  in  Morgan  County, 


344 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


nearly  all  his  days.  His  education  was  received  in 
the  early  subscription  schools  that  were  in  vogue 
at  the  time  of  his  youth,  but  he  has  been  obliged 
to  rely  upon  his  own  efforts  to  gain  an  education. 
About  the  time  that  he  reached  manhood.  Illinois 
was  beginning  to  emerge  from  the  difficulties  that 
surrounded  her  in  an  early  day.  Her  markets 
were  beginning  to  improve  and  society  was  better. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  Mr.  Burrus  has  undergone  as 
many  of  the  privations  that  surround  a  pioneer's 
life  as  any  man  in  Morgan  County.  He  rode  on 
the  first  passenger  train  between  Meredosia  and 
Jacksonville,  and  has  witnessed  a  wonderful  devel- 
opment of  the  railroad  system  in  Illinois.  When  he 
commenced  life  there  was  not  a  mile  of  railroad  con- 
structed in  this  State,  and  transportation  of  all  kinds 
was  made  by  means  of  horses  and  oxen.  There 
were  a  few  miles  of  canal  built,  but  not  enough  to 
do  the  country  much  good.  Threshing  machines 
were  unknown  then.  The  grain  was  separated  from 
the  straw  by  the  old  primitive  methods  of  the  flail 
and  by  means  of  treading  it  with  horses  and  oxen. 
Fanning  mills  were  unknown  and  when  that  useful 
machine  was  first  introduced,  some  people  were  su- 
perstitious enough  to  say  that  its  use  should  be 
discouraged,  as  the  only  moral  and  proper  way  to 
clean  grain  was  to  let  the  winds  of  heaven  blow  the 
chaff  away  by  holding  it  up  in  the  air  and  allowing 
it  to  fall  to  the  ground.  Steel  plows  were  then  un- 
heard of,  the  old  wooden  mold-board  being  consid- 
ered good  enough  to  plow  the  earth  with. 

Mr.  Burrus  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  the 
spring  of  1848,  and  has  lived  there  continuously 
since.  He  first  purchased  160  acres  of  land  which 
was  in  a  very  wild  condition.  He  erected  a  log 
cabin  16x18  and  there  resided  for  over  twenty 
years,  and  in  this  house  he  reared  the  most  of  his 
children.  The  log  cabin  is  still  standing  on  the 
farm,  and  is  preserved  by  the  owner  for  the  mem- 
ories that  cluster  around  it.  His  present  residence 
which  is  built  of  brick,  is  a  model  farm  house  and  a 
practical  exhibition  of  its  owner's  transition  from  a 
poor  pioneer  to  a  wealth}-  farmer.  He  owns  720 
acres  of  land,  every  acre  of  which  he  earned.  His 
first  start  was  made  as  a  renter.  In  five  years  he 
made  &500  and  invested  this  in  land,  and  from  that 
small  beginning  he  has  attained  his  present  proud 


distinction.  He  was  married  Feb.  17,  1842,  to 
Nancy  Masterson,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Jane 
Masterson.  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  early  settlers 
of  Morgan  County. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burrus  have  been  born  eleven 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  living:  Thomas  J., 
Benjamin  F..  William  M.,  Alexander,  Eliza  A., 
Katie  C.,  and  Martha  J.;  the  four  deceased  are  Eliz- 
abeth C.,  John  H.,  James  M.  and  Felix  O.  Mrs. 
Burrus  was  born  May  2,  1 826.  Both  husband  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  Mr.  Burrus  lias  held  the  office  of  Stew- 
ard for  many  years.  He  has  always  been  very  lib- 
eral towards  churches  and  schools. 

Mr.  Burrus  is  one  of  the  original  founders  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  on  section  4,  town- 
ship 15,  range  12,  known  as  the  McKindry  Church, 
and  is  the  oldest  man  now  belonging  to  that  or- 
ganization. Politically,  he  is  a  Prohibtionist,  but 
was  formerly  a  Democrat,  and  aims  to  vote  for  the 
best  man  for  office.  William  Burrus  is  one  of  the 
representative  pioneers  of  his  county  and  is  esteem- 
ed by  all  who  know  him. 


AMES  B.  THOMPSON.  This  gentleman  is 
||  one  of  that  class  of  substantial  citizens  who 
have  done  so  much  in  opening  up  the  new 
West,  and  who  have  expended  the  best 
years  of  life  to  that  end,  and  now  have  retired 
from  the  more  active  duties  and  driving  cares  to 
enjoy  the  rest  and  comparative  quiet  that  they 
have  earned  by  the  years  spent  in  the  unceasing 
rush  of  life. 

Mr.  Thompson  is  a  native  of  Brown  County, 
Ohio,  but  was  reared  to  manhood  and  married  in 
Hamilton  County.  He  counts  the  years  of  his  life 
from  the  17th  of  September,  1810.  His  father 
was  Bernard  Thompson,  whose  wife  previous  to  her 
marriage,  bore  the  name  of  Mary  Phillips.  Both 
were  natives  of  the  Buckeye  State,  and  were  mar- 
ried in  Brown  County. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  also  bore  the 
cognomen  of  Bernard  Thompson.  He,  with  his  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Bing,  was  born  in 
Maryland.  He  was  the  owner  of  a  mill  on  the 


r 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


345 


Brandy  wine  River,  and  quite  above  the  average  in 
liis  prosperity.  During  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 
and,  again,  that  of  1812.  lie  served  on  behalf  of  his 
country.  His  son,  Bernard  Jr.,  also  served  in  the 
War  of  1812  for  a  period  of  six  months.  Mr. 
Thompson  received  aland  warrant,  and  upon  it  ob- 
tained eighty  acres  of  land  in  this  county.  He  came 
to  Morgan  County  in  1834,  and  settled  in  the  west- 
ern part,  continuing  his  residence  there  until  his 
death,  in  1805.  lie  sustained  the  loss  of  his  wife 
prior  to  his  western  removal,  in  1831. 

Bernard  Thompson,  Jr.,  to  whom  reference  was 
made  above,  was  the  father  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  but  two  are  now  living,  namely:  Andrew 
J.  and  onr  subject — both  of  this  county.  The 
latter  gentleman  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  on 
his  father's  farm,  and,  after  receiving  the  best  edu- 
cation the  common  schools  of  the  time  afforded, 
became  his  father's  helper  in  its  operation,  con- 
tinning  thus  until  he  had  attained  his  majority. 
In  those  days  the  State  of  Ohio  was  not  as  it 
to-day,  all  the  circumstances  and  surrroundiugs 
going  to  show  that  it  was  a  new  and  undeveloped 
country,  and  those  who  resided  within  its  borders 
were  in  very  truth  pioneers,  with  nil  the  freedom 
and  opportunity  that  such  a  position  affords,  but 
at  the  same  time  living  a  life  filled  day  in  and  day 
out  with  its  inconveniences,  difficulties  and  hard- 
ships. Among  the  latter  most  assuredly  must  be 
reckoned  that  of  the  educational  institution  of 
that  day,  which,  from  floor  to  ceiling  and  from 
wall  to  wall,  was  one  t-onstant  reminder  of  frontier 
life. 

Among  the  settlers  in  Clermont  County,  of  the 
above  State,  were  Collins  and  Sarah  (Taylor) 
McGuire.  They  were  both  natives  of  the  Key- 
stone State,  and  had  brought  with  them  many  of 
the  characteristics  of  that  people.  They  had  made 
for  themselves  a  home  and  farm  in  the  new  coun- 
try and  were  prospering.  Previous  to  leaving 
Pennsylvania  there  had  been  born  to  them  a 
daughter,  Mary,  who,  as  she  came  to  more  mature 
years,  revealed  a  womanliness  and  happiness  of 
disposition  that  attracted  numerous  admirers,  even 
in  a  new  and  comparatively  undeveloped  country 
— among  others,  onr  subject.  Every  arrangement 
being  completed,  they  were  married  in  May,  1834. 


In  October  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Thompson 
came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  this  county,  about 
three  miles  nortli  of  Jacksonville.  For  four  years 
he  rented  a  farm  there,  and  then  removed  to 
Greene  Count}-,  where  he  was  similarly  occupied. 
Returning  to  Bethel,  in  this  county,  he  went  into 
business  as  a  blacksmith,  and  continued  thus  en- 
gaged for  three  years.  Previously  he  had  pur- 
chased 120  acres  of  new  land,  which  lay  about 
three  miles  west  of  Bethel;  and  also  took  forty 
acres  of  Government  land.  Subsequently  he  pur- 
chased 160  acres  more — a  total  of  320  acres.  As 
the  first  purchase  was  entirely  unimproved,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  put  a  small  frame  cottage  of  two  rooms 
upon  it,  and  set  to  work  to  bring  about  a  better 
order  of  things.  One  drawback  to  the  position 
was  the  fact  that  the  nearest  market  was  Meredosia, 
on  the  Illinois  River.  In  after  years,  when  civiliza- 
tion had  come  nearer  to  his  farm,  he  was  enabled 
to  make  many  improvements  that  had  been  long 
contemplated,  and  became  one  of  the  largest  grain 
and  stock-raisers  of  the  district. 

Mr.  Thompson  has  reared  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, and  has  been  rejoiced  to  see  them  one  by  one 
enter  into  honorable  positions  in  life.  Their  names 
are  as  follows:  Clark  M.,  Mary  J.,  Sarah.  Ella  K., 
Perry  C..  and  Owen  P.  Clark,  who  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Scott  County  and  engaged  in  school  teach- 
ing, wns  married,  in  1878,  to  Miss  Verenda  Pratt, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz: 
Maud,  Guy  and  Blanche;  Mary  is  happily  married 
to  John  T.  Crawford,  a  prosperous  ranchman  of 
Colorado,  and  their  family  circle  includes  eight 
children,  whose  names  are  as. follows:  Xelica,  Dill 
O.,  Leora,  James,  John,  Ruth.  Mary  and  Julia; 
Sarah  is  Mrs.  A.  A.  McPhcrson,  and  lives  in  Kan- 
sas— her  family  circle  includes  five  children:  Alpha 
E.,  Etta,  Valeria,  Ross  and  Owen.  Perry  is  one  of 
the  physicians  of  Jacksonville,  and  Owen,  an  accom- 
plished lawyer  and  Judge  of  Morgan  County. 

Mrs.  James  B.  Thompson  died  on  the  31st  of 
January,  1881.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Protest- 
ant Methodist  Church,  as  is  onr  subject.  They 
were  prominent  in  bringing  about  the  organization 
and  building  of  the  Church  of  Bethel,  her  husband 
being  elected  one  of  the  Trustees.  They  took  an 
active  part  also  in  promoting  the  work  at  Mere- 


346 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


dosia,  and  their  efforts  were   rewarded   by  seeing 
similar  progress  in  that  place. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  removed  to  Jacksonville 
in  1884,  where  he  has  made  his  home  ever  since. 
In  matters  political  he  is  allied  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  has  always  taken  great  interest  in 
promoting  the  advancement  of  their  cause.  He  is 
a  citizen  valued  in  the  community  because  of  his 
high  personal  character,  his  integrity  and  efficiency 
as  a  business  man,  and  the  social  status  he  is  privi- 
leged to  enjoy  by  reason  of  the  large  measure 
of  success  that  has  attended  him  through  life. 


ASSELL  HOPPER.  This  gentleman,  who 
is  now  pursuing  the  vocation  of  a  farmer  on 
section  30,  township  1C,  range  9,  Morgan 
County,  is  a  veteran  of  the  late  war  where- 
in he  fought  gallantly  and  faithfully  for  his  adopted 
country.  He  is  of  English  birth  and  parentage. 
His  father,  Thomas  Hopper,  was  born  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  was  the  son  of  a  farmer,  a  friend  of 
the  celebrated  John  Wesley,  the  Methodist  divine, 
who  preached  many  times  in  the  home  of  his  father 
when  he  (the  father  of  our  subject)  was  a  boy,  and 
his  parents  were  strong  defenders  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  faith.  His  mother  was  a  Miss  Gorton 
previous  to  her  marriage  with  his  father.  He  was 
reared  to  man's  estate  in  his  old  English  home,  and 
was  married  to  Jane,  daughter  of  Hassel  and  Ann 
Poad,  natives  of  Yorkshire,  and  they  in  turn  reared 
their  family  of  children  there.  In  1856  they  brought 
them  to  the  United  States  in  the  sailing-vessel  Ellen 
Austin,  making  the  voyage  in  five  weeks  and  two 
days,  landing  in  Castle  Garden,  N.  Y.,  and  coming 
from  thence  to  Jacksonville,  this  county.  They  lo- 
cated there  a  few  months,  and  then  removed  to  this 
township,  where  the  father  spent  his  last  days,  dy- 
ing in  December,  1887,  leaving  a  widow  and  nine 
children  to  mourn  his  loss,  namely:  Annie,  who 
married  George  Edson,  and  died  in  this  count}-; 
John,  who  died  in  1887;  Jane  F.,  now  Mrs.  Robert 
Hunter;  Hassell,  Richard,  George  T.,  James  P.,  Han- 
nah, Thomas  W.,  Charles.  Philip  H.  The  beloved 
mother,  aged  seventy-eight  years,  is  a  welcome  in- 
mate of  our  subject's  household.  She,  like  her 


husband,  early  became  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Church,  and  she  is  a  true  and  earnest 
Christian. 

He  of  whom  we  write  was  in  the  prime  of  early 
life  when  he  crossed  the  waters  with  his  parents  to 
build  up  a  new  home  in  the  United  States.  In  Au- 
gust, 1862  he  determined  to  enlist  to  aid  the  brave 
soldiers  of  the  Federal  army  to  preserve  the  Union 
of  the  country  that  he  had  adopted  as  his  own,  and 
lie  enrolled  his  name  as  one  of  the  members  of  Com- 
pany E,  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  and  did  efficient 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Among  the  prin- 
cipal battles  in  which  he  fought  were  those  at  Mis- 
sion Ridge,  Resaca,  Dallas,  Peachtree  Creek,  and 
the  engagements  around  Atlanta,  whence  he  ac- 
companied Sherman  on  his  march  to  the  sea,  and 
he  was  afterward  present  at  the  Grand  Review  at 
Washington,  where  he  was  mustered  out  of  service 
with  his  regiment  in  June,  1865,  having  won  an 
honorable  record  for  bravery.  He  was  wounded  in 
the  left  knee  by  a  shot  at  Resaca,  wliich,  though 
not  serious  at  the  time,  became  quite  so  as  the  re- 
sult of  his  rashly  going  into  service  again  too  soon 
afterward  without  giving  it  time  to  heal.  On  his 
retirement  from  a  military  life,  Mr.  Hopper  engaged 
with  Lambert  &  Hopper  in  the  market  house  at 
Jacksonville,  remaining  there  twelve  years.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  time,  he  turned  his  attention 
to  farming,  and  bought  his  present  farm,  which 
comprises  130  acres  of  land,  all  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  with  good  improvements,  and  from  this 
he  derives  a  very  good  income. 

Our  subject  is  undoubtedly  much  indebted  to  his 
wife  for  the  comforts  of  a  cosy  home,  as  it  was  his 
good  fortune  to  marry  Miss  Anna  Wood  in  June, 
1867.  Her  parents,  James  and  Martha  (Beach) 
Wood,  were  natives  of  England,  and  emigrating  to 
the  United  States,  they  came  here  quite  early  in  the 
settlement  of  the  county,  and  their  last  days  were 
passed  here. 

Mr.  Hopper  is  a  man  whom  to  know  is  to  respect, 
as  he  possesses  the  qualities  that  make  a  des'rable 
citizen.  He  is  fairly  prosperous  in  his  calling  as  he 
deserves  to  be,  having  been  steadfast  and  unweary- 
ing in  his  endeavors  to  build  up  a  comfortable 
home  for  himself  and  family,  and  thrift  and  indus- 
try have  placed  him  far  above  the  reach  of  want. 


MORGAN  roUNTY. 


349 


In  his  political  views,  he  is  a  strong  Republican, 
taking  an  intelligent  view  of  the  different  questions 
of  public  import  that  are  discussed  on  every  hand. 
He  is  a  man  of  earnest  religious  feelings,  and  he 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  and  act  in  accordance  with  its  teachings 
as  far  us  in  them  lies. 


TENDICK,  who  is  widely  known 
throughout  Morgan  County,  is  a  roanufact- 
urer  of  bricks,  and  proprietor  of  the  old 
Edgemond  Yard,  situated  on  the  corner  of  Morton 
and  Tendick  streets,  of  Jacksonville.  He  was  born 
in  Germany  in  1830,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Jennie  (Finmans)  Tendick,  also  natives  of  the 
Fatherland.  His  father  was  engaged  in  farming 
from  his  youth.  In  1853  he  determined  to  come  to 
this  country,  but  did  not  live  long  enough  after  his 
arrival  to  appreciate  its  institutions  and  liberty. 
His  death  occurred  four  weeks  after  coming  to  this 
city,  and  the  mother  followed  him  two  weeks  later, 
leaving  a  family  of  eight  children,  only  three  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.:  Hannah,  now  Mrs.  Ring- 
meister,  of  Logan  County,  in  this  State;  Derric. 
and  our  subject,  both  of  Jacksonville. 

The  early  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  country,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  attend  until  twelve  years  of  age,  then 
learned  the  spool  and  weaving  business.  When 
seventeen  years  of  age,  he  commenced  boot  and 
shoe-making,  and  continued  to  work  at  that  trade 
for  about  thirty-three  years.  In  1850  he  came  to 
America,  and  was  soon  well  established  in  his  busi- 
ness, which  lie  followed  for  about  twenty  years, 
keeping  in  constant  employment  throughout  that 
time  from  seven  to  ten  men.  Closing  up  his  busi- 
ness in  1878,  lie  engaged  in  brick-making  in  Jack- 
sonville, and  was  for  two  years  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Caspold,  Reid  &  Tendick;  the  firm  continued 
for  the  succeeding  three  years  under  the  name  of 
Reid  &  Tendick,  but  at  the  end  of  that  period,  our 
subject  bought  Mr.  Reid's  interest,  and  since  that 
time  has  conducted  the  business  alone.  He  has  al- 
ways in  his  employ  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  men, 


and  in  addition  to  local  trade,  ships  largely  into  the 
surrounding  towns  and  country. 

Mr.  Tendick  has  built  two  stores  and  numerous 
houses  in  the  city,  always  seeking  its  advancement 
and  improvement.  He  also  finds  time  to  supervise 
the  farming  of  his  landed  property,  comprising  300 
acres  of  some  of  the  best  agricultural  land  in  the 
district.  He  is  the  head  of  a  family  that  occupies 
a  high  position  in  local  society,  and  is  regarded  as 
one  of  Jacksonville's  substantial,  public-spirited, 
and  loyal  citizens. 

In  the  year  1854,  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Belle  Tendick,  the 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Jane  (Schutten)  Tendick,  who 
also  were  natives  of  Germany.  Her  father  was  oc- 
cupied in  agriculture  in  the  Fatherland,  but  learn- 
ing from  friends  of  bright  prospects  in  America, 
concluded  that  this  country  would  be  better  for  his 
children,  and  therefore  came  hither  in  the  year 
1853,  and  settled  in  Jacksonville.  The  home  cir- 
cle included  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
viz.:  Mrs.  Tendick,  the  wife  of  of>f  subject;  Will- 
iam; Catharine,  now  Mrs.  Kastrup;  all  residents  of 
the  above  city;  and  John,  whose  home  is  in  Texas. 
The  father  and  mother  continued  to  reside  in  Jack- 
sonville until  their  death,  which  occurred  in  the 
year  1854,  the  father's  death  succeeding  that  of  the 
mother  in  two  weeks. 

The  family  of  our  subject  comprises  also  five 
children,  to  whom  have  been  given  the  names  here 
subjoined:  Jennie,  now  Mrs.  Porten  of  this  city, 
who  has  become  the  mother  of  four  children — Lil- 
lie,  Clarence,  Elmer,  and  a  child  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Peter,  (deceased);  John  S.,  who  is  engaged 
in  business  at  Canton,  this  State,  and  who  mar- 
ried Rosetta  Thompson,  a  native  of  Canton;  Ed- 
ward and  Clara  K. 

Both  our  subject  and  his  wife  are  members  in 
good  standing  of  the  German  Methodist  Church, 
of  which  Mr  Tendick  is  one  of  the  Trustees.  In 
matters  relating  to  political  economy,  he  espouses 
the  cause  of  I  he  Republican  party,  and  has  always 
been  one  of  its  firmest  adherents  and  warmest  sup- 
porters. 

This  volume,  designed  to  perpetuate  the  names 
of  influential  citizens  of  Morgan  County,  would  be 
incomplete,  did  it  not  portray  the  faces  of  those 


350 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


men,  known  and  honored  by  all  as  powerful  agents 
in  upbuilding  the  county.  Among  such  Mr.  Ten- 
dick  occupies  a  prominent  place,  and  consequently 
his  portrait  contributes  to  the  value  of  the  work. 


H.  BROADWELL.  Upon  South  Lane 
street,  in  Jacksonville  stands  the  agricult- 
ural implement  establishment  of  the  gen- 
tleman whose  life  is  here  briefly  sketched.  He  was 
a  native  of  Morgan  County,  111.,  and  was  born  on 
the  14th  of  September,  1823.  He  was  the  son  of 
Baxter  and  Mary  (Lindsley)  Broadwell,  both  of 
whom  are  natives  of  Morris  County,  N.  J.  The 
earliest  associations  and  memories  of  the  father  of 
our  subject,  are  connected  with  the  farm  upon  which 
he  was  brought  up.  He  was  educated  in  the  usual 
institutions  of  his  native  place,  and  after  that  taught 
school  for  a  number  of  terms,  and  discovered  such 
an  aptitude  and  ability  for  this  employment  as  to 
occasion  some  thought  of  continuing  permanently 
therein.  About  the  year  1810  he  removed  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  thence  he  went 
to  the  front  in  the  War  of  1812,  serving  through 
the  whole  period,  and  was  finally  mustered  out  at 
Cincinnati.  During  the  greater  part  of  the  time  he 
lived  in  Ohio,  he  continued  teaching  school,  re- 
maining until  the  year  1818.  Then  he  came  to  this 
State  and  settled  at  Grafton,  which  is  situated  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  River.  After  about  three 
years  he  came  to  this  county,  but  prior  to  its  organi- 
zation, in  which  he  afterward  took  part.  He  took 
up  a  farm  of  100  acres,  and  continued  to  operate  it 
so  successfully,  that  it  grew  to  some  600  acres  in 
extent,  and  he  became  one  of  the  most  extensive 
farmers  in  the  county.  He  erected  a  single  cabin, 
adding  to  it  from  time  to  time  as  he  was  able.  His 
market  place  was  St.  Louis,  ninety  miles  distant. 
He  was  a  firm  adherent  of  the  Whig  party,  and 
passed  his  last  vote  for  Henry  Clay.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  December  of  1832. 

The  family  of  which  our  subject  was  a  member, 
included  seven  children,  the  first  birth  being  that 
of  three  boys,  who  were  named  George  W.,  Thomas 
J.,  and  James  M.  All  attained  to  manhood, 
although  James  M.,  who  resides  at  Burlington,  Iowa, 


is  the  only  one  now  living.  The  other  members  of 
the  family  are:  William  H.,  Norman  M.,  Louisa. 
Jane  S. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  horn  in  New 
Jersey,  and  as  a  young  man  entered  heartily  into 
the  War  of  Independence  in  1776.  The  maternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Joseph  Lindsley,  a 
native  of  the  same  State.  He  also  served  in  the 
Revolution,  and  was  commissioned  Major.  He 
served  throughout  the  seven  years,  and  was  fre- 
quently by  the  side  of  Washington  in  the  various 
engagements.  By  trade  he  was  a  carpenter  and 
millwright,  and  was  possessed  of  no  little  skill  as  a 
workman.  The  family  upon  both  sides  is  of  En- 
glish extraction.  Until  the  year  1836,  our  subject 
lived  upon  the  home  farm.  At  that  time  he  was 
bound  out  an  apprentice  to  learn  the  trade  of  black- 
smithing  for  a  period  of  seven  and  one-half  years. 
He  learned  this  trade  in  Jacksonville,  and  contin- 
ued working  as  a  journeyman  for  some  six  months 
after  he  had  attained  his  release.  At  that  time  he 
engaged  in  business  for  himself,  and  continued  thus 
employed  some  twenty  years.  He  had  a  large  work- 
shop, and  ran  four  forges  continually,  which  speaks 
quite  clearly  regarding  the  amount  of  work  that 
was  brought  to  him.  Prior  to  leaving  his  business 
he  had  engaged  considerably  in  the  agricultural  im- 
plement trade,  and  this  he  continued  after  having 
relinquished  his  forges.  He  purchased  his  present 
business  place  in  1845,  and  had  perhaps,  the  largest 
business  in  his  line  in  the  city.  He  was  the  owner 
of  three  different  stores,  which  he  had  built  himself, 
sparing  no  pains  to  make  them  in  every  way  suit- 
able for  commercial  purposes. 

Mr.  Broadwell  had  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  movements  that  have  resulted  in  bringing 
the  various  railroads  to  the  city,  and  was  connected 
with  thorn.  He  also  took  much  interest  in  any 
enterprise  that  promisee]  to  aid  the  city,  and  ad- 
vance it  to  a  high  standing  amid  the  other  centres 
of  commerce  and  influence  in  the  State,  and  had 
been  actively  engaged  in  connection  therewith. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  dates  from  the  year 
1846.  The  lady  of  his  choice  was  Mary  A.  Cot-li- 
rane,  a  native  of  England.  Their  family  circle  in- 
cludes nine  children,  whose  names  are  recorded  as 
follows:  Charles  E.,  now  a  resident  of  Kansas  City; 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


4 


351 


William  B.,  who  after  his  settlement  in  California, 
married  Miss  Messerole  of  that  State;  Norman; 
Mary  L.,  now  Mrs.  W.  B.  Shaw,  living  at  Fowler, 
the  county-seat  of  Meade  County,  Kan.;  Alice  M., 
who  is  the  Principal  of  Los  Angeles  College,  Cal.; 
Annie  E.,  formerly  a  teacher  in  the  State  Normal 
School  of  Winona,  Minn.,  now  Mrs.  C.  P.  David- 
son, of  Scranton,  Pa.;  Harry  L.,  who  is  living  in 
New  Mexico;  Harriet,  and  Mabel  R. 
Kj/riie  residence  of  our  subject,  which  is  situated  on 
West  College  Avenue,  is  such  an  one  as  his  position 
in  the  city  would  lead  us  to  expect,  evincing  the 
refinement  and  culture  of  his  wife  and  family.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  as  such 
was  much  esteemed.  In  matters  political,  he  was  a 
strong  Republican,  and  had  the  honor  of  being  the 
first  of  that  party  ever  elected  to  the  office  of 
Sheriff  of  this  county.  This  position  he  held  for 
one  term,  and  performed  his  duties  in  a  most  satis- 
factory and  exemplary  manner.  Before  the  organ  • 
ization  of  the  city,  he  also  held  the  position  of 
Township  Trustee.  He  always  held  a  high  place  in 
the  regards  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  was  a  much 
valued  member  of  the  community.  His  death  oc- 
curred Nov.  26,  1888. 


R.  WILLIAM  .1.  WACKERLE,  a  repre- 
sentative physieinn  and  surgeon  of  Mere- 
dosia  and  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Heidelburg,  was  born  in  the  Grand  Duchy 
of  Baden,  Germany,  Feb.  23,  1819,  and  came  to 
America  when  a  young  man  of  twenty  years.  He 
took  up  his  residence  in  Meredosia  in  1846,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  six  months  spent  in  Missouri 
in  1852,  during  the  cholera  epidemic  in  St.  Louis, 
when  he  volunteered  his  professional  services,  he 
has  since  been  a  resident  here. 

The  early  studies  of  our  subject  were  conducted 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  place,  and 
when  seventeen  years  old  he  entered  the  Uni- 
sity  of  Freiburg,  where  he  attended  one  and  one- 
half  years,  then  entered  the  Medical  Department 
of  Heidelburg  University,  where  he  attended  two 
years  and  was  then  graduated.  He  started  for 
America  in  the  fall  of  1839,  taking  passage  at 


Havre  on  a  sailing-vessel  and  landing  in  New 
Orleans  after  an  ocean  voyage  of  sixty-three  days. 
He  spent  one  year  in  Jackson,  La.,  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  then,  coming  north,  set- 
lied  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  but  less  than  a  year  there- 
after returned  south  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  thence, 
in  1846,  came  to  this  county. 

While  a  resident  of  St.  Louis  Dr.  Wackerle  was 
married,  Feb.  19,  1843,  to  Miss  Susan-  F.  Ander- 
son, who  was  born  in  Fauquier  County,  Va.,  June 
30,  1825.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Fnn- 
nie  (Browning)  Anderson.  They  were  likewise 
natives  of  Virginia,  the  father  of  English  and  the 
mother  of  Scotch  descent.  In  1835  they  removed 
to  Lincoln  County,  Mo.,  settled  on  a  farm,  and 
resided  there  until  their  decease.  The  mother  died 
in  1843,  and  the  father  in  January,  1888,  aged 
ninety-four  years.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Mrs. 
Wackerle  was  only  about  ten  years  old  when  she 
came  to  Missouri  with  her  parents.  They  are  the 
parents  of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living, 
namely:  William  F.,  a  resident  of  Kansas;  Charles 
J.,  a  physician  of  Glasgow,  this  State;  Louis,  a 
resident  of  Nevada,  Mo.;  Edward  resides  in  But- 
ler, Mo.;  and  Fannie,  wife  of  Prof.  Harker,  of  the 
Illinois  College,  Jacksonville.  The  Doctor  is  of  a 
social  disposition,  a  man  well  read  and  well-in- 
formed, and  a  conscientious  practitioner.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Morgan  County  Medical  Society  and 
the  Masonic  fraternity.  In  religious  matters  he  is 
identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  in  politics  votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  As 
one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  Meredosia,  he  naturally 
enjoys  a  wide  acquaintance,  and  is  universally  re- 
spected. His  parents,  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Rise) 
Waekerle,  were  of  pure  German  stock,  and  are 
now  deceased. 


jsILLIAM  MILLER.  The  pioneer  element 
of  this  count}'  recognizes  the  subject  of 
this  notice  as  one  of  its  most' worthy  rep- 
resentatives, and  he  may  be  usually  found  at  his 
pleasant  and  comfortable  home  in  the  little  city 
of  Meredosia,  where  he  has  many  friends.  He  has 
just  passed  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  having 


t 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


been  been  born  April  3,  1825.  His  native  place 
was  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  and  his  parents  were  Joshua 
and  Catherine  (Thomas)  Miller,  natives  of  New 
York  State. 

This  branch  of  the  Miller  family  is  supposed  to 
be  of  English  descent,  as  was  also  the  mother  of 
our  subject.  The  parents  came  to  Illinois  at  an 
early  day,  and  the  father  of  our  subject  died  in 
New  Orleans,  about  1825,  from  an  attack  of  yel- 
low fever.  The  mother  was  subsequently  married 
to  William  Crawford,  and  they  resided  for  a  time 
in  Missouri.  Mr.  Miller  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
State  since  a  youth  of  seventeen  years.  His  edu- 
cation was  obtained  by  attendance  at  the  subscrip- 
tion school,  which  was  carried  on  in  a  log  cabin 
with  greased  paper  for  window  panes,  the  floor  of 
puncheon,  and  the  benches  made  of  slabs  upheld 
by  rude  wooden  legs.  The  system  of  instruction 
was  in  keeping  with  those  primitive  times,  and  the 
text  books  (unlike  those  of  the  present  day),  were 
used  by  one  child  after  another  until  worn  out. 

The  life  of  our  subject  passed  in  a  comparatively 
uninterrupted  manner  until  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, which  took  place  July  22,  1847.  The  maiden 
of  his  choice  was  Miss  Lorena  Thacker,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  only  eight 
of  whom  are  living,  namely:  John,  William;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  George  Turnham ;  Hannah,  Mrs.  Isaac 
Lake;  Sarah,  Mrs.  Weber,  a  widow;  Oscar,  Edgar, 
and  Frances,  the  wife  of  Henry  Wade.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Miller  after  marriage  settled  on  a  farm  in  Brown 
County,  Jll.,  and  Mr.  Miller  operated  as  a  renter  a 
number  of  years.  He  finally  purchased  200  acres 
of  land  on  Meredosia  Bay,  in  township  1 6,  range 
13,  to  which  he  removed  at  once  and  entered  upon 
its  cultivation  and  improvement.  Later  he  sold 
forty  acres,  and  lived  upon  the  160  acres  remain- 
ing, until  removing  to  Meredosia  in  the  winter  of 
1887.  Prior  to  this  removal  he  sold  his  farm  for 
$5.600. 

Mr.  Miller's  property  has  been  accumulated 
solely  by  his  own  industry.  He  first  worked  out 
by  the  month,  living  in  a  most  economical  manner 
and  saving  what  he  could  of  his  earnings,  until  he 
had  enough  to  purchase  implements  for  farming  on 
rented  land.  In  his  labors  and  struggles  he  has 
had  the  faithful  assistance  of  his  estimable  wife, 


who  has  stood  by  his  side  through  storm  and  sun- 
shine, bearing  with  him  the  heat  and  burden  of  the 
day.  Mrs.  Miller  was  born  in  this  county  Jan.  9, 
1827,  and  is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Charity 
(Glisson)  Thacker,  whose  parents  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Central  Illinois.  They  were 
natives  of  Tennessee,  and  came  to  this  county  in 
1826,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
They  looked  upon  the  present  site  of  Jacksonville 
when  it  was  only  marked  by  a  few  rude  houses  and 
bore  little  semblance  to  a  town.  During  the  latter 
years  of  their  lives  they  lived  on  a  farm  northeast 
of  the  city,  then  removed  to  Meredosia,  and  two 
years  later  to  Brown  County,  where  the  mother 
died  in  1845,  and  the  father  in  1857.  Both  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr. 
Miller,  politically,  uniformly  votes  the  Democratic 
ticket.  He  has  never  had  any  ambition  for  office, 
preferring  to  confine  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  enjoys  an  extended  acquaintance 
throughout  the  county,  where  he  numbers  his 
friends  by  the  score.  The  deceased  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  are  Cordelia,  Stephen  A., 
Margaret  J.,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 


iILLIAM  H.  ANGELO.  For  a  period  of 
nearly  twenty  years,  since  the  year  of  1869, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  estab- 
lished at  his  present  homestead,  which  comprises 
seventy  acres  of  choice  land,  located  on  section  15, 
township  14,  range  11.  He  came  to  this  county 
in  the  fifties  from  Crawford  Count}-,  Pa.,  where  he 
was  born  June  25,  1821.  He  is  a  twin  son  of 
James  and  Lucy  (McDowell)  Angelo,  mention  of 
whom  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  Thomas  M.  Angelo. 
which  will  be  found  on  another  page  in  this  vol- 
ume. The  parents  came  to  this  county  at  an  early 
da^y,  and  are  both  long  since  deceased,  passing 
away  when  quite  aged. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  lad  of  ten  years 
when  his  parents  made  the  journey  overland  from 
Pennsylvania  to  this  county,  and  settled  upon  a 
tract  of  wild  land  on  what  is  now  known  as  Buck 
Horn  Prairie,  from  which  the  father  built  up  a 
good  farm  and  where  the  parents  spent  their  last 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


353 


days,  the  father  passing  away  first  and  the  mother 
joining  her  husband  in  the  silent  land  four  weeks 
later. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  our  subject  were 
spent  in  a  manner  common  to  the  sons  of  pioneer 
farmers,  and  when  reaching  manhood  and  soon  af- 
ter becoming  of  age,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah 
Northcutt,  who  was  born  in  this  county  in  1830. 
Her  parents  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  early 
settlers  of  this  county,  where  they  died  in  middle 
life.  Of  this  union  there  have  been  born  two  chil- 
dren, the  eldest  son,  William  H.,  Jr.,  married  a 
Miss  James,  and  they  live  in  Lynnville,  of  which  he 
is  the  Postmaster,  and  where  he  carries  on  general 
merchandising.  Elizabeth  is  married  and  living 
in  the  West.  Mr.  Angelo  without  making  any- 
great  stir  in  the  world,  pursues  the  even  tenor  of 
his  way  as  an  honest  man  and  a  good  citizen,  vot- 
ing the  straight  Democratic  ticket  and  striving  to 
do  as  little  harm  as  possible. 


WILLIAM  H.  HAMEL,  late  of  township  14, 

range  11,  departed  this  life  at  his  home- 
stead on  section  15,  March  10,  1888.  He 
was  then  approaching  the  fifty -third  year  of  his 
age,  having  been  born  Sept.  26,  1835,  in  Knox 
County,  Ohio.  He  came  of  excellent  Holland- 
Dutch  stock  and  was  the  son  of  William  Hamel,  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Knox  County,  where  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Rosanna  Ely. 

After  the  birth  of  three  children,  all  sons,  the 
parents  of  our  subject  emigrated  to  Illinois  and  lo- 
cated on  a  tract  of  wild  land  in  township  14,  range 
11,  in  this  county.  Later,  however,  they  changed 
their  residence  to  Lynnville,  where  the  elder  Ham- 
el spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  passing  away 
Feb.  10,  1879,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years, 
having  been  born  Nov.  21,  1807.  His  wife,  Ro- 
sanna, is  still  living  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
brother,  Martin  Ely,  in  Fulton  County,  this  State. 
She  was  born  Nov.  3,  1812,  and  is  consequently 
approaching  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  her  age. 
Both  she  and  her  husband  in  religious  matters,  ad- 


here  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
the  latter  during  the  later  years  of  his  life  was 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  He  had 
been  quite  prominent  in  local  politics  and  served 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest 
child  of  his  parents  who  came  to  this  county  when  he 
was  quite  young.  lie  grew  up  surrounded  by 
good  and  healthy  influences,  which  had  their  effect 
both  upon  mind  and  body,  and  formed  within  him 
a  character  which  made  him  a  man  respected 
among  his  fellows.  By  his  industry  and  persever- 
ance he  became  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  of  120 
acres,  and  also  acquired  160  acres  in  Kansas  which 
have  never  been  improved.  His  death  was  the  re- 
sult of  cancer  from  which  he  suffered  greatly  for 
some  time  and  which  sufferings  he  bore  with  Chris- 
tian patience  and  fortitude.  His  death  was  not 
only  deeply  mourned  by  his  family,  but  by  all  who 
knew  him,  for  he  was  a  man  who,  without  making 
anv  great  stir  in  the  world,  exercised  that  silent 
influence  which  will  live  after  a  man  has  passed 
away,  thus  fulfilling  the  Scripture  saying  that  "his 
works  do  follow  him." 

The  marriage  of  William  II.  Hamel  and  Miss 
Elizabeth  J.  Horton  took  place  at  the  home  of  the 
bride  near  Astoria,  in  Fulton  County,  this  State, 
Dec.  24,  1857.  Mrs.  Hamel  was  born  in  Coshoc- 
ton  County,  Ohio,  March  13,  1840,  and  was  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Dennis)  Ilorton, 
who  were  also  natives  of  that  county.  There  also 
they  were  reared  and  married  and  lived  until  after 
the  birth  of  part  of  their  family,  then  in  1851  came 
to  Fulton  County,  this  State.  Mr.  Ilorton  died  at 
his  home  near  Astoria  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  six- 
ty-five years.  He  was  a  good  man  in  the  broad- 
est sense  of  the  term,  kindly  and  hospitable  as  a 
neighbor  and  in  his  private  life  without  reproach. 
The  mother  is  still  living  and  is  now  seventy-five 
years  old,  and  quite  feeble. 

Mrs.  Hamel  was  the  oldest  daughter  of  her  par- 
ents and  grew  up  an  intelligent  and  amiable  young 
woman,  and  these  qualities  have  continued  with 
her  all  through  life.  Her  mother  has  for  many 
years  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  but 
Mrs.  llamel  is  a  Methodist  in  religion.  Of  her  un- 
ion with  our  subject  there  was  born  one  child,  a 


f 


354 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


son,  Evert  Leo,  March  21,  18(58.  He  remains  with 
his  mother  and  assists  in  the  management  of  the 
farm.  They  have  a  pleasant  and  comfortable 
home  and  are  held  in  high  respect  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends. 

,     OCTO     ^ 

LFRED  WILLIAMS,  one  of  the  oldest  liv- 
ing settlers  of  his  locality,  having  come  to 
Morgan  County,  111.,  in  October,  1837,  is 
a  native  of  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y., 
and  was  born  Jan.  10,  1822.  Me  was  the  son  of 
Joseph  and  Hannah  Williams,  botli  natives  of  Ver- 
mont. His  grandfather,  Joseph  Williams,  Sr.,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  also  one  of  the 
early  si-tilers  of  Vermont. 

Alfred  Williams  was  reared  in  his  native  county 
until  his  sixteenth  year,  at  which  time,  with  an  un- 
cle, he  came  to  Morgan  County,  where  he  has  re- 
mained since.  He  is  distinguished  as  being  one  of 
a  company  who  operated  the  first  threshing  ma- 
chines and  cleaners  in  this  county  and  State.  He 
and  his  Uncle  Seth  Wctherbee  broke  the  first  furrow 
on  the  present  site  of  the  village  of  Chapin.  For 
several  years  Mr.  Williams  owned  and  operated  a 
threshing  machine,  from  which  business  he  made  con- 
siderable money.  In  1848  he  settled  on  his  present 
farm,  which  was  then  destitute  of  improvements, 
being  wild,  uncultivated  prairie  land.  He  broke  the 
land  and  continued  to  make  improvements,  buying 
more  until  he  now  owns  a  farm  of  362  acres,  un- 
equaled  in  fertility,  and  to  be  the  owner  of  which, 
any  man  ought  to  feel  proud.  Mr.  Williams  has 
seen  this  section  of  the  country  develop  from  a 
wilderness  to  a  garden  spot,  and  now  upon  every 
hand  is  to  be  seen  prosperity,  where  once  was  pov- 
erty. He  is  one  of  the  thousands  of  pioneers  who 
are  reaping  the  harvest  of  plenty  that  was  sown  by 
them  years  ago.  He  has  been  successful  beyond 
his  fondest  dream,  and  he  deserves  it.  His  magni- 
ficent estate  is  a  monument  to  his  industry,  per- 
severance and  good  management. 

Politically,  Mr.  Williams  is  a  Republican,  and 
when  the  Whig  party  was  in  existence,  acted  with 
them,  and  during  the  war,  he  was  an  active  Union 
man.  He  has  served  as  School  Director,  but  being 
of  a  modest  nature,  he  cares  but  little  for  office. 


He  married  Miss  Esther  Bean,  May  22,  1851,  who 
bore  him  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  living: 
Joseph  B.  Williams,  married  Ada  A.  Wing,  of 
Bridgeport,  Vt.,  and  is  farming  part  of  the  home- 
stead;  Arthur  C.  married  Nellie  A.  True,  of  Mor- 
gan County.  Her  parents  were  formerly  from  New 
Hampshire.  He  also  farms  a  part  of  the  home  place. 
Joseph  B.,  and  Arthur  C.  are  both  prosperous 
residents  of  Morgan  County.  The  deceased  children 
are  Julius  Seth,  and  Alfred.  Both  Mr.  WTilliams 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Jo3r  Prairie.  Mrs.  Williams  was  the 
daughter  of  Joshua  Bean,  of  Readfield,  Kenebec 
Co.,  Me.,  twelve  miles  from  Augusta.  Her  mother 
was  Abigal  Pierce,  of  Westbrook,  Cumberland  Co., 
Me.  They  reared  a  family  of  seven  children,  two 
boys  and  five  girls.  They  subsequently  removed  to 
Massachusetts,  and  lived  and  died  at  Chelsea,  Mass. 
Mrs.  Williams  was  in  her  girlhood  liberally  educa- 
ted, and  in  October,  1850,  came  to  Morgan  Count}', 
III.,  alone,  and  taught  school  in  a  country  district, 
about  three  miles  from  her  present  home;  it  was 
here  she  became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Williams. 

Mr.  Williams  was  one  of  the  original  members 
and  prime  movers  in  the  establishment  of  the  Con- 
gregational society,  donating  land  upon  which  to 
build  the  church.  He  is  a  Trustee  of  the  church 
spoken  of,  and  is  always  ready  and  willing  to  do 
anything  for  the  improvement  of  his  chosen  re- 
ligion. He  is  liberal  and  enterprising,  and  is  one 
of  the  few  men  in  this  world  who  do  charitable  acts 
in  an  unostentatious  manner. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams,  are  now  a  little  past  the 
prime  of  life,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  early  in- 
dustry, and  their  neighbors  are  unanimous  in  say- 
ing that  they  deserve  all  the  comfort  there  is  to  be 
had  in  this  life. 


ItS.  MARY  A.  BUTCHER  is  a.  resident  of 
section  23,  township  16,  range  13,  and  is  a 
s  niitive  of  Pike  County,  Ohio,  where  she 
was  born  Feb.  16,  1826.  She'was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  R.  and  Sarah  (Boiler)  Butcher.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  her 
mother  was  also  born  in  that  State.  Her  father  was 


I 


4 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


355 


a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  enlisted  at  the 
(•(•ginning  of  the  war  under  the  general  call  for 
troops,  .and  remained  in  the  army  until  the  close  of 
hostilities. 

Mrs.  Butcher's  parents  were  among  the  very  first 
settlers  of  Pike  County,  Ohio,  and  lived  there 
until  their  death.  They  were  well-to-do  farmers, 
and  reared  a  family  of  five  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  survivor.  She 
was  reared  to  womanhood  in  her  native  county 
and  State.  She  received  her  education  in  the  early 
log  cabin  subscription  schools,  and,  of  course,  the 
learning  she  obtained  was  necessarily  through  diffi- 
culties that  now  would  seem  almost  insurmountable. 
It  may  be  pessimistic  to  indulge  in  the  thought  that 
the  youth  of  two  generations  ago,  or  even  of  one, 
were  constructed  of  different  material  from  those 
of  to-day,  but  it  is  no  flight  of  fancy  to  record  the 
simple  fact  that  our  fathers  and  mothers  would 
have  been  many  times  discouraged  in  their  search 
for  knowledge,  had  they  not  been  built  of  the 
sterner  stuff  that  makes  true  men  and  women. 
In  their  day  there  were  but  few  sources  of  amuse- 
ment, and  not  many  ways  to  divert  one's  attention 
from  hard,  dull  work.  The  youth  of  the  present 
generation  ought  to  be  thankful  for  the  advantages 
they  possess,  and,  as  they  read  the  histories  of 
their  ancestors,  glean  therefrom  profitable  lessons. 

Mrs.  Butcher  was  married  Dec.  29,  ]  850,  in 
Pike  County,  Ohio,  to  Adam  Butcher,  a  native  of 
the  Buckeye  State,  and  whose  birth  occurred  Jan. 
20,  1  826.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  Butcher, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Ohio,  their  ancestors  all 
being  of  German  descent.  Mrs.  Butcher  was  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are  living: 
Roland  C.  lives  in  Colorado;  Royal  is  a  resident  of 
Christian  County,  111.;  Josiah  lives  in  Morgan 
County,  while  George,  Albert,  and  Ida  are  at 
home.  Mr.  Butcher  and  wife  emigrated  to  Morgan 
County  in  1851.  Their  journey  from  Pike  County, 
( )hio,  consumed  nineteen  clays.  They  landed  in 
Jacksonville,  111.  Their  means  of  transportation 
was  by  a  "prairie  schooner"  drawn  by  two  teams. 
Tl.ey  were  accompanied  by  two  other  families, 
making  a  party  of  about  a  dozen  persons  in  all. 
Mr.  Butcher  rented  a  farm  soon  after  his  arrival  in 
Morgan  County,  and  continued  to  do  so  for  five 


years,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  of  a  quarter  sec- 
tion of  land,  where  his  widow  now  resides.  He 
paid  about  $30  per  acre  for  this  land,  and  after- 
ward bought  forty  acres  more.  As  a  matter  of 
course  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butcher  were  obliged  to  live 
economically  until  they  obtained  their  start  in  the 
world,  and  the  lot  of  a  pioneer  of  Illinois  was  theirs. 
Mr.  Butcher  died  Jan.  5,  1883.  He  was  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  his  township,  and  enjoyed  an 
extended  acquaintance.  Politically,  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, with  Greenback  proclivities,  but,  being  of  a 
modest  disposition,  he  never  sought  office.  He 
was  a  kind  and  loving  husband  and  father,  and 
enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  an  honest  man. 

Mr.  Butcher  was  a  member  of  the  Union  Baptist 
Church,  and  always  took  an  active  part  in  church 
work,  lie  was  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. Mrs.  Butcher  and  her  children  are  active 
members  of  society. 


\f/  P.  BAUJAN  is  one  of  the  representative 
business  men  of  Meredosia.  In  his  build- 
ing, which  is  20x120  feet,  and  situated  on 
Main  street,  he  carries  on  a  hardware  and 
agricultural  implement  business,  and  is  also  a  dealer 
in  lumber.  In  most  country  villages  there  is  one 
man  who  generally  occupies  the  position  of  "guide, 
philosopher  and  friend."  If  there  is  any  advice  to 
be  given,  or  should  any  enterprise  require  a  leader, 
there  are  one  or  two  men  who  are  considered  the 
most  competent  for  this  place,  and  the  subject  of 
our  sketch  is  what  may  be  termed  a  leading  man  of 
his  village. 

He  was  formerly  in  business  with  D.  H.  Lollis. 
This  partnership  existed  for  twenty  years,  under 
the  firm  name  of  D.  II.  Lollis  &  Co.  Some  three 
years  ago  Mr.  Baujan  purchased  Mr.  Lollis'  interest 
in  the  business,  and  thus  became  the  sole  proprietor. 
Mr.  Baujan  is  a  native  of  Siegburg,  Germany,  and 
was  born  Oct.  29,  1827.  He  came  to  America  in 
1851,  landed  at  New  Orleans,  and  from  that  port 
he  pushed  on  immediately  to  Beardstown,  Cass  Co., 
111.,  and  at  once  went  to  Arenzville.  In  1856  he 
first  came  to  Meredosia.  Here  he  started  a  small 
business  of  a  combination  bakery  and  grocery 


4 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


store.  This  venture  prospered,  and  he  followed 
it  for  several  years,  when  he  formed  the  partner- 
ship spoken  of  before,  and  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business,  the  other  lines  having  been  added  since. 
He  has  the  only  lumber-yard  in  Meredosia. 

In  1888  he  served  as  President  of  the  Town 
Board  in  Meredosia,  and  is  now  holding  the  office 
of  Overseer  of  the  Poor  in  his  district — a  position 
for  which  his  charitable  impulses  admirably  fit  him. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order  and  of  Be- 
nevolent Lodge  No.  52,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest 
lodges  in  the  State.  He  is  also  a  Knight  Templar. 
He  is  an  enthusiastic  and  hard-working  member  of 
these  orders. 

Mr.  Ban  Jan  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  an  influential 
member  of  his  party,  but  he  is  in  favor,  largely,  of 
selecting  the  best  men  for  offices,  and,  generally 
speaking,  party  ties  rest  upon  him  lightly.  He  has 
made  all  he  possesses  since  he  came  to  this  country, 
which  has  been  a  result  of  his  ability  as  a  money- 
getter  and  of  his  sterling  integrity.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Matilda  Keuchler,  who  bore  him  five  chil- 
dren— Minnie,  Emma,  Louisa,  Ida  and  Nellie — four 
of  whom  are  living. 

Mr.  Baujan  is  a  practical  illustration  of  what 
this  country  has  done,  and  is  doing,  for  people  who 
strictly  mind  their  own  business,  and  who  go  for- 
ward in  their  work  with  a  determination  to  win. 
His  large  amount  of  pluck  and  German  persistence 
has  aided  him  to  attain  his  present  proud  position 
in  the  hearts  of  his  neighbors  and  among  the  busi- 
ness men  with  whom  he  has  dealings.  It  can  he 
truthfully  said  of  him  that  he  never  intentionally 
wronged  any  man,  and  if  a  less  fortunate  person 
than  he,  makes  application  to  him  for  aid  or  relief, 
his  request  is  sure  to  be  granted. 


AMES  M.  BROWN,  a  pioneer  of  1829,  be- 
gan life  in  this  county  in  very  limited  cir- 
cumstances, but  is  now  the  owner  of  a  fine 
property,  including  a  well-appointed  farm 
of  300  acres,  on  section  18,  township  16,  range  11. 
This  has  been  his  home  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
turv,  and  to  it  he  has  given  the  best  efforts  of 
his  life-,  making  all  the  improvements  now  upon 


it,  which  are  first-class,  and  bringing  the  soil  to  a 
thorough  state  of  cultivation.  When  first  coming 
to  this  county  he  operated  as  a  renter,  and  endured 
many  hardships  and  difficulties  before  he  could  feel 
that  he  was  on  solid  ground. 

A  native  of  East  Tennessee,  our  subject  was  born 
in  Washington  County,  May  22,  1845,  and  is  the 
son  of  Jeremiah  Brown,  also  a  native  of  that  State, 
and  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  of  Southern 
parentage.  Upon  reaching  man's  estate  he  was  mar- 
ried in  his  native  county  to  Miss  Mary  Stormer, 
who  was  likewise  born  in  East  Tennessee,  but  whose 
parents  were  descendants  of  people  who  came  from 
Pennsylvania.  Jeremiah  Brown,  after  his  mar- 
riage, established  himself  on  a  small  tract  of  land 
in  his  native  count}',  where  he  lived  until  after  the 
birth  of  three  children — James  M.,  Catherine  and 
Sarah  A., — then  disposed  of  his  interests  in  the 
South,  and  set  out  with  his  little  family,  in  the  fall 
of  1829,  for  this  county.  They  located  first  near 
the  present  site  of  Arcadia,  but  the  father  subse- 
quently secured  eighty  acres  of  land.  He,  how- 
ever, was  not  permitted  to  live  to  carry  on  the 
work  which  he  had  in  view,  but  met  his  death  while 
digging  a  well  by  the  falling  of  a  barrel  containing 
mud  and  dirt,  the  chain  of  which  gave  way,  and 
which  broke  his  back,  his  death  ensuing  nine  days 
later.  The  mother  was  subsequently  married  to 
Robert  Martin,  and  both  she  and  Mr.  Martin  lived 
to  be  quite  aged,  spending  their  last  years  near  Ar- 
cadia. 

Our  subject  lived  with  his  mother  and  stepfather 
until  a  youth  of  eighteen  years,  when  he  started 
out  for  himself,  and  has  since  made  his  own  way  in 
the  world.  He  found  his  bride  in  Cass  County, 
being  married  there  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Buxton. 
This  lady  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1829,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Susan  (Reams)  Buxton,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  England  and  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  when  quite  young,  set- 
tling in  Ohio,  where  he  was  married.  A  few  years 
later,  leaving  the  Buckeye  State,  he  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  family,  locating  in  Cass  Count}-  early  in 
the  thirties.  Mr.  Buxton  did  not  live  very  many 
years  thereafter,  passing  away  in  the  prime  of  life. 
His  wife  survived  him  for  a  long  period,  living  to 
be  eighty-four  years  of  age. 


RESIDENCE  OF  JACOB  H.  PEAK,  SEC. 13.  T.14.-R  3  MORGAN  Co. 


RESIDENCE  OF  RICHARD  HEMBROUGH.SEC  15    T.iSrR.ii   MORGAN  Co. 


RESIDENCE  OF  JOSEPH  V.  BRECKON  ,  SEC.  5   T.t5.-R  9,     MORGAN  Co. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


359 


To  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Brown  there  was  born  a 
large  family  of  children,  most  of  them  natives  of 
this  State.  She  was  quite  young  when  leaving 
Ohio,  and  was  reared  to  womanhood  in  Cass  County. 
Her  union  with  our  subject  resulted  in  the  birth  of 
six  children,  one  of  whom  died  when  four  years 
old  ;  James  F.  owns  and  operates  a  farm  in  the  same 
township  as  his  father;  Philip  married  Miss  Ellen 
Henderson,  and  is  living  on  a  farm  in  Nodaway 
County,  Mo.;  Abigail  is  the  widow  of  Adam  Gad- 
dis,  who  died  very  suddenly  while  shingling  a  barn; 
George  P.  married  Miss  Anna  Harris,  and  lives  on 
a  farm  in  township  16,  range  11;  Jane  lives  at 
home  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  Brown  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
Pierce,  and  gives  his  unqualified  support  to  the 
Democratic  party.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  active 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in 
which  our  subject  officiates  as  Trustee,  and  con- 
tributes liberally  to  its  support.  He  has  borne  no 
unimportant  part  in  the  settlement  and  develop- 
ment of  Morgan  County,  and  is  properly  numbered 
among  its  representative  men. 


I1ARLES  L.  IIOLLIDAY,  one  of  the  oldest 
inhabitants  of  Morgan  County,  and  who  re- 
sides in  Bethel  Precinct,  is  a  native  of 
Allen  County,  Ky.  The  man  whose  industry, 
bravery,  and  integrity  aids  in  the  developement  of 
a  new  country  is  more  deserving  of  praise  than  the 
greatest  general  who  ever  won  a  battle.  The  pio- 
neer of  a  new  country  is  building  a  fabric  that  will 
last  until  time  shall  be  no  more.  He  erects  the 
foundation  of  a  new  order  of  things,  and  initiates 
new  enterprises  that  shall  benefit  generations  to 
come.  The  man  (or  woman)  who  leaves  all  com- 
forts of  home,  who  bids  farewell  to  the  early  asso- 
ciations of  life,  and  who  turns  his  back  upon  all 
he  holds  dear  in  life,  and  goes  forth  into  a  new 
country,  fraught  with  dangers  from  wild  beasts  and 
wilder  savages,  is  entitled  to  more  praise  from 
mankind  than  an  army  of  Napoleons. 

Charles  L.  Holliday  is  a  pioneer  in  every  sense 
of  the  word,  and  was  born,  as  before  mentioned, 
on  June  20.  1820.  He  was  the  son  of  Hiram  and 


Agnes  Ilolliday,  both  natives  of  the  Old  Dominion. 
When  but  a  small  boy,  not  then  being  eight  years 
of  age,  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  and  in 
1831  the  family  removed  to  Morgan  County.  They 
were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Whitehall,  Greene 
County.  Mr.  Holliday's  father  and  Mr.  Jarbo 
erected  a  small  building  about  16x24,  with  the  in- 
tention of  making  a  harness  and  saddle  shop  in 
one  end  and  a  store  in  tiie  other.  They  white- 
washed this  building  with  lime,  and  from  this  inci- 
dent the  village  of  Whitehall  derived  its  name. 
A  petition  was  then  circulated  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  a  post-office  in  the  town,  and  the  father 
of  Charles  L.  Holliday  became  the  first  Postmaster. 
From  Whitehall  the  family  removed  to  what  is 
now  called  Murrayville,  Morgan  County,  the  for- 
mer name  of  which  was  Elkhorn  Point.  They 
resided  here  for  several  years,  and  after  the  mother 
died  the  family-  became  scattered,  the  most,  how- 
ever, remaining  in  Morgan  County.  Charles  L. 
was  a  farmer's  boy,  and  received  but  limited  edu- 
cation, as  the  advantages  to  be  secured  in  those 
days  were  extremely  limited,  but  since  he  ceased 
attending  school  he  has  read  books  on  different 
subjects  and  thus  has  kept  posted.  Interspersed 
with  work  upon  the  farm,  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  and  by  the  time  he  became  of  age  he 
was  a  first-class  mechanic.  He  followed  this  busi- 
ness about  thirty-five  years,  but  latterly  he  has  run 
his  farm.  When  the  Holliday  family  first  settled 
where  Murrayville  now  is,  Charles  L.  mowed  wild 
grass  on  the  identical  spot  upon  which  the  village 
is  now  located.  lie  was  married  on  Jan.  7,  1841, 
to  Margaret  Taylor,  a  native  of  Nicholas  County, 
Ky.,  and  daughter  of  James  and  Katie  (Bishop) 
TayJor.  To  this  union  were  born  eleven  children, 
the  following  of  whom  survive:  Agnes;  Mary  S.; 
Sarah  L.,  who  married  Pierce  Lamb,  of  Missouri; 
Melissa,  wife  of  James  Anderson;  James  B.,  Charles 
R.,  William  W.;  Fannie,  wife  of  Charles  Williams; 
Ada  F.,  wife  of  Clarke  Funk;  Maggie,  wife  of  John 
Moody.  Katie  is  deceased,  dying  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Holliday  is  the  owner  of  250  acres  of  as 
nice  land  as  the  sun  ever  shone  upon.  These 
broad  acres,  in  connection  with  his  wife,  he  has 
earned.  In  the  winter  of  1842-43,  Mr.  Holliday 


f 


360 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


4~ 


chopped  wood  for  twenty-five  cents  a  cord  and  split 
rails  for  thirty  cents  per  100,  and  was  obliged 
to  board  himself.  He  sold  the  first  crop  of  corn 
he  raised  in  this  county  for  eight  cents  a  bushel, 
aud  wheat  for  thirty  one  cents  a  bushel,  and  de- 
lived  at  Exeter  Mills.  He  also  sold  pork  for  $1.50 
per  100  dressed. 

Politically,  Mr.  H.  is  a  Republican,  but  was 
formerly  a  Whig.  He  has  held  the  office  of  School 
Director  and  served  with  satisfaction  to  his  con- 
stituents. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holliday  are  members  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  are  active  members  of 
society. 


<\f|  OHN  T.  SAMPLE,  the  son  of  a  pioneer  of 
Morgan  County,  David  Sample,  is  pursuing 
agriculture  in  his  native  township,  with  the 
success  that  is  due  to  his  unflagging  indus- 
try and  skillful  management.  He  has  a  good  farm 
on  section  24,  township  16,  range  10,  which,  with 
its  numerous  fine  improvements,  and  its  broad, 
well-tilled  fields  that  smile  with  abundant  harvests 
in  the  pleasant  summer  and  autumn  months,  com- 
pares with  the  best  in  this  locality. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  son  of  John 
Sample,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  where  he  himself 
was  born.  His  parents  were  in  poor  circumstances 
and  he  early  became  independent  and  self-reliant, 
and  made  his  own  way  in  the  world  from  a  youth- 
ful age.  In  1830,  ever  memorable  to  the  pioneers 
of  this  part  of  Illinois  as  the  "winter  of  the  deep 
snow,"  he  made  his  way  to  Morgan  County,  and 
cast  in  his  lot  with  the  few  settlers  that  had  pre- 
ceeded  him,  and  has  ever  since  made  his  home 
here,  and  is  now  living  in  township  16,  range  10. 
John  Sample,  of  this  biographical  review  was 
born  in  this  township,  in  November,  1856,  and 
here  he  received  the  foundation  of  his  education 
in  the  local  district  schools,  and  supplemented  it 
by  a  course  at  the  County  Schools.  He  had  a 
natural  taste  for  agriculture,  and  when  he  arrived 
at  years  of  discretion  chose  it  as  his  life-work,  and 
has  ever  since  pursued  it  with  marked  success.  His 
farm  comprises  244  acres  of  as  fertile  farming  land 
as  is  to  be  found  in  this  part  of  Morgan  County, 
and  admirably  adapted  to  mixed  husbandry,  and 


well  stocked  with  cattle,  horses,  and  hogs  of  good 
breeds. 

Oct.  13,  1875,  the  marriage  of  our  subject  with 
Miss  Harriet  Cox  was  duly  solemnized.  Mrs. 
Sample  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  Cox.  (For  pa- 
rental history  see  sketch  of  Hard  in  Cox,  on  another 
page  of  this  volume).  She  was  born  in  Morgan 
County,  111.  In  the  happy  home  of  our  subject 
and  his  wife,  two  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
Bertha  L.  and  Charles  C. 

Mr.  Sample  brings  a  well-balanced,  well-trained 
mind  to  his  chosen  calling,  and  is  indeed  classed 
among  the  most  active  and  intelligent  of  the  young 
men  of  this  precinct.  He  is  high  minded  and 
honorable,  is  exemplary  in  his  habits,  and  enjoys 
an  enviable  reputation  both  as  a  man  and  a  citizen. 
He  and  his  wife  are  among  the  most  zealous  and 
valued  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which 
he  is  a  Deacon. 


ULIUS  F.  PRATT.  The  Pratt  family  is 
widely  and  favorably  known  throughout  this 
county,  and  is  recognized  as  forming  a  part 
and  parcel  of  its  best  element,  representing 
its  intelligence,  enterprise,  industry  and  virtue. 
The  homestead  of  this  gentleman,  comprising  160 
acres  of  thoroughly  cultivated  land,  is  finely  located 
on  section  6,  township  15,  range  11,  aud  he  also  has 
174  acres  on  section  5.  He  has  been  his  own  archi- 
tect and  builder,  and  his  dwelling,  barns,  and  out- 
houses furnish  an  admirable  illustration  of  the 
character  of  the  man.  They  are  neat  and  substan- 
tial, provided  with  every  convenience  and  finely 
adapted  to  the  requirements  of  the  proprietor,  and 
for  the  prosecution  of  agriculture  after  the  best 
methods. 

Mr.  Pratt  came  to  this  county  in  1845,  poor  in 
purse,  and  occupied  himself  as  a  renter  until  he 
could  become  a  land-holder.  Two  years  later  he 
realized  his  desires,  securing  a  tract  of  land  which 
had  never  been  subjected  to  any  cultivation,  and 
he  thereafter  labored  early  and  late  for  a  number 
of  years  before  feeling  assured  of  his  ultimate  suc- 
cess. Appearances  would  indicate  that  he  should 
be  well  satisfied  at  the  present,  for  he  is  in  the  en- 


i 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


361 


joyinent  of  a  handsome  income  and  a  competence 
sufficient  to  keep  himself  and  family  from  want 
during  their  natural  lives.  Cultivated  tastes  and 
ample  means  have  been  exercised,  in  the  adorn- 
ment of  the  dwelling:  both  within  and  without,  and 
the  home  with  all  its  appointments  very  nearly  ap- 
proaches the  ideal  of  peaceful  rural  life,  where  na- 
ture and  art  alike  contribute  to  the  comfort  and 
happiness  of  mankind. 

A  native  of  Bridport,  Addison  Co.,  Vt.,  our 
subject  was  born  Aug.  25,  1819,  and  is  the  son  of 
Lymaji  Pratt,  the  son  of  David  Pratt,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  whence  lie 
removed  to  Vermont  during  the  early  settlement 
of  the  Green  Mountain  State.  He  located  on  a  tract 
of  wild  land  in  Addison  County,  from  which  he 
improved  a  farm,  and  where  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  days,  attaining  to  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-three  years.  He  was  the  scion  of  an  excel- 
lent old  family  of  South  Adams,  Mass.,  and  was 
distinguished  for  his  kindly  Christian  character,  his 
stern  integrity,  his  high  morality  and  Christian 
principles. 

Lynian  Pratt,  the  father  of  our  subject,  also  a 
native  of  Bridpott,  Vt.,  was  carefully  reared  and 
educated,  and  like  his  father  before  him  chose 
farming  for  his  life  occupation.  He  was  surrounded 
by  all  the  healthy  influences  of  the  time  and  place, 
and  grew  to  an  admirable  manhood,  well-fitted 
for  the  future  duties  of  life.  When  of  suitable 
years  and  circumstances  he  was.  married  to  Miss 
Asenath  Williams,  who  was  born  and  reared  not 
far  from  the  childhood  home  of  her  husband,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Polly  (Gray) 
Williams,  the  representatives  of  a  fine  old  family 
who  spent  the  greater  part  of  their  lives  in  Bridport, 
and  died  there.  Mr.  Williams  was  a  clothier,  but 
being  fond  of  rural  life  became  owner  of  a  farm, 
and  also  engaged  in  agriculture.  They  were  peo- 
ple blameless  in  their  lives,  and  when  departing 
hence  left  to  their  children  the  heritage  of  an  un- 
tarnished name. 

After  their  marriage  Lyrnan  Pratt  and  his  young 
wife  settled  down  to  farming  near  the  old  Pratt 
homestead  in  the  vicinity  of  Bridport,  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The  father  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  and  the  mother 


when  forty-five  years  old.  They  were  prominent 
members  of  the  Congregational  Church  and  widely 
and  favorably  known  throughout  their  community. 
Mr.  Pratt  was  a  member  of  the  old  Whig  party 
until  its  abandonment,  and  then  identified  himself 
with  the  Republicans.  The  parental  household  in- 
cluded seven  children,  two  sons  and  five  daughters, 
all  of  whom  are  living.  Four  of  them  are  residents 
of  Illinois  and  Kansas,  two  being  of  this  county. 
All  are  married  and  have  children  of  their  own. 

1  he  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest  child  of 
his  parents,  and  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  his 
native  county,  attending  the  common  school  and 
developing  into  a  worthy  manhood.  He  was  em- 
ployed, ns  a  teacher  some  time  before  his  marriage, 
which  event  occurred  on  his  twenty-sixth  birthday 
in  the  township  of  Middlebury,  Vt..  his  bride  be- 
ing Miss  Loranie  Snow.  Mrs.  Pratt  was  born  in 
Bridport,  Vt.,  Jan.  18,  1816,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Leumnim  and  Alice  (Bennett)  Snow,  the  father  a 
native  of  New  Y'ork  State  and  the  mother  of  Con- 
necticut. They  were  married  in  Addison  County, 
Vt.,  and  began  their  wedded  life  at  Bridport,  where 
Mr.  Snow  pursued  his  trade  of  a  stonemason.  Sub- 
sequently they  changed  their  residence  to  Shore- 
ham  Township,  where  the  death  of  Mr.  Snow  took 
place  in  1820,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight 
years.  The  wife  and  mother,  remaining  a  widow, 
lived  to  come  to  Illinois,  and  died  at  the  home  of 
her>  daughter,  Mrs.  Pratt,  in  1851,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years.  She  had  been  identified  with 
the  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  Churches,  and 
was  a  lady  of  rare  qualities,  one  whose  name  is  held 
in  kindly  remembrance  by  all  who  knew  her. 

Mrs.  Pratt  was  the  only  child  of  her  parents,  and 
was  quite  young  at  the  time  of  her  father's  death. 
She  was  carefully  reared  by  her  mother,  and  com. 
pleted  her  studies  in  Middlebury  Seminary,  after 
which  she  occupied  herself  as  a  teacher  for  ten  sea- 
sons in  the  public  schools.  She  is  a  lady  of  fine 
intelligence  and  well  fitted  to  become  the  partner 
of  such  a  man  as  her  husband.  Of  this  •union  there 
have  been  born  four  children,  the  eldest  of  whom, 
a  daughter,  Alice,  is  the  wife  of  John  B.  Joy,  a 
well-to-do  farmer  living  in  township  16,  range  11; 
Lyman  L.  married  Miss  Frances  Steele,  of  Oberlin, 
Ohio,  and  they  occupy  the  farm  of  our  subject,  on 


362 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


section  6;  Ellen  E.  makes  her  home  with  her  par- 
ents, but  at  this  writing  (May,  1889)  is  visiting  in 
California;  Thurlow  H.  remains  at  home  and  as- 
sists his  father  in  the  operations  of  the  farm.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  are  devoted  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  with  which  their  children 
are  also  connected,  and  in  which  Mr.  Pratt  has 
been  a  Deacon  for  the  long  period  of  twenty  j-ears. 
Politically,  he  is  a  sound  Republican,  and  is  at  pres- 
ent the  Treasurer  of  his  school  district.  The  fam- 
ily occupies  a  position  in  the  front  ranks  among  the 
foremost  people  of  this  county. 


AMES  MORRISON,  M.  D.,  a  venerable  and 
highly  esteemed  resident  of  Jacksonville 
and  one  of  its  pioneer  physicians,  was  born 
near  Paris,  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  Jan. 
11,1 803.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
one  of  a  family  of  seven  children.  The  parents  of 
our  subject  spent  their  last  3Tears  in  Henry  County, 
Ky.  William,  his  only  brother,  learned  surveying, 
and  at  an  early  day,  about  1 820,  went  to  Texas 
with  a  company  of  fifteen  others,  and  was  mas- 
sacred by  the  Indians.  He  left  a  wife  and  one  son, 
whose  whereabouts  are  unknown.  James,  our  sub- 
ject, spent  his  early  years  in  Kentucky,  pursuing 
his  first  studies  in  the  common  schools.  When 
about  eighteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  the  office 
of  Dr.  Benjamin  Dudley,  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated physicians  of  that  time.  When  sufficiently 
advanced  he  entered  the  Cincinnati  (Ohio)  Medi- 
cal College,  from  which  he  was  graduated,  and. 
before  fully  entering  upon  the  regular  practice,  was 
united  in  marriage,  in  1829,  with  Miss  Lucinda 
Henderson,  a  native  of  his  own  county.  They 
spent  the  first  two  years  of  their  wedded  life  in 
Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  and  then  in  1831  came  to  this 
count}-,  settling  first  in  the  little  town  of  Arcadia. 
In  the  above-mentioned  place  Dr.  Morrison  prac- 
ticed a  number  of  years  successfully,  then  returned 
to  the  Blue  Grass  regions  and  attended  a  course  of 
lectures  in  the  city  of  Louisville.  This  completed, 
and  thus  fortified  for  his  future  duties,  he  resumed 
practice  in  Arcadia.  He  was  constantly  anxious 


to  advance  himself  still  further  in  the  knowledge 
of  this  most  important  calling,  and,  as  soon  as  his 
circumstances  would  permit,  proceeded  toPhiladel. 
phia.  Pa.,  and  took  another  course  of  lectures.  His 
prompt  attention  to  his  duties  and  his  evident 
skill  soon  secured  him  an  extensive  patronage,  and 
he  found  himself  on  the  high  road  to  prosperity 
with  something  laid  by  for  a  rainy  day. 

The  first  great  afliiction  of  our  subject  was  the 
death  of  his  excellent  wife.  Mrs.  Lucinda  Morri- 
son, who  departed  this  life  on  the  24th  of  October, 
1850.  Of  this  union  there  were  no  children.  Dr. 
Morrison  contracted  a  second  marriage.  May  16, 
1853,  with  Miss  Mary  A.  E.  Troutman.and  followed 
his  practice  thereafter  for  a  period  of  thirteen 
years.  In  1865  he  retired,  and  spent  his  last  days 
in  the  enjoyment  of  a  handsome  home  in  Jackson- 
ville, of  which  be  had  been  a  resident  for  a  period 
of  twenty-three  years.  His  death  occurred  Dec.  7, 
1887.  His  remains  were  laid  to  rest  two  days 
later  in  a  pleasant  spot  in  Diamond  Grove  Ceme- 
tery. He  had  attained  the  ripe  old  age  of  nearly 
eighty-four  years,  and  during  his  long  and  useful 
career  was  acknowledged  as  one  of  Morgan  County's 
most  distinguished  and  honored  citizens.  The  doc- 
trines of  the  Presbyterian  Church  coincided  the 
most  nearly  with  the  religious  ideas  of  Dr.  Morri- 
son, and  he  was  a  regular  attendant  upon  the 
services  thereof.  In  early  manhood  he  was  an 
old-line  Whig,  but  upon  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party  identified  himself  with  the  latter. 
Socially,  he  was  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  V.  He  had  no  ambition  for  office  of  any 
kind,  and,  although  frequently  importuned  to  be- 
come one  of  the  directors  of  the  Jacksonville  Na- 
tional Bank,  he  invariably  declined. 

Mrs.  Morrison  still  occupies  the  pleasant  home 
left  her  by  her  husband.  She  was  the  fourth  of  a 
family  of  ten  children  and  the  eldest  daughter  of 
Peter  II.  and  Catherine  M.  (Giltner)  Troutman. 
who  were  natives  of  Kentucky,  and  spent  their  last 
years  in  that  State.  Mrs.  Morrison  was  born  Nov. 
1,  1824,  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.  Her  father  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  her  childhood  and 
youth  were  spent  amid  the  quiet  scenes  of  country 
life.  After  the  death  of  her  excellent  mother, 
which  occurred  in  1840,  in  accordance  with  the 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


363 


mother's  request,  this,  daughter  continued  at  home 
and  took  charge  of  the  household.  She  is  a  lady 
of  cultivated  tastes,  domestic  in  her  inclinations, 
and  greatly  attached  to  her  home.  This  she  sel- 
dom left  after  her  marriage  with  Dr.  Morrison 
unless  at  his  especial  request. 

The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mrs.  Morrison  are 
recorded  as  follows:  Elijah,  the  eldest,  died  in  Ken- 
tucky, Jan.  21,  1841  ;  Frank  died  in  Coles  County, 
111.,  in  1881;  Jacob  is  a  resident  of  Jessamin 
County,  Ky.;  Eliza  J.  became  the  wife  of  Andrew 
Darling,  and  lives  in  Carrol  ton,  Ky.;  Nancy  A., 
Mrs.  Alfred  M.  Clark,  lives  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Mor- 
rison ;  Bernard  G.  is  engaged  in  business  in  Coles 
County,  this  State;  John  G.  is  a  resident  of  An- 
drew County,  Mo.;  Thomas  A.  died  at  his  home, 
in  Coles  County,  III.,  in  1867;  and  Sarah  K.  is  the 
wife  of  S.  K.  Baker,  of  Lexington,  Ky. 


WILLIAM  PATTERSON.  The  fact  is  be- 
gining  to  be  recognized  that  the  art  of 
successful  fanning  requires  as  much  skill 
and  intelligence  as  that  of  any  other  occupation, 
and  the  man  who  is  successful  in  this  line  deserves  as 
much  credit  as  those  who  belong  to  the  learned  pro- 
fessions. Mr.  Patterson,  who  has  been  more  than 
ordinarily  prosperous,  is  pleasantly  located  on  sec- 
tion 1,  township  15,  range  11.  In  addition  to 
general  farming  he  makes  a  specialty  of  short-horn 
cattle,  Poland-China  swine  and  Percheron  horses. 
He  is  one  of  those  rare  characters  who  maintain  that 
it  costs  but  very  little  more  to  raise  a  good  animal 
than  a  poor  one,  and  he  much  prefers  to  give  his 
best  efforts  to  the  former.  He  has  been  established 
in  his  present  homestead  since  the  year  of  1866, 
and  has  240  acres  of  choice  land  with  first-class 
improvements.  A  part  of  this  is  devoted  to  pas- 
turage, and  the  cultivated  ground  is  treated  under 
a  methodical  system,  which  produces  the  best  re- 
sults. 

Mr.  Patterson  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
since  December,  1853,  and  occupies  the  land 
which  he  purchased  that  year.  Prior  to  coming 
here  he  had  been  a  resident  of  both  Iowa  and  Mis- 
souri, owning  land  in  each  State.  He  sold  out 


upon  coming  here  from  Missouri,  and  afterward 
operated  as  a  renter  until  ready  to  purchase  again. 
He  was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Ohio,  Sept.  1, 
1832,  and  lived  there  until  Dec.  18,  1853.  His 
father,  John  Patterson  a  native  of  Scotland,  was 
born  near  the  city  of  Dumfries  and  came  of  pure 
Scotch  Presbyterian  stock.  He  was  reared  to  farm 
pursuits  and  emigrated  to  America  when  a  young 
man,  prior  to  his  marriage,  preceding  his  family 
to  this  country  and  locating  in  Carroll  County, 
Ohio.  Later  he  was  joined  by  two  brothers  and 
one  sister — Adam,  William  and  Jane — locating  in 
Pennsylvania. 

John  Patterson  was  married  in  what  is  now 
West  Virginia,  to  Miss  Isabelle  McGaw,  who  like 
himself,  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  came  with 
her  parents  when  a  young  girl  to  the  United  States. 
The  latter  settled  in  West  Virginia  and  it  is  prob- 
able there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The 
young  people  after  their  marriage,  lived  for  a  time 
in  the  Old  Dominion,  then  located  on  a  farm  of 
160  acres  in  Ohio,  to  which  he  afterward  added  a 
like  amount  and  built  up  a  good  homestead.  He 
was  a  cautious  and  careful  business  manager  and 
accumulated  a  good  property.  His  death  took 
place  Sept.  18,  1859.  The  wife  and  mother  had 
preceded  her  husband  to  the  silent  land,  Nov.  17, 
1 846.  They  had  been  reared  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  they  loyally  ad- 
hered all  their  lives. 

Five  sons  and  four  daughters  completed  the 
household  circle  of  the  parents  of  our  subject. 
of  whom,  Margaret,  wife  of  Mathew  Nichol,  a 
farmer  of  Penns3'lvania,  and  Adam  are  deceased. 
The  latter  met  his  death  on  the  battlefield  at  Golds- 
boro,  N.  C.,  March  19,  1865,  after  three  years  ser- 
vice in  the  98th  Ohio  Infantry,  Company  II, 
under  Capt.  A.  G.  Thomas.  He  was  aged  twenty- 
seven  years,  having  been  born  May  1,  1838. 

William  Patterson  our  subject,  was  reared  toman's 
estate  in  his  native  county  and  soon  after  reaching 
his  majority,  emigrated  to  Cass  Count}',  111.,  where 
he  sojourned  two  years,  then  crossed  the  Mississip- 
pi into  Iowa.  Later  he  moved  on  to  Missouri  and 
from  there  came  to  this  county.  From  his  boy- 
hood up  he  had  been  familiar  witli  farming  pur- 
suits and  chose  these  for  his  life  occupation.  He 


•    364 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


was  married  at  Jacksonville,  March  11,  1858,  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Boston,  who  was  born  in  Cass  Coun- 
ty 111., April  18,  1838.  Her  parents,  Anthony  and 
Louisa  (Stephenson)  Boston  were  natives  of  Jessa- 
mine County,  Ky. ;  the  father  was  of  German  an- 
cestry, while  the  mother  traced  her  origin  to  Ire- 
land. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boston  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  when  quite  young  and  were  married  in  Cass 
County,  where  Mr.  Boston  subsequently  entered 
200  acres  of  land  from  the  Government.  They 
began  life  in  limited  circumstances,  having  nothing 
but  their  land,  and  this  in  order  to  become  pro- 
ductive, necessarily  involved  a  large  amount  of 
hard  labor.  The  country  around  them  was  wild 
and  unbroken,  and  thinly  settled.  They  battled 
with  the  elements  of  a  new  soil  and  the  difficulties 
of  a  distant  market,  and  lived  there  until  1856. 
Mr.  Boston  then  sold  out  and  coming  to  this  coun- 
ty purchased  a  farm  three  miles  east  of  Jackson- 
ville, upon  which  he  labored  a  few  years  and  then 
with  his  estimable  wife,  retired  from  the  active  du- 
ties of  life  and  removing  to  the  city  there  spent 
his  last  days,  departing  this  life  April  9,  1879. 
The  mother  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home  with 
her  daughter  Mrs.  A.  J.  Bacon,  near  Jacksonville. 
She  is  now  seven ty-three  years  old  and  belongs  to 
the  Baptist  Church. 

Mr.  Boston  was  born  in  Woodford  County,  Ky., 
in  1807,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1832.  He  was  a 
Democrat,  politically,  and  in  religion,  a  Baptist. 
Mrs.  Patterson  was  the  eldest  daughter  and  second 
child  in  a  family  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters. 
One  son  and  one  daughter  are  deceased;  the  latter, 
Martha,  was  the  wife  of  James  Dyer,  and  died  in 
Wichita,  Kan.  George  Boston  was  married  to 
Miss  Melvina  Caldwell,  and  died  at  his  home  seven 
miles  east  of  Jacksonville,  in  1879. 

Mrs.  Patterson  was  born  April  18,  1838,  and  re- 
mained a  member  of  the  parental  household  until 
her  marriage,  acquiring  her  education  in  the  com- 
mon school.  Of  the  nine  children  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Patterson,  one  son,  Ulysses  G.,  died  when 
a  promising  young  man  of  twenty  three  years  old. 
The  survivors  are  recorded  as  follows :  Louisa  B., 
is  the  wife  of  John  Williamson,  a  painter  by  trade 
and  they  reside  in  Jacksonville;  Nettie,  married 


Ernest  Dewees,  a  farmer  of  this  county;  G.  Wal- 
lace remains  at  home  and  assists  in  operating  the 
farm;  Irvin  A.,  Mattie,  Edward,  Leonard  and  W. 
Maude,  are  also  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mrs. 
Patterson  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methxlist 
Episcopal  Church  for  the  past  twelve  years.  Mr. 
Patterson,  politically,  is  a  Republican,  "dyed  in 
the  wool,"  a  man  with  decided  ideas  and  one  whose 
opinions  are  generally  respected. 


ENRY  KITNKR  is  a  pioneer  of  Morgan 
County,  who  came  to  these  parts  more  than 
fifty  3'ears  ago,  and  has  lived  not  only  to 
witness  its  wonderful  development  from  the 
wild,  sparsely  settled  prairies,  but,  while  aiding  its 
growth  and  advancing  its  agricultural  interests,  he 
has  accumulated  wealth  for  himself,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  and  stock-raisers  in 
this  section.  He  owns  a  large  and  beautiful  farm 
of  480  acres  on  section  34,  township  15,  range 
10,  one  of  the  finest  and  most  valuable  in  many 
respects  of  any  in  this  locality.  He  still  has  it 
under  his  personal  supervision,  and  is  active^'  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock-raising, 

Mr.  Kitner  was  born  March  26,  1818,  in  North 
Carolina,  and  that  State  was  likewise  the  birthplace 
of  his  father,  Francis  Kitner,  who  was  born  near 
Salem,  and  there  grew  to  maturity.  On  reaching 
man's  estate  he  (the  father)  married  Mary  Fiddler, 
and  they  reared  a  family  of  seven  children.  In 
1838  he  resolved  to  leave  the  old  home  and  found 
a  new  one  in  the  West,  and  started  for  the  Terri- 
tory of  Iowa  with  a  four-horse  team,  taking  with 
that  all  his  family  except  our  subject,  who  had  a  two- 
horse  wagon  of  his  own,  in  which  all  the  household 
utensils,  restricted  to  only  those  things  that  were 
absolutely  necessary,  were  conveyed.  When  the 
weary  travelers  finally  arrived  in  this  part  of  the 
country  within  three  miles  of  Jacksonville,  they 
were  so  enchanted  by  the  beautiful  scenery,  and  the 
evident  fertility  of  the  soil,  that  they  concluded  to 
make  their  abiding  place  here  and  not  seek  further 
and  perhaps  fare  worse.  Mr.  Kitner,  Sr.,  took  up 
a  tract  of  120  acres  of  land  north  of  Jacksonville, 
all  of  which  he  improved  in  time  into  a  valuable 


f 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


365 


farm.  He  at  first  built  a  little  log  house  for  the 
shelter  of  his  family,  and  afterward  added  to  it  a 
small  frame  house.  He  continued  to  live  on  that 
farm  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  his 
wife  preceding  him  to  the  other  shore  seven  or 
eight  vears.  lie  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
county,  and  while  lie  lived  here  was  a  good,  law- 
abiding  citizen,  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  advance 
its  material  prosperity  and  to  elevate  its  social  and 
moral  status,  and  his  memory  should  be  held  in 
veneration  with  the  other  pioneers  of  the  county. 

The  son  of  this  worthy  man  of  whom  we  write 
was  twenty  years  old,  just  entering  upon  a  vigor- 
ous, self-reliant  manhood,  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Morgan  Count}'.  He  bought  a  piece  of 
land  north  of  Jacksonville,  and  his  first  work  was 
to  Duild  a  log  house,  which  he  covered  with  clap- 
boards, and  in  that  humble  dwelling  he  and  his 
young  wife  spent  the  ensuing  fourteen  year?.  He 
then  sold  that  place  and  bought  his  present  farm, 
where  they  have  resided  ever  since.  In  1871  our 
subject  erected  a  fine,  roomy  house,  facing  the  vil- 
lage, and  he  and  his  family  moved  into  it  on  its 
completion  and  still  make  it  their. home.  When 
Mr.  Kitner  first  came  to  Morgan  County  the  coun- 
try was  so  sparsely  settled  that  the  most  accessible 
markets  were  far  distant,  and  he  and  his  father  had 
to  take  their  first  produce  to  St.  Louis,  going  by  the 
way  of  the  river,  and  many  times  after  that  they 
drove  hogs  and  cattle  to  that  city,  where  they  ob- 
tained from  $1.25  to  $2.00  a  hundred  weight  for 
them,  and  thus  our  subject  laid  the  foundation  of 
his  present  competence. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kitner  was  sol- 
emnized in  North  Carolina,  their  native  State,  in 
February,  1837,  and  of  the  nine  children  born  to 
them  six  are  living,  of  whom  the  following  is  re- 
corded: Elizabeth  married  Isaac  Kaufman,  a  farmer 
of  this  count}',  and  they  have  six  children;  Frank, 
who  lives  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  mar- 
ried Jane  Harney,  and  the}'  have  four  girls;  Mary 
married  Frank  Harney,  who  lives  one  mile  west  of 
her  father's  homestead,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren; Jefferson,  who  lives  on  this  road  one- fourth 
of  a  mile  west,  married  Frances  Massey ;  William, 
who  lives  in  the  southern  part  of  this  county, 
married  Lou  Tunnel,  and  they  have  three  chil- 


dren; Edward,  who  lives  on  his  father's  home- 
stead, married  Mollie  Letlon,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Bessie  Marie.  Mrs.  Kitner's  maiden 
name  was  Mahala  Grouse,  and  she  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  July  2(i,  1815,  and  lived  at  home 
with  her  parents,  Andrew  and  Peggy  (Alford) 
"Grouse,  until  her  marriage.  Her  father  was  a  farmer 
in  North  Carolina. 

Mr.  Kitner  is  in  every  way  worthy  of  the  high 
regard  and  veneration  that  is  conceded  to  him,  and 
it  gives  us  pleasure  to  present  this  brief  review  of 
his  well-spent  life  to  his  many  friends.  His  course 
in  life  both  as  a  man  and  a  citizen  has  been  honora- 
ble to  him,  showing  as  it  does  his  persistent  indus- 
try, guided  by  discrimination  and  sound  common 
sense,  and  his  manifest  desire  to  promote  the  inter- 
ests of  his  community  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
The  wife  to  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage,  almost 
before  be  had  reached  man's  estate,  and  who  has 
faithfully  shared  with  him  life's  joys  and  sorrows 
for  fifty-two  years,  is,  for  her  many  kindly  qualities 
of  head  and  heart,  equally  esteemed  with  her  good 
husband  by  their  neighbors  and  all  who  know  her. 
Mr.  Kitner  avoids  all  political  issues,  not  caring  for 
office,  but  does  his  duty  *t  the  polls,  casting  his 
vote  for  the  Democratic  party. 


I,  OHN  ANGEL.  There  is  always  a  certain 
dignity  and  air  of  respectability  attached  to 
the  citizen  of  long  standing,  and  as  such  an 
one  Mr.  Angel  deserves  more  than  a  passing 
mention,  as  he  has  occupied  his  present  homestead 
for  the  long  period  of  thirty  years,  having  estab- 
lished himself  upon  it  on  the  15th  of  March,  1859. 
It  is  pleasantly  located  on  section  36,  township  16, 
range  11,  and  comprises  270  acres  of  choice  land, 
which  is  well  improved  and  largely  devoted  to 
stock-raising.  A  spring  of  living  water  adds  to  its 
beauty  and  value,  and  the  proprietor  has  gathered 
around  him  all  the  conveniences  and  appliances 
necessary  to  the  well-regulated  farm. 

Our  subject  came  to  this  county  as  early  as  182C, 
with  his  father,  George  Angel,  who  was  born  in  Feb- 


366 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


I 


ruary,  1794.  The  latter  secured  a  tract  of  Gov- 
ernment land,  and  by  the  exercise  of  unremitting 
labor  and  wise  management  succeeded  in  improv- 
ing a  good  farm,  where  he  lived  many  years  in 
comfort,  and  where  his  death  took  place  in  1856, 
thirty  years  from  the  time  of  his  settlement  here, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years  and  three  months. 
He  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  and  was  the  son  of 
a  native  of  Germany,  who  emigrated  to  America 
and  fought  as  a  private  all  through  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  being  one  of  the  earliest  men  to  en- 
list from  North  Carolina.  After  the  war  was  ended 
he  engaged  in  farming,  first  in  North  Carolina, 
then  removed  to  Kentucky,  thence  to  Spencer 
County,  Ind.,  where  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  pio- 
neers, lie  died  there  when  quite  aged.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  he  was  married  to  an  American  lady, 
who  probably  died  in  North  Carolina  when  middle- 
aged. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  the  third  son  in  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  and  was 
reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  State.  Shortly 
after  reaching  his  majority  he  emigrated  to  Ken- 
tucky and  enlisted  under  Gen.  Jackson  for  the 
War  of  1812.  He  fought  under  Old  Hickory  at 
the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  and  distinguished  him- 
self as  a  brave  and  courageous  soldier,  being  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fight  in  that  memorable  battle. 
After  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  he  made 
his  way  to  the  Territory  of  Indiana,  and  in  Spencer 
County  met  and  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Turnhan. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  and  reared 
in  East  Tennessee,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
Turnhan,  a  gentleman  of  Irish  ancestry,  who  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  army  seven  years  prior  to  his 
first  marriage.  He  had  five  wives.  His  second, 
third  and  fourth  wife  were  living  after  his  mar- 
riage to  his  fifth  wife.  He  died  a  very  old  man, 
in  Spencer  County,  Ind.,  leaving  his  fifth  wife  a 
widow.  He  was  the  father  of  children  by  four  of 
his  wives.  Our  subject  remembers  seeing  him,  and 
that  his  manner  of  dress  and  style  of  wearing  his 
hair  were  similar  to  that  of  the  old  colonial  days. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Angel  came  North  with  her  hus- 
band and  survived  him  a  number  of  years,  dying 
March  12,  1873,  in  Arenzville,  Cass  County,  this 
State,  when  quite  aged.  Both  she  and  her  husband 


were  people  greatly  respected,  and  she  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 
John,  our  subject,  is  the  eldest  survivor  of  the  nine 
children  born  to  his  parents — four  sons  and  five 
daughters.  He  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  at 
the  homestead,  fourteen  miles  from  the  county  seat 
of  Spencer  County,  Ind.,  March  18,  1823,  and  was 
a  lad  of  three  years  when  his  parents  first  came  to 
this  county.  Here  he  was  reared  to  man's  estate, 
and  in  the  township  where  he  now  lives  was  mar- 
ried Jan.  4,  1844,  to  Miss  Susan  Smith.  Mrs.  An- 
gel was  born  May  19,  1827,  in  Hickman  County, 
Tenn.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Moss)  Smith,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  State, 
and  the  father  a  farmer  by  occupation.  After 
marriage  and  the  birth  of  a  part  of  their  children, 
the  parents  came  to  this  county,  locating  about 
1840  in  township  16,  range  11.  Here  occurred 
the  death  of  John  Smith,  Oct.  17,  1867,  when  he 
was  a  man  quite  old  in  years.  He  had  pursued 
that  conscientious  and  upright  course  in  life  which 
gained  him  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him,  and  he 
exerted  a  good  influence  upon  those  around  them. 
His  aged  widow  is  still  living  and  has  now  attained 
to  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  She  makes  her 
home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Angel,  and,  notwith- 
standing her  years,  is  very  active  in  mind  and 
body. 

Mrs.  Susan  Angel  was  about  ten  years  old  when 
her  parents  came  to  this  county,  where  she  has 
since  spent  her  life.  She  was  one  of  the  elder  chil- 
dren of  quite  a  large  family,  and  of  her  union  with 
our  subject  there  have  been  born  fourteen  children, 
three  of  whom  are  deceased,  having  died  young- 
James,  David  and  one  unnamed.  Lavina,  the  eld- 
est daughter,  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Bridgeman,  and 
they  live  on  a  farm,  in  Shelby  Count}',  this  State; 
Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  B.  Cully,  a  farmer 
of  township  16,  range  11;  Thomas  married  Miss 
Sally  Weston,  and  operates  a  tile-factory  in  Chris- 
tian County;  Elizabeth  married  George  11.  Jordan, 
a  farmer  of  Shelby  County;  Margaret,  Mrs.  W.  H. 
Foster,  is  a  resident  of  Jacksonville:  Jc  bn  W.  7nar- 
ried  Elizabeth  Jolly,  and  they  live  on  a  farm  in 
Shelby  County;  Addie  M.  remains  at  home  with 
her  parents;  Sarah  I.  is  the  wife  of  Charles  W. 
Martin,  a  farmer  of  this  county;  George  remains 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


369 


at  home,ftlso  Henry  B.,  tlie  youngest;  Lewis  E.  is  a 
resident  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Angel  and  nearly  all  of  their  chil- 
dren are  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  in  which  our  subject  officiates  as  Stew- 
ard and  Trustee.  He  cast  his  first  presidential 
vote  for  James  K.  Polk,  and  gives  his  unqualified 
support  to  the  Democratic  party. 


DDISON  J.  LESLIE.  In  noting  facts  con- 
cerning the  building  interests  of  Meredo- 
I®  sia,  the  name  of  this  gentleman  is  found  to 
figure  prominently  therein.  He  is  a  skilled 
mechanic  witli  a  good  understanding  of  his  trade, 
and  has  operated  as  a  contractor  for  many  years. 
His  promptness  and  reliability  have  secured  for  him 
a  good  patronage  among  the  business  men  of  his 
community,  where  he  has  erected  a  large  number 
of  buildings. 

Mr.  Leslie  is  essentially  an  Ohio  man,  and  was 
born  in  Trumbull  County,  that  State,  June  2,  1 844. 
His  father,  Samuel  Leslie,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, is  long  since  deceased,  but  his  mother,  Mrs. 
Mary  (Covert)  Leslie  is  still  living,  and  is  now  in 
the  ninetieth  year  of  her  age;  she  makes  her  home 
in  Rockford,  this  State,  with  her  daughter;  she  also 
is  a  native  of  the  Keystone  State.  They  left  Ohio 
about  1845,  emigrating  to  the  vicinity  of  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Beloit,  Wis.,  and  later  removed  thence  to 
Winnebago  County,  this  State,  where  our  subject 
attained  his  majority.  He  attended  the  public 
school  in  Beloit,  and  at  an  early  age  became  famil- 
iar with  the  various  employments  of  farm  life,  also 
learning  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  at  which  he  served 
two  years. 

As  a  journeyman  carpenter,  Addison  J.  Leslie 
subsequently  worked  in  Galesburg,  111.,  a  number 
of  years,  and  in  due  time  began  operating  as  aeon- 
tractor,  being  thus  occupied  three  years  in  Knox 
County.  He  came  to  Meredosia  in  the  spring  of 
1873,  and  has  built  up  a  good  business,  giving  em- 
ployment now  to  usually  four  workmen,  and  some 
times  more.  Besides  his  village  property,  he  is  the 
owner  of  '240  acres  of  land  in  Meredosia  Precinct. 
Like  many  of  the  men  around  him,  he  commenced 


life  for  himself  without  means,  and  has  arisen  to  his 
present  position  solely  through  the  exercise  of  his 
industry  and  good  management. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  1873,  our  subject  was 
united  in  marriage  at  the  home  of  the  bride  in  Mere- 
dosia with  Miss  Emma  Agnew.  Mrs.  Leslie  was  born 
in  Indiana,  July  30,  1855,  and  by  her  union  with 
our  subject,  is  the  mother  of  three  children,  only 
one  of  whom  is  living,  a  daughter,  Alta.  Their 
home  is  pleasantly  located  in  Meredosia,  and  they 
count  their  friends  by  the  score  in  this  county. 
Mr.  Leslie  supports  the  principles  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  has  served  in  some  of  the  local 
offices.  Socially  he  belongs  to  Benevolent  Lodge, 
No.  52,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  filled  all  the  offices 
in  the  Blue  Lodge.  He  also  belongs  to  Meredosia 
Chapter  No.  11,  R.  A.  M.,  and  for  some  years  has 
been  Secretary  of  the '.Chapter.  In  religious  mat- 
ters, he  is  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  He  has  watched  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  Central  Illinois,  with  the  warmest  in- 
terest, and  has  given  his  uniform  encouragement  to 
all  the  projects  tending  to  elevate  the  people,  so- 
cially and  morally,  and  better  their  financial  con- 
dition. 


ILLIAM  P.  HARRIS.  It  is  with  difficulty 
one  can  picture  the  prairies  of  Illinois  as 
the}'  lay  sixty  years  ago,  their  surface 
scarcely  disturbed  by  the  foot  of  a  white  man, 
much  less  by  the  plowshare.  There  were  miles  of 
level  prairie,  over  which  the  Indian  wandered  and 
wild  animals  ranged  in  unrestrained  freedom. 
The  time  came,  however,  when  the  white  man  was 
not  willing  that  these  great  resources  should  longer 
lie  undeveloped,  and  accordingly  caravan  after  car- 
avan, began  pushing  its  way  toward  the  Mississippi. 
Among  the  scores  who  flocked  to  Central  Illi- 
nois in  the  early  part  of  the  thirties,  and  even  prior 
to  this,  was  William  P.  Harris,  who  arrived  in  this 
county  on  the  1st  day  of  April,  1829.  In  due  time 
he  established  himself  upon  a  tract  of  wild  land 
and  with  his  brother  pioneers  began  the  creation  of 
a  homestead.  The  years  which  followed  were  plen- 
tiful in  toil  and  hardship,  and  after  the  passage  of 
a  decade,  Mr.  Harris,  like  his  brother  settlers,  found 


370 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


himself  upon  solid  ground,  financially,  and  felt  that 
he  had  been  repaid  for  all  he  had  endured.  lie  is 
now  a  veteran  of  eighty-two  years,  remarkably  well 
preserved,  and  able  to  relate  with  intelligence 
many  of  the  incidents  which  were  crowded  into  the 
years  of  his  pioneership,  and  which  are  ever  preg- 
nant witli  interest  to  those  who  have  the  faculty  of 
contemplation  and  appreciation.  To  those  who 
came  to  the  West  and  were  foremost  in  the  devel- 
opment of  her  rich  resources,  too  much  praise  can- 
not now  be  given,  for  they  are  fast  passing  away, 
and  we  cannot  too  soon  gather  and  preserve  the 
story  of  their  lives  and  labors. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Green  County,  Ky., 
May  7,  1807,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Sarah 
(Penticost)  Harris,  natives  of  Virginia.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather.  George  Harris,  was  born  in 
Wales,  and  upon  emigrating  to  the  United  States 
settled  in  the  Old  Dominion,  where  he  reared  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  He  like- 
wise served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
and  spent  his  last  days  in  Virginia. 

The  father  of  our  subject  resided  in  his  native 
State  until  1806,  then  removing  to  Green  County, 
Ky.,  settled  on  a  farm  near  Greensburg,  where  his 
death  took  place  in  1821,  at  the  age  of  fifty -six 
years.  The  wife  and  mother  survived  until  1851, 
spending  her  last  days  in  Green  County,  Ky.  All 
their  children,  eight  in  number,  lived  to  mature 
years  and  were  married.  They  were  named,  re- 
spectively: Hattie,  Sarah,  William  1'.,  Elizabeth, 
Polly,  Martha,  Catherine,  and  Nancy. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject,  who  was  the  only 
son  of  his  parents,  was  spent  amid  the  quiet  scenes 
of  the  agricultural  districts,  and  lie  remained  a 
member  of  his  father's  household  until  after  he  had 
attained  the  twentieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
then  married,  Aug.  10,  1827,  to  Miss  Melinda 
Miler,  then  a  resident  of  Harrison  County,  Ind. 
She  was  born  in  Tennessee,  and  was  the  daughter 
of  John  and  Martha  Miler,  who  spent  their  last 
years  in  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris  began  their 
wedded  life  together  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county, 
but  less  than  two  years  later  determined  to  seek 
their  fortune  in  another  part  of  the  world,  and 
gathering  together  their  household  effects,  started 
overland  with  teams  for  this  county.  The}- first 


halted  near  the  present  site  of  Waverly,  where  they 
spent  about  two  weeks,  and  then  Mr.  Harris  rented 
land  in  the  vicinity  of  Jacksonville,  upon  which 
he  operated  until  1837.  He  had  then  accumulated 
a  little  capital  and  was  enabled  to  purchase  200 
acres  of  land  in  Macoupin  County.  He  lived  upon 
this  until  the  spring  of  1849,  then  selling  out  re- 
moved to  Sangamon  County,  where  he  purchased 
320  acres.  He  improved  a  portion  of  this  and 
bought  land  until  he  became  the  owner  of  800 
acres,  all  of  which  he  brought  to  a  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  upon  it  erected  good  buildings. 

In  1874,  having  accumulated  a  competence,  Mr. 
Harris  divided  the  greater  part  of  his  land  among 
his  sons  .and  retiring  from  active  labor,  removed 
from  the  farm  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Waverly, 
where  he  put  up  a  large  and  comfortable  residence, 
which  he  still  occupies.  At  the  farm  during  his 
later  years,  he  made  a  speciality  of  stock-raising 
with  most  excellent  results.  He  had  in  the  mean- 
time become  the  father  of  eight  children,  but  was 
deprived  of  the  companionship  of  his  devoted  wife, 
who  died  in  1851. 

Miss  Caroline  Harris,  the  eldest  daughter  of  our 
subject,  became  the  wife  of  James  Arnold,  and 
died  in  Sangamon  County,  this  State,  several  years 
ago;  Elizabeth,  (Mrs.  William  C'albert)  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Arkansas;  Charles  lives  in  Sangamon 
County,  111.;  Nancy  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  R.  E.  Me 
Vey,  of  Topeka,  Kan.;  Martha  married  Enoch  Gil- 
pin,  and  died  in  Sangamon  County;  William  II.  II. 
H.,'  is  a  resident  of  Waverly ;  Thomas  J.  and  James 
M.,  (twins)  are  residents  of  Sangamon  County; 
Emerson  T.  died  in  Waverly  in  1881. 

Mr.  Harris  in  November,  1852,  contracted  a 
second  marriage  with  Polly  ('.  Tinnon,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Logan  County,  Ky.,  and  who 
died  in  Waverly,  this  county,  in  January,  1888. 
Our  subject  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  J. 
Q.  Adams,  becoming  a  member  of  the  Old  Whig 
party.  Upon  its  abandonment  he  supported  John 
C.  Fremont,  and  has  since  been  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican. He  has  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  both 
in  Sangamon  and  Macoupin  counties,  and  has  been 
a  Deacon  of  the  Baptist  Church  for  many  years. 
He  identified  himself  with  this  Church  fifty  vears 
ago.  He  says  that  the  winter  of  1888-89  was 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


the  mildest  he  has  known  since  the  famous  season 
of  1829-30.  Ou  the  10th  of  March,  1830,  his  wife 
gathered  a  handsome  boquet  of  wild  flowers.  He 
experienced  the  rigors  of  the  winter  of  1830-31, 
well  known  in  history  as  the  winter  of  the  deep 
snow,  and  this  was  repeated  in  1855-56,  although 
not  to  so  aggravated  a  degree.  The  eyes  which 
have  looked  upon  so  many  wonderful-  scenes  and 
the  tongue  which  is  able  to  relate  so  many  thrill- 
ing incidents  will  in  due  time  have  failed  their 
office,  but  the  name  of  William  P.  Harris  will  be 
held  in  kindly  rememberance  long  after  he  has 
been  gathered  to  his  fathers. 

We  give  elsewhere  a  lithographed  portrait  of 
Mr.  Harris,  which  to  his  many  friends  will  be  a 
valuable  memento. 


OHN  H.  ECKHOFF,  a  native  of  this  county 
and  one  of  its  most  enterprising  young 
farmer  and  stock-raisers,  owns  and  operates 
200  acres  of  land  on  section  21,  township  16, 
range  12.  He  has  just  passed  his  thirty-second 
year,  having  been  born  May  11,  1857,  and  is  of 
German  parentage,  being  the  son  of  Heniy  and 
Elizabeth  (Oberkotter)  Eckhoff ,  the  father  a  native 
of  Hanover,  Germany,  and  the  mother  born  in 
Prussia. 

The  father  of  our  subject  emigrated  to  America 
about  forty  years  ago,  and  for  three  years  was  a 
resident  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  There  he  met  his 
future  wife  and  was  married,  and  to  them  were  born 
five  children,  of  whom  four  are  living,  namely : 
John  H.;  Annie,  the  wife  of  Albert  Uhnken; 
Henry  and  T.  F.  Upon  coming  to  Illinois  early  in 
the  fifties  they  established  themselves  in  Mercdosia 
Precinct,  and  for  several  years  thereafter  the  father 
rented  land  in  both  Morgan  and  Scott  counties. 
In  the  fall  of  1865  he  secured  the  property  now 
owmed  and  occupied  by  our  subject,  and  here  the 
parents  both  died,  the  mother  in  1872  and  the 
father  in  1883. 

The  elder  Eckhoff  was  a  poor  man  when  coming 
to  this  county,  but  at  his  death  left  an  estate  of  160 
acres  of  land  in  addition  to  $8,000  worth  of  per- 
sonal property.  This  fact  indicates  the  success 


with  which  he  labored  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  overcame  the  hardship  and  difficulties  incident 
to  pioneer  life.  Without  making  any  great  stir  in 
the  world  he  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  his  way 
in  an  honest  and  upright  manner,  and  while  ac- 
cumulating the  wherewithal  to  make  life  com- 
fortable and  desirable,  established  himself  in  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  neighbors.  He  was 
the  friend  of  religious  and  educational  institutions 
and  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  he  served  as  a  Trustee,  and  to  the 
support  of  which  he  contributed  liberally.  Politi- 
cally, he  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
served  in  the  district  as  School  Director. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  obtained  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  grew  up  amid  surround- 
ings far  different  from  those  of  the  young  men  of 
to-day.  He  was  thoughtful  and  intelligent  beyond 
his  years,  and  by  a  course  of  reading  has  always 
kept  himself  posted  upon  current  events.  His  200- 
acre  farm  is  steadily  growing  in  value  tinder  his 
good  management  and  careful  cultivation,  and  lie 
has  already  become  a  man  of  note  in  his  commun- 
ity. Like  his  honored  father  he  supports  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party. 


ICHARDSON  VASEY  was  born  in  York- 
shire, England,  May  9,  1843,  and  after  a 
|  most  useful  life,  died  at  his  home  in  Jack- 
Hsonville.  March  21,  1884.  He  had  retired 
somewhat  from  active  business,  but  had  carried  on 
his  farm  most  of  the  time  until  his  death.  He  en- 
tered the  mercantile  business  in  pirtnership  with 
Adam  Funk  about  one  year  before  his  death,  and 
was  fast  attaining  distinction  in  this  calling,  when 
he  was  called  away. 

Mr.  Vasey  was  the  son  of  John  and  Hannah  ( Rich- 
ardson) Vasey.  A  full  family  history  of  the  Richard- 
sons  appears  in  another  part  of  this  volume  in  the 
biography  of  Vincent  Richardson.  John  Vasey, after 
marriage  lived  in  England  until  all  his  family  was 
born.  On  May  27,  1849,  they  bid  farewell  to  their 
native  land,  and  after  a  journey  of  eight  weeks  and 
three  days,  landed  in  New  York,  whence  they  im- 
mediately proceeded  to  Morgan  County,  and  there 


372 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


settled  in  township  15,  range  11,  and  here  John 
Vasey  and  wife  spent  their  last  days  in  affluence, 
and  died  in  the  old  home  that  was  the  scene  of  their 
battle  for  independence,  and  which  they  gallantly 
won.  John  Vasey  died  July  20,  1871.  lie  was 
born  Oct.  1,  1804.  His  wife  survived  him  until 
June  16,  1884,  when  she  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vasey  were  members  of 
the  English  Church,  and  were  much  beloved  by  all 
their  acquaintances. 

Richardson  Vase3r,  was  the  youngest  of  his  fam- 
ily but  one.  He  was  five  years  old  when  his  peo 
pie  landed  in  America.  He  began  his  education 
in  the  common  schools,  and  completed  it  at  the 
State  College  at  Jacksonville,  and  also  at  a  college 
located  at  Allegheny  City,  Pa.  After  finishing  his 
education,  he  became  a  successful  and  intelligent 
farmer.  He  secured  a  good  farm  of  160  acres 
which  is  now  in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation. 
Everything  that  he  undertook  was  finished,  and  in 
a  satisfactory  manner.  He  was  painstaking  in  every 
small  detail,  and  believed  in  the  principle  of  "that 
which  is  worth  doing  at  all,  is  worth  doing  well." 
He  was  very  active  in  politics,  and  had  been  from 
early  life.  He  was  firmly  intrenched  in  the  Demo- 
cratic principles,  and  he  is  given  thecreditof  fight- 
ing many  a  good  battle  for  his  party.  He  was  a 
born  leader,  a  fact  which  was  exhibited  in  his  po- 
litical doings.  In  1878  he  was  elected  from  his  dis- 
trict, to  a  seat  in  the  State  Legislature.  As  a  law- 
maker, he  left  behind  him  a  good  record  for  in- 
tegrity and  faithfulness.  He  was  a  reader  of  great 
scope,  and  there  were  few  men  in  his  portion  of  the 
country,  whose  general  intelligence  covered  a  wider 
field.  He  was  particularly  interested  in  astronomy, 
and  in  this  branch  of  science,  his  knowledge  was 
extended.  The  shelves  of  his  library  were  filled 
with  the  choicest  selection  of  books,  which  were  not 
placed  there  for  ornamental  purposes,  but  for  use, 
and  it  is  a  safe  assertion  to  make,  that  he  read  every 
book  he  bought,  as  he  was  of  an  eminently  studious 
bent,  and  was  ever  in  search  of  knowledge.  lie  at 
one  time  carried  on  a  large  local  correspondence 
for  newspapers,  and  was  a  writer  of  more  than  or- 
dinary talent.  As  a  man,  Mr.  Vasey  was  respected 
by  all  parties  for  his  simple  honesty  and  sincerity 
of  purpose.  He  was  genial,  kind  hearted,  and 


made  many  friends  by  his  uniform  courtesy  and 
willingness  to  aid  those  who  needed  it.  Charity  to 
him  was  a  cardinal  virtue. 

Mr.  Vasey  was  married  in  Morgan  County,  near 
Lynnville,  on  Aug.  20,  1877,  to  Miss  Virginia  B. 
Gordon,  who  was  a  native  of  this  county,  and  whose 
birth  occurred  Oct.  28,  1853.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  Hon.  John  and  Sarah  P.  (Funk)  Gordon. 
Her  mother  died  at  her  home  near  Lyunville,  on 
Sept.  12,  1873,  where  she  was  born  and  reared,  at 
the  age  of  forty-two  years.  She  enjoyed  the  repu- 
tation of  being  a  good  woman,  and  a  sincere  Chris- 
tian. Mr.  Gordon  married  for  his  second  wife. 
Mrs.  Emma  Dayton,  and  now  lives  in  Jacksonville, 
and  carries  on  his  farm  near  Lynnville.  Mr.  Gor- 
don is  one  of  the  reliable  and  leading  Republicans 
of  Morgan  County,  and  has  represented  his  district 
with  ability  in  the  State  Legislature  several  terms. 
He  was  born  on  his  father's  old  homestead  near 
Lynnville,  where  he  was  reared  and  attended  the 
common  schools.  He  finished  his  education  at  an 
Ohio  college.  On  the  whole  it  may  be  said  that 
he  is  a  very  successful  man. 

Mrs.  Vasey  was  educated  at  the  old  Athenseum, 
a  female  seminary  that  once  existed  in  Jackson- 
ville. She  was  also  graduated  at  the  Conservatory 
of  Music  in  the  same  city.  She  is  a  bright  and 
intelligent  woman,  and  an  active  member  of  the 
Christian  Church.  She  has  two  children,  Raymond 
G.,  and  Richardson. 


HARLES  W.  AUGUSTINE  is  living  on  sec- 
tion 36,  township  16,  range  13,  and  was 
born  on  the  section  where  he  now  lives. 
His  birth  occurrd  Jan.  21,  1836,  and  if  there  is  a 
man  in  the  State  of  Illinois  who  deserves  the  appel- 
lation "old  settler,"  and  all  the  honors  that  cluster 
around  such  a  personage,  it  is  the  one  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch. 

Onr  subject  was  the  son  of  Charles  and  Christina 
(Stump)  Augustine.  The  elder  Augustine  was  of 
French  descent.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  located 
in  Canada  for  a  time.  He  emigrated  to  Morgan 
County,  111.,  in  1830,  the  winter  of  the  deep  show. 
He  died  here  in  1845,  his  wife  preceding  him  to  the 


i 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


373 


grave  four  months.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  three  of  whom  survive:  Lydia,  widow  of 
.John  Hyde,  of  this  county ;  Mary  J.  and  Charles 
\V.  The  following  are  deceased:  Cornelius,  George 
\V.  and  Christina.  Mr.  Augustine,  Sr.,  made  his 
original  purchase  of  land  in  section  36,  township 
16,  and  range  13,  consisting  of  160  acres.  He  later 
on  bought  an  additional  quarter-section  and  also 
seventy -five  acres  of  timber  land  in  Scott  County, 
111.  When  he  landed  in  Morgan  County  he  had 
exactly  $60,  and  from  this  small  beginning  he  at- 
tained the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  wealth- 
iest farmers  in  his  neighborhood.  Upon  his  first 
claim  he  erected  a  log  cabin,  which  was  constructed 
in  the  manner  of  the  earl}'  days,  and  in  which  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  As  his  circum- 
stances became  better  he  improved  his  farm  more, 
and  in  due  time  built  a  good,  substantial  farm 
house.  He  was  one  of  the  early  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church  at  Meredosia,  and  was  enthusiastic 
in  religious  matters.  The  first  plow  he  owned, 
when  he  came  to  this  country,  was  one  of  the  old 
wooden-mold-board  style,  and  his  other  farming 
implements  were  correspondingly  primitive.  Stoves 
were  nearly  unknown  in  those  days,  fireplaces  be- 
ing the  rule.  Politically,  the  elder  Augustine  was 
a  Whig,  and  it  is  said  that  he  was  a  man  of  intelli- 
gence and  decided  convictions. 

Charles  W.  Augustine  is  one  of  the  class  of  pio- 
neers who  came  to  this  country  with  their  parents, 
and  were  reared  amid  the  hardships  and  privations 
that  usually  surround  the  early  settler.  He  at- 
tended school  a  few  weeks  each  winter,  in  the  log 
school  house  and  received  his  limited  book-learning 
in  the  old-fashioned  way.  In  those  days  the  only 
schools  that  obtained  were  of  the  subscription  sort, 
each  of  the  parents  paying  a  stated  amount  for 
their  children's  tuition  and  the  teacher  "boarding 
around,"  as  it  was  called.  The  apparatus  that  the 
schools  of  to-day  employ  to  teach  children  is  all  that 
could  be  desired,  while  the  apparatus  of  the  early 
settler  consisted  of  a  chunk  of  chalk  and  a  good- 
sized  birch  rod.  Mr.  Augustine  attended  the  public 
schools  at  a  later  period  of  his  boyhood.  He  has 
been  in  agricultural  pursuits  his  entire  life,  and  is 
one  of  the  many  who  has  witnessed  the  wonderful 
growth  of  this  country,  from  a  farmer's  standpoint. 


Mr.  Augustine  was  first  married,  Nov.  2,  1865, 
to  Miss  Ruth  Hodges,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Morgan  County.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
Hodges,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  county.  This 
wife  died.  He  was  married  the  second  time  Jan. 
30,  1884.  The  maiden  name  of  his  second  wife 
was  Ella  Troy,  a  native  of  Clermont  County,  Ohio, 
who  was  bom  Jan.  1,  1855.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
George  (deceased)  and  Martha  Troy.  Her  father 
was  a  native  of  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  while  her 
mother  was  born  in  West  Virginia,  and  came  to 
Warren  County,  Ohio,  when  eleven  years  old. 

Charles  W.  Augustine  settled  on  his  present  farm 
early  in  the  sixtys.  He  erected  his  present  fine 
residence  in  the  fall  of  1874,  and  has  now  a  splen- 
did home.  The  furnishings  of  his  house  are  in 
keeping  with  all  the  surroundings.  He  owns  273 
acres  of  land,  every  acre  of  which  is  under  good 
cultivation.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
served  six  years  as  School  Trustee,  and  has  also 
held  the  office  of  Township  Road  Commissioner. 
His  wife  is  a  communicant  of  the  Presbyterian. 
Church.  It  may  be  said  that  Mr.  Augustine  is  one 
of  the  best  farmers  and  citizens  of  his  neighbor- 
hood and  still  keep  within  the  strict  line  of  truth. 


flNCENT  S.  RICHARDSON,  SR.,  is  one  of 
the  oldest  and  best-known  inhabitants  of 
Morgan  Count}-.  He  is  well  located  in 
township  15  and  range  11,  where  he  has  labored 
industriously  for  man}'  years,  the  result  of  which 
has  been  the  accumulation  of  a  large  fortune. 
His  homestead  now  consists  of  260  acres,  which 
is  the  portion  he  has  left  out  of  about  1400  acres 
that  he  formerly  owned.  He  has  given  each  of 
his  children  a  farm.  The  homestead  is  an  ideal 
one.  The  land  is  in  a  high  state  of  cidtivation,  and 
the  house  is  a  model  of  comfort  and  convenience. 
He  has  lived  in  this  township  since  July  22,  1830, 
and  is  now  enjoying  the  rest  he  has  earned. 

Mrs.  Richardson  also  owns  400  acres  of  good  land 
in  Scott  County,  besides  twenty  improved  lots  in 
MetT'.tt,  111.  Mr.  Richardson  is  a  native  of  England, 
being  born  in  Yorkshire,  near  Scarboro,  in  the  North 
Riding,  on  the  9th  of  May,  1806.  He  came  from  a 


i-* 


374 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


good  family,  und  one  prominent  in  Yorkshire,  this 
being  the  borne  of  the  Richardsons  for  many  gen- 
erations. They  were  a  hardy,  industrious  class  of 
people.  Mr.  Richardson  is  one  of  nine  children. 
His  father  and  mother,  John  and  Elizabeth  (Coats) 
Richardson,  lived  in  their  native  county  until  they 
came  to  America.  They  were  preceded  to  this 
country,  however,  by  their  son  Vincent,  who  sailed 
from  Liverpool  in  April,  1830,  and  after  a  voyage 
of  seven  weeks  and  two  days  landed  in  New  York 
City.  He  did  not  tarry  long  there,  but  started  for 
the  West,  visiting  several  different  states  in  quest  of 
a  good  location,  but  he  found  none  to  suit  him  un- 
til he  reached  Morgan  County,  and  here  he  found 
his  ideal  of  a  farming  country.  He  says  that  he 
never  has  seen  the  time  when  he  regretted  his 
choice. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  when  Vincent  Richardson 
arrived  in  Morgan  County  the  country  was  wholly 
undeveloped;  but,  with  a  determination  to  succeed, 
he  went  bravely  to  work,  and  has  succeded  beyond 
his  fondest  dream.  Being  so  well  pleased  with  this 
country,  he  wrote  to  his  people  in  England,  and  in 
consequence,  his  father  and  mother  and  the  rest  of 
the  children  came  over,  arriving  in  October,  1831. 
They  soon  found  a  home  in  what  is  now  the  south- 
west part  of  township  15  and  range  ]  1.  His  father, 
John  Richardson,  was  not  long  in  securing  a  good 
property,  upon  which  he  lived  and  died.  His 
death  occurred  in  1851,  when  he  was  nearly  eighty- 
five  years  old.  His  wife  died  some  }rears  later,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four.  They  are  held  in  kindly 
remembrance  as  the  best  of  people.  The  old  gen- 
tleman was  a  Whig,  and  took  great  interest  in  the 
politics  of  his  adopted  country.  His  wife  wor- 
shiped with  the  Methodists. 

Vincent  Richardson  is  the  only  survivor  of  a 
family  of  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  which 
four  sons  and  three  daughters  lived  to  be  married. 
His  early  habits  formed  in  England  served  him 
well  in  this  country.  He  was  taught  that  in- 
dustry and  prudence  were  two  indispensable  virtues, 
and  by  this  sign  he  lias  conquered.  A  few  years 
after  lie  came  to  this  country,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Lydia  Rawlins,  who  was  born  in  North  Riding, 
Yorkshire,  England,  in  1809.  Her  parents,  Will- 
jam  and  Mary  (Wilson)  Rawlins,  came  to  America 


in  1H37,  and  afterward  lived  and  died  in  Morgan 
County.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and 
four  daughters.  Three  of  the  children  are  still  liv- 
ing. Mrs.  Lydia  Richardson  died  at  her  home  in 
this  township  in  1868.  She  was  then  past  middle 
life,  and  had  done  her  share  toward  making  the  fine 
home  where  she  died.  She  was  the  mother  of  nine 
children,  three  of  whom  are  deceased.  Two  of  the 
children  died  in  infancy,  while  Elizabeth  passed 
away  after  she  was  married  and  became  the  mother 
of  four  children.  Her  husband,  Charles  Lazenby, 
survives  her  with  three  children.  The  living  sur- 
vivors of  Vincent  Richardson's  family  are:  Mary 
A.,  wife  of  Robert  Riley,  who  lives  in  this  count}-; 
John  V.  is  a  farmer,  and  resides  in  township  15  and 
range  11;  William  A.  married  Alice  Sanderson; 
they  also  live  on  a  farm  in  township  15.  George  S. 
married  Frances  Rawlins,  and  is  also  farming  in 
the  same  township;  Vincent  S.,  Jr.,  is  a  farmer  in 
Stafford  County,  Kan.,  and  married  Mary  Frost; 
James  I.  married  Jane  Wilson,  and  is  residing  on  a 
farm  in  Champaign  County,  111. 

Mr.  Vincent  Richardson's  second  marriage  oc- 
curred in  Scott  County,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Gannen,  nee 
Cherune.  She  is  a  native  of  Scott  County,  III., 
and  was  born  May  4,  1835.  Her  father  and  mother 
are  dead.  Her  first  husband,  John  Gannen,  accu- 
mulated a  large  property,  leaving  his  widow  400 
acres  of  land,  which  still  belong  to  her.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Richardson  are  public  spirited  people,  and 
believe  fully  in  the  Golden  Rule.  Mr.  Richardson 
is  a  Republican,  and  has  held  many  local  offices. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


EORGE  N.  BEAUCHAMP,  a  pioneer  and 
prominent  citizen  of  Morgan  County,  111., 
resides  on  section  26,  township  1  6,  range  1  2. 
He  is  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  was  born  Dec.  16, 
1834.  He  was  a  son  of  Richard  and  Zipporah 
Beauchamp,  both  of  whom  are  supposed  to  have 
been  natives  of  Maryland.  When  about  four 
months  old,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  came  with 
his  parents  direct  from  Maryland  to  Morgan 
County,  111.  His  father  settled  about  five  miles 
northeast  of  the  residence  of  George  N.,  and  here 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


375 


resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1854,  his 
wife  dying  five  (Jays  before  him. 

When  Galusha  A.  Grow,  of  Pennsylvania  intro- 
duced the  Homestead  Bill  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives there  was  a  determined  opposition  to  the 
measure,  and  esj)ecially  by  those  who  were  not 
friends  of  free  labor.  While  Illinois  did  not  reap 
a  great  deal  of  benefit  from  this  most  beneficent 
law,  the  great  undeveloped  West  did.  The  oppo- 
nents of  the  homestead  act  have  lived  to  see  that 
Mr.  G row's  proposition  was  a  wise  one,  and  had  its 
provisions  been  in  force  a  generation  before  it  be- 
came operative,  the  pioneers  of  Illinois  would  have 
been  saved  the  great  hardship  of  paying  for  their 
lands.  It  is  true  that  $1.25  an  acre  is  a  small  price, 
but  dollars  were  more  difficult  for  the  Illinois  pio- 
neer to  secure  than  anything  else.  Produce  was 
practically  worth  nothing.  Corn  in  an  early  day 
has  been  known  to  sell  for  five  cents  a  bushel, 
wheat  for  twenty-five  cents  a  bushel,  and  pork  for 
$1.50  a  hundred.  This  will  exhibit  the  fact  that 
ready  cash  was  almost  impossible  to  get.  When 
the  land  came  into  market  it  had  to  be  paid  for, 
and  the  money  vultures  of  the  early  period  were 
relentless  in  their  demand  for  interest.  As  high  as 
forty  per  cent  was  asked  and  received,  and  it  is 
easy  to  conclude  that  such  usurious  interest  was  a 
burden  too  hard  for  a  pioneer  to  bear,  and  to  un- 
load this  burden,  many  an  early  settler  was  obliged 
to  relinquish  his  land  to  the  heartless  money 
lender,  after  braying  the  trials  incident  to  opening 
a  new  farm.  This  was  one  of  the  manifold  trials 
of  a  pioneer,  and  none  knew  it  better  than  Richard 
Beam-damp. 

George  N.  Beauchamp  was  the  second  son  of  the 
family,  and  was  reared  to  manhood  surrounded  by 
the  difficulties  that  invariably  assail  the  early  set- 
tler. He  received  his  education  in  the  primitive 
schools  that  existed  when  he  was  a  boy,  but  he 
has  steadily  increased  his  store  of  knowledge,  and 
is  now  what  may  be  termed  a  well-posted  man  of 
affairs.  He  was  married  Aug.  17,  1856,  to  Eliza- 
beth Smith,  daughter  of  John  and  Malinda  Smith. 
Eight  children  have  been  born  to  this  couple,  five 
of  whom  are  living:  Sarah,  wife  of  William  Burrus; 
John  married  Anna  M.  Streuter,  and  lives  in  this 
township;  Lydia,  Frank  and  Florry.  Mr.  Beau- 


champ  is  the  owner  of   320  acres  of   land,  half  of 
which  comprises  his  homestead. 

There  is  too  much  of  a  disposition  in  these  days 
to  call  men  "self-made."  There  are  many  people 
H  ho  are  called  self-made  men  whose  history  will 
not  bear  out  the  title,  but  Mr.  Beauchamp  by  his 
own  industry  and  shrewd  financiering  has  accumu- 
lated his  splendid  possessions  by  the  inherent  quali- 
ties that  surround  such  men  as  he.  Himself  and 
wife  are  devoted  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  organization  he  has  held 
the  office  of  Steward.  He  has  also  served  as  Class 
Leader.  He  pays  but  little  attention  to  politics, 
but  his  abilities  have  often  been  called  in  requisi- 
tion by  his  neighbors.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
Drainage  Commissioner  in  his  district  for  three 
years..  He  is,  at  this  writing  (1889)  serving  as 
School  Director,  and  has  held  that  office  for  twelve 
years,  and  is  now  School  Trustee.  In  most  of  his 
undertakings,  Mr.  Beauchamp  has  been  successful 
and  he  deserves  his  success.  In  politics  lie  is  a 
stanch  Republican. 


E  NAYLOR.  As  the  older  members 
of  the  farming  community  retire  from  the 
scene  of  action  the  younger  men  are  gradu- 
ally taking  their  places,  and  the  larger  portion  of 
them  are  perpetuating  in  a  worthy  manner  the 
work  which  their  sires  began.  Among  these  may- 
be properly  mentioned  the  subject  of  this  notice, 
who  is  comfortably  located  on  a  good  farm  on 
section  I),  township  1 5,  range  1 2.  He  is  a  native 
of  this  State,  having  been  born  in  Cass  County, 
Feb.  2,  1852. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  P.  H.  Nay  lor,  of 
whom  a  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He 
is  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Morgan  County, 
to  which  he  came  at  an  early  day,  and  contributed 
largely  to  its  growth  and  development.  Our  sub- 
ject was  reared  to  man's  estate  under  the  parental 
roof,  and  bred  to  farm  pursuits,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  school.  His  life  passed  com. 
paratively  quiet  and  uninterrupted  until  he  was 
ready  to  establish  a  home  of  his  own,  and  he  was 
en  married  Feb.  18,  1875,  to  Miss  Mary  B.  Bur- 


i 


<  ,  376 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


rus.  Mrs.  Nay  lor  was  born  Feb.  18,  1856,  in  Mor- 
gan County,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Bur- 
ma, now  a  resident  of  Kansas. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Naylor  there  has  been  born  one 
child,  a  son,  Jonathan  L.,  Jan.  29,  1876.  This  boy, 
now  a  promising  youth  of  thirteen  years,  is  being 
given  a  good  education,  and  as  the  only  son  will 
receive  all  the  advantages  which  his  parents  are  able 
to  bestow  upon  him.  Mr.  Naylor  cast  his  first 
Presidential  vote  for  Hancock,  and  politically,  is  a 
sound  Democrat.  In  his  farming  operations  he  is 
meeting  with  success.  Besides  carrying  on  general 
agriculture  he  is  considerably  interested  in  stock- 
raising.  He  owns  one-half  of  240  acres  of  land  in 
Cass  County  which  is  the  source  of  a  fair  income. 
In  religious  matters  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  which  he  serves  as  Steward, 
and  with  his  wife  labors  cheerfully  as  opportunity 
presents  in  the  Master's  vineyard.  They  have  a 
pleasant  and  inviting  home,  and  enjoy  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


WILLIAM  H.  SARGENT,  a  veteran  of  the 
late  Civil  War,  in  which  he  won  an  hon- 
able  record  as  a  faithful  soldier  who  never 
failed  in  his  duty,  but  fought  bravely  and  faced 
the  foe  unflinchingly  on  many  a  hardly-contested 
battle-field,  is  now  quietly  and  successfully  carry- 
ing on  agricultural  pursuits  in  this,  his  native 
county.  He  devotes  himself  principally  to  buying 
and  shipping  stock  and  to  raising  fruit.  He  has  a 
vineyard  of  about  twelve  acres  of  choice  varieties 
of  grapes,  a  fine  orchard  of  apples,  plums,  cherries, 
etc.,  and  has  all  kinds  of  small  fruits. 

William  H.  Sargent  is  a  son  of  James  B.  and 
Mary  J.  (Carter)  Sargent,  a  pioneer  family  of 
Morgan  County,  now  living  in  Bethel.  John  Sar- 
gent, the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was 
a  native  of  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  where  he  mar- 
ried and  reared  a  family  of  seven  girls  and  three 
boys,  and  there  their  mother  died.  The  father  of 
of  our  subject  was  the  ninth  child  in  the  family, 
and  after  he  had  reached  man's  estate  he  started 
out  in  the  world  afoot  and  alone  in  1833,  and  made 
a  pedestrian  tour  to  the  wilds  of  this  part  of  the 


country,  having  no  money  to  come  by  boat.  When 
he  arrived  at  the  little  settlement  in  Eastport,  he 
had  only  a  "bit"  left  of  his  small  stock  of  cash, 
and  he  was  glad  to  replenish  his  capital  by  making 
a  pair  of  slippers  for  a  gentleman  to  wear  at  his 
wedding.  After  working  in  that  place  a  few  days 
at  his  trade  of  a  shoemaker,  he  resumed  his  journey 
and  arrived  in  this  part  of  Morgan  County,  where 
lie  obtained  work  on  a  farm.  By  industry  and 
frugality  he  soon  managed  to  make  money  and  to 
lay  up  enough  to  warrant  him  in  venturing  on  the 
sea  of  matrimon}',  and  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  John  Carter.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  to  them  by  the  birth  of 
ninechildren:  John  W.;  William  II. ;  Martha  C.,  the 
widow  of  Enoch  Reinhart,  now  living  in  Missouri; 
James  C.;  Henry  B.;  Elizabeth,  now  the  wife  of 
James  Reed,  of  Whitehall,  111.;  Richard;  Charles; 
Lincoln,  deceased. 

Our  subject  was  reared  in  this  county,  and  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  Jacksonville,  he  having 
been  a  pupil  in  the  first  school  taught  in  the  2nd 
ward  in  that  city,  Ezend  Henderson  being  the 
teacher.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he  resolved  to  throw 
aside  all  personal  aims  and  ambitions,  and  go  forth 
from  his  home  to  the  assistance  of  his  countrymen 
on  Southern  battlefields  and  aid  them  in  their  en- 
deavor to  save  the  honor  of  the  old  flag,  and  with 
that  patriotic  purpose  he  enlisted  in  Company  B. 
10th  Illinois  Cavalry.  He  did  good  service  with 
his  regiment  in  several  engagements  with  the 
enemy,  but  was  finally  disabled  by  the  bushwhack- 
ers, near  Sand  Springs,  Mo.,  two  shots  taking  effect 
in  his  left  thigh.  After  a  short  time  he  rejoined  his 
regiment  at  Jefferson  City,  and  in  a  fight  with  the 
enemy  at  that  point  he  received  five  more  wounds, 
which  again  prostrated  him  for  a  time,  and  although 
he  once  more  went  into  active  service,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  abandon  military  life,  and  return  to  his 
home  a  wreck  of  his  former  self,  ho  having  been  a 
man  of  strong,  robust  physique.  When  his  health 
was  partly  restored  he  became  connected  with  the 
omnibus  line  in  Jacksonville,  and  continued  in  that 
business  for  some  years  after  the  war.  lie  then 
turned  his  attention  to  agriculture,  and  has  his 
forty-acre  farm  on  section  33,  township  16,  range  10, 
under  fine  cultivation,  every  acre  capable  of  pro- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


377    ,, 


dueing  a  rich  return  in  payment  for  the  care  that 
he  hestows  on  its  proper  tillage.  Fifteen  acres  of 
the  farm  is  devoted  to  fruits,  and  Mr.  Sargent  has 
made  this  branch  of  horticulture  very  profitable. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Sargent  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
F.  Benjamin  was  duly  solemnized  in  the  fall  of 
I860,  and  has  been  to  them  one  of  happiness.  Mrs. 
Sargent's  parents,  Charles  and  Mary  (Ratliff.)  Ben- 
jamin, were  early  settlers  here.  Her  father  served 
five  years  in  the  regular  army  on  the  frontier,  and 
was  in  the  Mexican  War.  After  his  discharge  he 
came  here,  and  was  subsequently  married.  Eleven 
children  have  been  born  into  the  pleasant  home  of 
our  subject  and  his  amiable  wife,  as  follows:  Will- 
iam S.  ;  James,  deceased  ;  Mary  married  James  Hull 
and  is  deceased  ;  two  children  died  in  infancy  ;  Nettie, 
now  Mrs.  Starkey  Baldwin;  Edward;  Benjamin, 
deceased;  Minnie;  Rhoda;  Logan  Blaine. 

Mr.  Sargent's  whole  course  through  life,  from  the 
time  of  his  enlistment  in  the  early  days  of  the  late 
war  to  the  present  time,  shows  him  to  be  an  in- 
tensely patriotic  citizen,  and  one  who  is  thoroughly 
to  be  relied  on  in  all  cases.  He  is  a  man  of  sound 
sense  and  clear  understanding,  always  honorable 
and  straightforward  in  his  dealings.  lie  votes  as 
he  fought,  for  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  lie  has  a  sincerely  religious  nature,  and 
with  his  wife  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 


ENRY  GOEBEL.  The  enterprising  and 
progressive  German  farmer,  as  well  as  the 
self-made  man,  is  admirably  represented  in 
the  subject  of  this  notice,  who  is  pursuing 
the  even  tenor  of  his  way  at  a  good  homestead,  on 
section  17,'  township  16,  range  12.  The  comforta- 
ble property  which  he  now  enjoys  is  the  result  of 
his  own  labors,  he  not  having  received  any  finan- 
cial assistance  from  any  source,  but  building  up  his 
fortune  by  the  labor  of  his  hands  and  the  practice 
of  that  frugal  economy  which  always  confined  the 
expenses  of  living  to  his  yearly  income. 

Our  subject  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  in  the  Province  of 
Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  Oct.  8,  1837,  and  is 


the  son  of  John  and  Christina  (Schneider)  Goebel, 
who  emigrated  to  the  U  nited  States  in  1 845.  Henry 
was  then  a  lad  of  eight  years,  but  he  remembers 
many  of  the  incidents  of  preparation  and  the  voy- 
age, which  was  made  in  forty-six  days  on  a  sailing 
vessel  from  Bremen  to  Baltimore.  The  family 
came  direct  to  Illinois,  and  located  first  near  the 
present  town  of  Arenzville,  but  what  was  then  the 
wilderness  of  Cass  County.  A  short  time  after- 
>vard,  however,  they  moved  into  the  village,  where 
the  father  engaged  in  brick-making,  and  where  the 
mother  died  in  1885.  John  Goebel  departed  this 
life  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Henry,  June  16,  1887. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  but  two 
of  whom  survive,  our  subject  and  his  sister  Eliza- 
beth, Mrs.  Engelbach,  a  widow,  and  a  resident  of 
Arenzville. 

Our  subject  was  reared  to  man's  estate  mostly 
amid  the  pursuits  of  farm  life,  receiving  a  limited 
education  and  doing  a  large  amount  of  pioneer 
labor.  lie  was  about  nineteen  years  old  when  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Mason  County,  and 
thirteen  years  later  purchased  his  father's  farm  and 
lived  there  until  1869.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he 
came  to  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  occupies. 
Most  of  his  property— 373  acres — lies  in  the  fertile 
Meredosia  bottoms,  and  is  well  improved  and  valu- 
able. He  has  a  fine  residence,  which,  with  its  sur- 
roundings, forms  one  of  the  most  attractive  homes 
in  this  part  of  the  county.  Not  only  has  he  been 
industrious,  but  has  managed  his  affairs  with  that 
good  judgment  which  has  resulted  in  very  profita- 
ble investments,  so  that  he  has  now  a  competence 
for  his  old  age,  and  can  at  any  time  retire  from 
active  labor. 

Upon  becoming  a  voting  citizen,  Mr.  Goebel 
identified  himself  with  the  Republican  party,  and 
is  entirely  in  sympathy  with  the  institutions  of  his 
adopted  country.  He  has  served  as  School  Trustee 
for  the  last  six  years,  and  also  as  Director,  and  has 
been  Road  Commissioner  two  j'ears.  He  is  one  of 
those  men  upon  whom  the  community  depends  to 
carry  out  its  best  projects  and  endorse  the  enter- 
prises calculated  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
people. 

On  the  30th  of  May,  1869,  our  subject  was  mar- 
ried in  Mason  County,  111.,  to  Miss  Catharine  Leip- 


rf- 


«H* 


,  ,   378 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


pert.  This  lady  was  horn  in  Cass  County,  this 
State,  July  27,  1850,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Emil 
and  Catharine  (Lang)  Leippert,  who  were  natives 
of  Germany,  and  are  now  residents  of  Mason 
County.  Of  the  seven  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Goebel,  there  are  five  living — John,  Henry, 
William,  George  and  Matilda.  Mr.  Goebel  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and,  socially,  be- 
longs to  Benevolent  Lodge  No.  52  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Meredosia.  When  his  father  landed  in  the  city 
of  Baltimore  he  had  just  twenty-five  cents  in  money, 
and  the  property  which  he  afterward  accumulated 
in  this  country  stands  as  a  lasting  monument  to  his 
industry  and  perseverance. 


OSEPH  HULETT.  Among  the  prominent 
agriculturists  of  Morgan  County  who  have 
I  in  the  last  four  decades,  materially  assisted 
in  its  advancement  and  prosperity,  no  one  is 
more  deserving  of  honorable  mention  in  this  Bio- 
(jRAPiiu'Ai.  ALBUM  than  he  whose  name  we  have 
with  pleasure  placed  at  the  beginning  of  this  brief 
sketch.  He  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  near 
Winchester,  Clark  County,  Sept.  1,  1823.  His 
father,  Joseph  Hulett,  Sr.,  was  born  near  Fredcr- 
icksburg,  Ya.  When  a  child  his  parents  removed 
to  Clark  County,  Ky.,  where  they  remained  a  short 
time,  and  then  settled  in  Madison  County,  where 
he,  the  father  of  our  subject,  spent  the  larger  part 
of  his  youthful  da3's,  and,  when  old  enough  to 
establish  himself  in  business,  began  farming  there. 
He  subsequently  removed  to  Fayette  County,  and 
was  for  a  few  years  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  Lexington,  finally  removing  to  Morgan 
County  and  settling  near  Jacksonville,  where  he 
died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
He  was  twice  married.  Miss  Nellie  Mansfield,  a 
native  of  Green  River  County,  Ky.,  becoming  his 
first  wife,  and  of  their  union  eight  sons  and  five 
daughters  were  born,  all  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
turity. His  second  marriage  was  to  Elizabeth 
Hukill,  who  bore  him  five  children,  two  sons  and 
three  daughters,  and  of  the  two  marriages  eleven 
children  are  still  living.  Mr.  Hulett  was  a  man 
highly  respected  in  this  community  for  his  sterling 


integrity  and  honesty  of  purpose.  In  politics  he 
was  a  stanch  old-line  Whig.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  sincere  workers  in 
the  cause  of  religion. 

Our  subject  was  among  the  younger  members 
of  the  thirteen  children  born  to  his  parents,  and 
was  reared  on  a  farm,  living  with  his  father  in 
Clark  and  Fayette  counties  till  grown  to  manhood, 
lie  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  mother  while  a 
boy,  and  the  family  records  having  been  destroyed 
by  fire,  his  knowledge  of  his  ancestral  history  is 
limited.  Not  being  quite  satisfied  to  settle  down 
to  farming,  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and 
for  six  years  engaged  in  carpentering  and  contract- 
ing. Subsequently  his  early  knowledge  of  cattle, 
learned  while  on  the  farm,  became  of  practical  use 
to  him,  and  his  excellent  judgment  concerning 
them  easily  secured  for  him  a  position  as  buyer  of 
stock  for  prominent  cattle  dealers  in  the  vicinity 
of  Lexington,  and  he  gave  up  his  trade  to  become 
manager  of  the  large  stock  farm  of  Benjamin  Gratz, 
an  extensive  farmer  of  Lexington.  He  also  had 
the  supervision  of  the  farm  of  Carter  Harrison, 
Ex-Mayor  of  Chicago,  the  short  time  he  was  a  resi- 
dent of  that  place.  The  shrewd  business  habits 
and  undoubted  ability  of  our  subject  in  that  line 
of  business  insured  him  an  excellent  salary,  and,  as 
he  was  as  economical  as  he  was  industrious,  in  the 
few  years  he  was  thus  employed  he  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  his  present  fortune.  In  1850  Mr.  Ilulett 
determined  to  permanently  establish  himself  in 
life,  and,  knowing  Illinois  to  be  one  of  the  finest 
agricultural  States  in  the  Union,  came  to  Morgan 
County  March  3,  that  year,  and  rented  a  farm 
north  of  Jacksonville,  on  which  he  lived  for  awhile, 
then  removed  to  this  neighborhood  and  rented  a 
farm  of  Joseph  Morton,  which  he  managed  success- 
fully three  years.  In  1853  he  bought  160  acres  of 
his  present  homestead,  lying  on  sections  25  and  26, 
township  15,  range  10  west,  paying  $30  an  acre 
for  it,  although  there  were  plenty  of  farms  in  the 
vicinity  that  could  have  been  bought  for  two-thirds 
that  sum,  but  they  were  lacking  in  many  of  the 
essentials  that  lie  considered  necessary  on  a  good 
farm.  Mr.  Hulett  afterward  bought  adjacent  land, 
paying  $60  an  acre  for  some  and  $80  an  acre  for 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


379      ,  , 


other  tracts,  till  now  he  has  a  valuable  farm  of  250 
acres  under  excellent  cultivation.  There  were 
very  comfortable  buildings  on  the  place  when  our 
subject  moved  on  to  it  in  18o4,  and  he  and  his 
family  occupied  the  house  until  1872,  when  he 
built  his  present  fine  brick  residence.  It  is  of 
modern  architecture,  neatly  and  artistically  fur- 
nished and  decorated,  the  interior  and  exterior 
alike  showing  marked  evidence  of  the  taste,  culti- 
vation and  refinement  of  the  occupants.  The  prop- 
erty of  our  subject  is  a  testimony  to  the  ability, 
good  judgment  and  superior  management  which  he 
has  used  in  improving  it  from  year  to  year,  and  is 
now  one  of  the  model  farms  of  the  county  and  an 
ornament  to  his  township.  Mr.  Hulett  has  been 
extensively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising, 
but  he  now  rents  the  larger  part  of  his  farm,  keep- 
ing his  beautiful  house  as  a  residence,  and  is  prac- 
tically retired  from  active  life,  having  been  a 
sufferer  the  past  seven  years  from  angina  pectoris 
(neuralgia  of  the  heart.) 

As  a  man  of  strict  honest}',  fair  and  square  in 
all  business  transactions,  our  subject  is  universally 
esteemed  throughout  the  community,  and  merits 
the  high  respect  in  which  he  is  held.  In  local 
affairs  lie  has  always  been  prominent,  and  has  faith- 
fully served  the  township  in  the  various  reponsible 
offices,  having  been  Township  Treasurer,  School 
Director,  etc.,  for  many  years.  Religiously,  he  is 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

An  important  step  in  the  life  of  Mi.  Hulett,  and 
one  to  which  he  owes  in  a  measure  the  grand  suc- 
cess that  he  has  met  with  in  life,  was  his  marriage 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  V.  Simpson,  which  was  cele- 
brated Aug.  9,  1 84!>.  She  was  born  in  Woodford 
County,  Ky.,  being  a  daughter  of  Johnson  and 
Elizabeth  (Powers)  Simpson.  Her  father,  who  was 
a  carpenter  and  contractor,  spent  his  entire  life  in 
Woodford  County,  where  his  widow  is  still  living. 

To  our  subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  ten 
children,  all  of  whom,  excepting  William  J.,  who 
died  when  thirteen  months  and  thirteen  days  old, 
are  still  living,  the  following  being  their  record: 
Ella  married  J.  V.  Stout,  the  proprietor  of  a  book 
and  stationery  store  in  Jacksonville,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Harry  and  Corinne;  Elizabeth  J.; 
Josephine;  Granville,  who  married  Miss  Jessie 


Freeman,  and  is  now  in  business  in  Kansas  City, 
attended  college  in  Jacksonville  six  years  and  Rush 
Medical  College  three  years,  and  subsequently  prac- 
ticed medicine  in  Kansas  City  two  years;  Fannie; 
Belle  married  Samuel  Scott  a  dry-goods  merchant 
of  Kansas  City,  and  they  have  one  child,  Fannie 
Marie;  Lorena  married  Eugene  Pyatt,  clerk  in  a 
Jacksonville  bookstore;  Jennie  S.  married  Thomas 
Montgomery,  a  general  merchant  at  Ilersman 
Station,  Brown  Co.,  111.;  Marcus  has  just  finished 
his  education,  and  has  joined  the  Doctor  in  busi- 
ness in  Kansas  City. 

Mr.  Hulett,  whose  educational  advantages  were 
limited,  has  very  generously  given  his  children 
every  possible  opportunity  for  acquiring  knowl- 
edge, not  only  in  the  common  branches  of  study,  but 
especially  in  music,  arts  and  sciences.  His  daugh- 
ters have  taken  a  college  course  as  well  as  his  sons, 
having  attended  the  college  at  Jacksonville,  Fannie 
completing  her  education  at  Valparaiso.  The  beau 
tiful  works  of  art  that  adorn  the  walls  of  the  house 
testify  to  the  natural  talent  and  ability  of  Misses 
Fannie  and  Lizzie,  who  are  accomplished  artists, 
handling  brush  or  pencil  with  equal  facility,  as  evi- 
denced by  their  works  in  pen-drawing  and  crayon, 
their  specialty  being  portraits.  Mrs.  Ilulett  and 
two  of  her  daughters  arc  esteemed  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  while  the  remaining  mem- 
bers of  the  family  belong  to  the  Christian  Church. 


HARLES  HEINZ,  Sit.,  a  manufacturer  of 
plows  and  other  agricultural  implements  at 
Meredosia,  was  born  in  Gladenbach,  Hessen 
Darmstadt,  Germany,  on  Jan.  20,  1828.  The  vil- 
lage mechanic  is  essential  to  the  success  of  the 
farmer.  It  is  he  whose  skill  lightens  the  labor 
of  the  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  when  implements 
are  broken,  or  for  any  cause  fail  to  perform  their 
work,  then  the  mechanic  steps  to  the  front  and 
promptly  starts  the  disabled  machinery  again. 
Mr.  Ileniz  has  attained  an  enviable  record  as  an 
ingenious  and  painstaking  workman. 

The  main  part  of  his  shop  is  22x82,  to  which  an 
addition  has  been  erected  for  blacksmithing  pur- 
poses which  is  22x36,  and  contains  three  forges, 


380 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


which  are  busy  at  work  most  of  the  time.  Mr. 
Heinz  is  the  owner  of  these  buildings,  and  he  finds 
them  none  too  large. 

Mr.  Heinz  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Louisa  (Baier) 
Heinz,  both  natives  of  Germany.  When  Charles 
was  three  years  old  his  mother  died,  and  in  1839 
his  father  emigrated  to  America,  his  three  boys 
being  left  in  Germany;  they  followed  him  two  years 
later.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  apprenticed  to 
a  cooper,  but  only  remained  at  this  trade  for  three 
years,  when  he  began  to  learn  blacksmithing.  He 
had  worked  at  this  trade  but  fourteen  months 
when  he  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Mexican 
War  in  the  1st  Illinois  Cavalry  under  Capt.  Adam 
Dunlap.  Arriving  in  Mexico,  this  organization 
became  a  part  of  Gen.  Taylor's  army  and  subse- 
quently was  under  Gen.  Wool.  Mr.  Heinz  was  prin- 
cipally engaged  on  detailed  duty  as  a  scout,  and 
while  in  this  department  of  the  service  he  had 
many  narrow  escapes.  His  regiment  was  a  part  of 
the  guard  to  the  Government  property,  which  was 
transported  from  Mexico  to  Texas.  Mr.  Heinz 
was  also  detailed  as  a  bugler.  After  a  service  of 
eighteen  months  he  was  discharged. 

In  1849,  Mr.  Heinz  first  established  himself  in 
business  at  Meredosia.  He  was  a  blacksmith  of 
great  skill  and  as  a  result  soon  built  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  trade.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out 
he  first  enlisted,  and  was  elected  First  Lieutenant  in 
Company  A,  the  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  and  after 
a  service  of  over  eight  months  he  resigned  and  re- 
enlisted  in  Company  K,  of  the  28th  Illinois  Infan- 
try and  was  commissioned  as  First  Lieutenant. 
With  the  last  organization  he  remained  one  year. 
He  then  returned  to  Meredosia  and  settled  down  to 
his  former  business,  enlarging  it  to  its  present  pro- 
portions. He  has  now  an  engine  of  10-horse  power, 
which  drives  the  machinery  needed  in  the  business 
that  he  now  carries  on.  He  is  now  successfully  en- 
gaged in  making  plows  as  an  addition  to  his  former 
business;  the  "Diamond  Plow"  being  a  speciality. 
He  also  manufactures  cultivators,  riding  plows,  arid 
other  fanning  implements,  in  all  of  which  may  be 
seen  the  maker's  skill  and  ingenuity. 

Mr.  Heinz  married  Elizabeth  Anderson,anative  of 
Virginia,  who  bore  him  six  children:  Caroline,  wife 
of  F.  M.  Davis,  of  Coffey ville,  Kan.;  Louisa,  wife 


of  A.  S.  Boles,  of  Garwin,  Iowa;  Frank;  Ella,  wife 
of  John  Lange;  Charles  and  Mary.  Mr.  Heinz  is 
a  member  of  John  York  Post,  No.  423  G.  A.  II. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  both  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  and 
I.  O.  ().  F.  orders,  having  been  a  member  of  the 
latter  society  since  1854.  He  has  held  all  the 
ottices  in  that  organization,  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  served  six  years  as  a  County 
Commissioner,  of  Morgan  County,  and  with  credit 
to  himself  and  his  constituents.  He  lias  also  served 
as  a  School  Director,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Meredosia  Board  of  Village  Trustees.  Mr.  Heinz 
is  not  a  member  of  any  church  organization,  but 
is  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  cause  of  religion. 
He  is  a  leading  man  of  Morgan  Count}-,  and  has 
attained  this  position  by  reason  of  his  integrity 
and  skill  as  a  business  man.  His  success  is  directly 
traceable  to  his  own  efforts  and  when  his  proper 
epitaph  shall  have  been  written  it  will  embrace  the 
simple  words,  "Here  lies  a  man." 


J/ONIE  SCOTT,  who   is  pleasantly  located  in 
I    township  1 4,  range  9,  and  on  section  28,  oc- 
I    cupies  a  prominent  position  among  the  lead- 
'    ing  farmers  of  Morgan  County,  wherein  he 
is  very   popular.      He  has  a   snug  little   farm  of 
eighty   acres,  improved  with  good   buildings,  and 
which  constitutes  one  of  the  most  attractive  homes 
in  this  section  of  country.     Wide-awake,  industri- 
ous and  energetic,  Mr.  Scott  each  year  adds  some- 
thing to  the  beauty  and  value  of  his  property,  and 
each  j'ear  becomes  more  useful  to  the  community 
at  large.     He  is  a  man  more  than  ordinarily  intel- 
ligent,   and   in    his   youth  acquired  the    practical 
education   which   serves  him  for  all  ordinary  pur- 
poses. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Sept. 
24,  1854,  is  the  son  of  Eneas  and  Lois  Scott,  who 
were  natives  of  England  and  New  Jersey,  respect- 
ively, and  are  represented  on  another  page  of  this 
volume.  He  was  mostly  in  his  youth,  after  leaving 
school,  engaged  in  farming.  When  ready  to  establish 
a  home  of  his  own  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Fanny  Pavord,  of  Philadelphia.  This  lady  is 
a  native  of  England,  and  was  born  in  1857.  Her 


4 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


381 


parents  were  natives  of  England,  and  her  father  a 
tailor  03-  trade.  They  came  to  America  in  1861, 
and  spent  their  last  years  in  Philadelphia.  Their 
family  consisted  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living,  and  with  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Scott,  are 
residents  of  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

The  three  children  of  our  subject  and  his  estim- 
able wife  were  named  respectively  Thomas  M., 
Jewel  E.  and  Minnie  L.  The  eldest  is  ten  years 
old  and  the  youngest  three,  and  they  will  be  given 
the  training  and  education  suited  to  their  position 
in  life.  Mrs.  Scott  is  a  member  in  good  standing 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  our  sub- 
ject, politically,  gives  his  support  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He,  however,  confines  his  attention 
to  his  farming  interests,  and  in  addition  to  the 
raising  of  grain  keeps  a  goodly  assortment  of 
horses,  cattle  and  swine.  He  has  hosts  of  friends 
who  are  watching  his  career  with  kindly  interest 
and  predict  for  him  uniform  prosperity. 


MATHERS,  deceased.  This  gentle- 
man, who  during  his  lifetime  was  one  of  the 
much  valued  and  highly  esteemed  citi/.ens 
of  this  county  was  born  in  Ireland  on  the 
18th  of  January,  1814,  to  Wesley  and  Eliza 
(Drennen)  Mathers,  and  was  the  oldest  of  a  family 
of  four  children.  Their  names  were  as  follows: 
John,  Eliza,  Mary  Ann  and  Wesley.  lie  came  to 
this  country  when  about  nine  years  of  age  with  his 
parents,  who  had  determined  to  try  the  new  world, 
imagining,  and  rightly  so,  that  their  children  would 
there  receive  a  large  opportunity  in  life.  Thev 
settled  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  there  the  family 
lived  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
they  emigrated  to  Illinois  and  decided  to  locate  in 
this  count}',  and  finally  made  their  home  at  Jack- 
sonville. This  settlement  occurred  in  1832. 

Mr.  Mathers  obtained  a  fairly  good  education, 
although  circumstances  were  not  entirely  propiti- 
ous to  that  end.  After  attending  the  classes  in 
a  common  school  he  was  privileged  to  become  a 
student  in  Illinois  College  and  there  continued 
to  pursue  his  studies.  I'poii  leaving  the  school  he 
began  to  clerk  in  a  store,  and  there  remained 


until  he  embarked  in  business  upon  his  own  ac- 
count. This  he  continued  with  prosperity  until 
he  was  about  twenty-five  years  of  age;  about  that 
time  he  conceived  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach  the 
gospel,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  joined  the  Illinois  Confer- 
ence, and  received  an  appointment  to  the  Athens 
Circuit,  and  subsequently  to  the  Petersburg  Cir- 
cuit. Later  he  was  put  on  the  Decatur  Circuit  and 
sent  to  Upper  Alton  Station.  After  that  he  was 
on  the  Wavcrly  Circuit,  and  finally  that  at  Jersey - 
ville,  and  continued  for  six  months,  when  he  was 
sent  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  as  minister  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  to  minister  to  those  who  did  not 
join  the  Southern  Methodist  Episcopal  ChurHi  at 
the  time  of  the  division  on  the  slavery  question. 

In  the  year  1848,  owing  to  his  health  failing  him, 
Mr.  Mathers  was  compelled  to  relinquish  his  min- 
isterial work,  and  then  he  engaged  in  the  real-es- 
tate business  in  Jacksonville.  By  thrift  and  indus- 
try he  was  able  to  accumulate  a  most  desirable 
competency,  and  also  to  give  lioerally  to  the  differ- 
ent educational  and  religious  institutions  of  the 
county.  One  of  the  chief  of  these  in  his  mind,  and 
one  that  perhaps  was  more  generously  dealt  with 
by  him,  was  the  Illinois  Female  College  at  Jackson- 
ville. He  was  a  man  unfeignedly  respected  and 
honored— benevolent,  charitable  and  at  all  times  a 
Christian  gentleman. 

On  the  26th  of  January,  1844,  was  celebrated  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  John  Mathers  and  Miss  Juliet  M. 
Tucker.  Of  this  union  there  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Joseph  Tabor,  who  was  ushered  into 
life  on  the  I  Oth  of  July,  1849,  was  married  in  the 
fall  of  1874,  was  left  a  widower  about  two  years 
later,  and  now  resides  at  home  with  his  mother; 
William  Drennen  was  born  on  the  21st  of  Decem- 
ber, 1852,  was  married  to  Miss  Luella  A.  Todd  on 
the  28th  of  July,  1881,  theservice  being  performed 
by  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Chaff ee  of  Minneapolis.  They 
are  the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Bessie  T.,  who 
was  born  on  the  1st  of  August,  1882.  This  son  is 
the  First  Deputy-Sheriff  of  Morgan  County,  and 
owns  an  interest  in  the  Star  Planing  Mills.  Edward 
N.  was  born  on  the  2d  of  August,  1855,  and  died 
at  the  age  of  seven  years;  Eloine  B.  was  born  on 
the  22d  of  November,  1860,  and  is  now  the  wife  of 


•T 


382 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


Dr.  F.  H.  Luce  of  Springfield,  111.  ;  Anna,  who  was 
born  on  the  1st  of  July,  1866,  and  died  on  the  1st 
of  September,  1868.  All  the  children  received  the 
best  education  that  was  obtainable,,  and  Eloine 
graduated  at  the  Illinois  Female  College  in  the 
Class  of  1880. 

Mrs.  John  Mathers,  the  widow  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  on  the  28th  of 
April,  1826.  She  was  the  second  child  of  four 
born  to  William  and  Cassandra  (Moore)  Tucker. 
Their  names  are  as  follows:  Mary,  who  was  the 
wife  of  William  H.  Beggs  of  this  county.  She 
and  her  husband  are  both  deceased;  Juliet  Moore 
is  the  widow  of  Mr.  Mathers;  Elias  M.  Tucker,  one 
of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  Sangamon  County  is 
the  husband  of  Rebecca  Ann  Kinney  of  Sangamon 
County;  and  Ruth  who  married  Alfred  Henderson, 
both  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Mathers  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  born  on  the  20th  of  April,  1787. 
He  was  one  of  fourteen  children  born  to  his  par- 
ents. whose  names  are  recorded  as  follows:  Ruth, 
Thomas,  Samuel,  Klias,  Joseph,  Edward,  Elizabeth, 
William  and  John  (twins),  Absalom,  Aletha,  Re- 
becca, Cynthia  and  a  babe  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mrs.  Mathers  has  ever  since  the  death  of  her 
husband,  even  more  than  retained  the  high  place 
and  regard  of  her  friends  and  neighbors  previously 
occupied  by  her.  and  in  every  circle,  sochl,  religi- 
ous or  otherwise  is  much  esteemed.  She  has  borne 
the  trials  and  bereavements  of  her  life  in  a  spirit 
that  has  won  for  her  an  admiration  because  of  the 
Christian  resignation  and  patient  spirit  exhibited. 


T 


OSKPH  T.  SMITH.  This  gentleman  may 
usually  be  found  following  the  peaceful  pur- 
suits of  agriculture  on  his  well-regulated 
farm  on  section  5,  township  15,  range  11. 
He  is  numbered  among  the  leading  men  of  his  com- 
munity, and  in  his  life  has  been  illustrated  the 
qualities  of  bis  substantial  New  England  ancestry. 
The  only  reliable  family  records  in  his  possession 
go  back  to  the  days  of  his  paternal  grandfather. 
Ezekiel  Smith,  who  was  born  at  Weathersfield,  near 
Hartford,  Conn,  and  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Rev- 


olutionary War.  He  was  a  strong  man  physically 
and  mentally,  became  prominent  in  his  county,  and 
lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-three  years. 
The  records  indicate  that  he  was  twice  married  and 
that  he  became  the  father  of  three  daughters  and 
two  sons,  the  younger  of  the  latter  being  Lory,  the 
father  of  our  subject. 

Lory  Smith  was  carefully  reared  and  given  a 
practical  education  in  the  common  school.  Soon 
after  reaching  his  m'ajority  it  is  thought  he  repaired 
to  Hartford,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpen- 
ter, and  later  operated  as  a  contractor.  He  was  cut 
down  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  at  the  early  age 
of  thirty-three  years,  leaving  his  wife  (who  was  a 
widow  with  four  children  when  they  were  married) 
with  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  One  of  the  lat- 
ter, Frances,  became  the  wife  of  Loren  Sackett.and 
died  late  in  the  forties.  Mr.  Sackett  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Lee  County,  this  State;  Joseph  T.  our  sub- 
ject, was  the  elder  of  the  sons;  Charles  L.  married 
a  New  England  lady,  Miss  Mary  A.  Filley;they 
came  to  this  county  and  died,  leaving  one  son,  who 
is  a  resident  of  township  16,  range  8.  Sarah  C. 
died  unmarried  in  Hartford  in  1888. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Fanny  Taintor;  she  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
and  was  the  descendant  of  an  old  family  who  had 
emigrated  from  England  to  America  during  the 
Colonial  days,  and  from  whom  sprang  many  de- 
scendants. Some  of  her  ancestors  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  an(|  others  were  prominently 
identified  with  the  histoiy  of  New  England.  It  is 
not  known  positively  whether  the  Taintors  were  of 
English  or  Welsh  descent.  Joseph  Taintor,  the 
maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  about 
1745  and  died  about  1790.  He  was  the  son  of 
John  Taintor.  He  learned  the  tanner's  trade  in 
early  manhood,  and  it  is  supposed  followed  this 
mostly  all  his  life.  He  spent  his  last  years  in 
North  Carolina.  He  was  the  father  of  three  chil- 
dren— William.  Sarah  and  Fanny.  The  latter  was 
first  married  to  James  LeVaughn,  who  died  in  Con- 
necticut and  left  two  sons,  James  and  William,  who 
are  now  deceased. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  departed  this  life  at 
her  home  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  Nov.  27,  1851.  She, 
like  her  husband,  was  an  active  member  of  the  '  'j 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


383 


Congregational  Church,  presided  over  by  the  cele- 
brated Dr.  Hawse.  She  was  left  in  straightened 
circumstances  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Smith,  and  her 
son,  our  subject,  was  taken  into  the  home  of  an 
uncle  in  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  given  only 
limited  nd vantages  for  education.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  book-binder 
at  Hartford,  and  followed  this  business  in  New 
England  until  1844.  He  then  determined  to  seek 
his  fortunes  in  the  Great  West,  and  selling  out  his 
interests  at  Hartford  journeyed  to  this  region  and 
took  up  a  tract  of  land  which  is  now  included  in 
his  present  homestead. 

In  making  the  journey  hither  Mr.  Smith  traveled 
by  stage,  canal  and  river,  and  was  one  month  in 
reaching  his  destination.  lie  at  that  time  secured 
180  acres  of  land,  and  for  some  time  sheltered  him- 
self in  a  little  shanty.  He  had  then  no  capital  but 
his  strong  hands  and  stout  heart,  and  the  young 
wife,  who  was  prepared  to  bear  with  him  the  heat 
and  burden  of  the  day.  They  labored  together 
with  the  mutual  purpose  of  building  up  a  home, 
and  after  a  series  of  years  spent  in  a  manner  com- 
mon to  the  settlers  on  the  frontier,  were  enabled  to 
look  around  them  and  realize  that  their  toil  and 
sacrifices  had  not  been  in  vain.  After  bringing  bis 
land  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  erecting  build- 
ings, planting  trees  and  providing  the  things  most 
needful  for  their  comfort  and  welfare,  Mr.  Smith 
turned  his  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock, 
from  which  he  has  realized  a  snug  sum  of  money. 
He  believes  in  keeping  the  best  grades,  maintaining 
that  this  is  the  best  economy  in  the  end. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Maria 
Lathi-op  took  place  at  the  bride's  home  at  Hartford, 
Conn.,  May  3,  1837.  Mrs.  Smith  was  born  in 
Ashford  Township,  Windham  Co.,  Conn.,  March 
12,  1818,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Erastus  and  Sarah 
(Bailey)  Lathrop,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  and  died  when  quite  aged,  in 
Hartford.  The  mother  later  came  to  this  county 
and  made  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Smith, 
where  her  death  took  place  when  she  was  about 
sixty  years  old.  Both  she  and  her  husband  were 
Congregationalists  in  religious  belief. 

Mrs.  Maria  Smith  was  given  a  common-school 
education  and  subjected  to  careful  home  training  by 


her  excellent  parents.  She  remained  with  them  until 
her  marriage.  Of  her  union  with  our  subject  there 
were  born  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Sarah  died  in  infancy;  Arthur,  when  a  bright  and 
promising  youth  was  graduated  from  Union  Park 
Theological  Seminary,  Chicago,  and  was  given  a 
license  to  preach,  being  sent  West  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Home  Missionary  Society.  He  died  in 
Topeka,  Kan.,  Sept.  7,  1872,  unmarried,  and  aged 
about  twenty-five  years. 

George  C.  Smith,  the  eldest  son  of  our  subject, 
married  Miss  Eva  F.  Munson,  and  is  occupied  as  a 
druggist's  clerk,  at  Springfield,  this  State.  During 
the  Civil  War  he  served  as  a  Union  soldier  in 
Company  K,  27th  Illinois  Infantry,  fought  at  Bel- 
mont  and  in  other  battles,  and  finally  on  account 
of  failing  health  was  obliged  to  accept  his  honora- 
ble discharge  after  a  two  years'  service.  He  is  now 
in  Springfield,  111.;  Joseph  C.  is  unmarried  and  op- 
erates the  homestead  ;  Charles  H.  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  M.  Erskine,  who  died  leaving  no  chil- 
dren, and  he  remains  at  the  homestead. 

Mr.  Smith  originally  in  politics  was  an  Old-Line 
Whig,  but  since  the  day  of  Republicanism  1ms  given 
his  support  to  the  principles  of  this  party.  He  was 
at  one  time  connected  with  the  Congregational 
Church,  but  is  now  rather  liberal  in  his  views  upon 
religious  matters. 


EWIS  REXROAT,  the  owner  of  512  broad 
acres  in  township  16,  range  11,  with  his 
homestead  on  section  21,  has  lived  on  the 
farm,  which  he  now  occupies  since  the  20th  of 
March,  1866.  He  was  a  poor  man  upon  coming  to 
this  county,  and  has  illustrated  in  a  forcible  man- 
ner the  results  of  diligence  and  frugality.  He  has 
practically  retired  from  active  labor,  but  superin- 
tends the  operations  of  his  large  farm,  which  is 
mostly  devoted  to  stock-raising,  there  being  upon 
it  now  about  130  cattle,  together  with  horses  and 
swine. 

Mr.  Rexroat  is  a  native  of  this  county,  having 
been  born  in  Arcadia  Precinct,  on  the  23d  of  Ma}', 
1845.  His  father,  Zacharmh  Rexroat,  was  a  native 
of  Adair  County,  Ky.,  and  the  son  of  parents,  who 


384 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


\       ^ 


were  probably  of  German  ancestry,  if  not  born  in 
the  Fatherland.  Zaehariah  was  reared  to  farm 
pursuits  and  remained  in  the  Blue  Grass  State  until 
reaching  manhood.  Then  coming  to  Illinois,  he 
settled  in  this  county  in  the  latter  part  of  1829. 
He  was  married  after  coming  here,  in  Arcadia  Pre- 
cinct, to  Miss  Sarah  Bristow,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  this  county,  and  who  was  the  daughter 
of  an  excellent  family. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  after  their  marriage 
settled  on  a  tract  of  land  and  their  life  thereafter  was 
similar  to  that  of  the  pioneers  of  Arcadia  Precinct, 
who  endured  many  hardships  and  difficulties,  as 
the  country  was  wild  and  new  and  there  was  neither 
stage  route  nor  railroad.  Not  far  from  their  home- 
stead there  grew  up  in  time  the  nourishing  town  of 
Arcadia,  and  the  father  being  prospered,  became 
the  owner  of  1,800  acres  of  land  valued  at  about 
$100,000. 

The  father  of  our  subject  began  the  struggle  of 
life  for  himself  as  a  day-laborer  in  this  county  and 
was  most  essentially  the  architect  of  his  own  fort- 
une. He  was  very  active  in  mind  and  body,  and 
labored  for  many  years  early  and  late  in  develop- 
ing his  farm  and  adding  to  his  possessions.  He 
lived  to  attain  the  good  old  age  of  eighty-two 
years  and  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  Sept.  7,  1 888. 
The  mother  is  still  living  at  the  old  homestead, 
and  is  now  almost  eighty  years  old.  She  is  a 
smart,  bright  old  lady  and  for  many  years  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  P^piscopal  Church. 
Eight  of  the  thirteen  children  born  to  herself  and 
husband  are  still  living — five  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  remained  a  member  of 
his  father's  household  until  a  youth  of  eighteen 
years,  and  then  the  Civil  War  being  in  progress, 
enlisted  in  Company  D,  10th  Illinois  Cavalry, 
under  the  command  of  Capt.  G.  W.  Curry,  and 
remained  with  his  regiment  until  January,  1866. 
He  was  most  of  the  time  employed  as  a  scout 
throughout  Kansas  and  Texas,  and  when  his  ser- 
vices were  no  longer  required,  received  his  honor- 
able discharge  at  San  AntOuio,  the  latter  State. 
He  was  never  wounded  or  taken  prisoner  and  upon 
returning  home  resumed  the  farm  pursuits  to 
which  he  had  been  bred  from  boyhood. 


The  29th  of  May,  1866,  witnessed  the  marriage 
of  our  subject  with  Miss  Catherine  Goodpnsture, 
who  was  born  in  township  16,  range  11,  Dec.  5, 
1845.  Her  parents  were  Abram  and  Lizzie  (Smith) 
Goodpasture  and  her  mother  died  when  she  was 
but  eleven  years  of  age.  The  father  was  married 
a  second  time  and  lives  on  a  farm  in  this  township. 
Mrs.  Rexroat  has  been  a  lifelong  resident  of  this 
county,  receiving  her  education  in  the  common- 
school  and  becoming  familiar  with  all  kinds  of 
domestic  employments.  Both  she  and  her  hus- 
band are  members  in  good  standing  of  the  Meth- 
odist Protestant  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Rexroat  is 
Trustee  and  Circuit  Steward.  Politically,  he  gives 
his  adherence  to  the  Prohibitionists,  being  strongly 
in  favor  of  temperance  and  of  every  measure 
which  will  put  down  the  traffic  in  ardent  spirits. 
Of  the  nine  children  bom  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rexroat, 
Sarah  E.,  died  when  one  year  old.  The  survivors 
who  are  all  at  home  with  their  parents  are  named, 
respectively:  Rosa  E.,  William  H.,  Laura  A.,  Rich- 
ard A.,  Mary  E.,  Maggie,  Zaehariah  and  Robert  L. 


ETER  M.  BRANER  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising young  farmers  of  Morgan  County, 
and  owns  a  good  farm  of  150  acres  on 
section  13,  township  16,  range  11.  Here 
he  has  spent  most  of  his  life  excepting  seven  years 
in  another  part  of  the  county.  Mr.  Braner  is  a 
native  of  Morgan  County,  and  was  born  on  the  old 
homestead  where  he  now  lives,  and  which  he  owns. 
His  birth  occurred  Feb.  24,  1856. 

Peter  M.  Braner  is  the  son  of  Peter  Braner,  a 
native  of  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  who  was  born 
and  reared  there.  The  elder  Braner  traces  his  an- 
cestry to  Germany.  He  came  to  Morgan  County 
when  its  original  state  of  nature  was  almost  unin- 
vaded.  He  began  here  as  a  farmer  in  the  fall  of 
1831,  and  here  he  married  Miss  Hannah  Hender- 
son, who  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  whose  parents  had 
come  from  that  State  to  Greene  County,  111.,  when 
that  section  was  almost  uninhabited.  The  Hender- 
sons later  came  to  Morgan  County  and  located 
north  of  Arcadia,  where  the  parents  both  died. 
They  were  people  who  enjoyed  the  confidence  of 


MORGAN   COUNTY. 


387 


all  with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  When  the 
old  Militia  Law  was  in  force,  the  citizens  of  the 
country  who  were  of  proper  age  were  obliged  to 
meet  and  drill,  once  during  each  year.  Mr.  Hend- 
erson held  the'oflice  of  Captain,  and  acted  as  mus- 
tering officer.  The  early  pioneers  delight  to  tell  of 
the  old  training  days,  and  of  the  sport  that  was 
connected  therewith,  and  they  never  tire  in  relat- 
ing these  stories. 

Peter  Braner,  the  father  of  Peter  M.,  began  life 
as  a  farmer,  and  continued  in  this  occupation  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  Morgan  County, 
Aug.  4,  1888,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  Po- 
litically, he  was  a  Republican,  and  was  always  fore- 
most to  do  anything  for  the  public  welfare.  His 
wife  preceded  him  to  the  grave,  she  dying  on 
Jan.  2,  1877,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  Peter  M., 
of  whom  we  write,  received  his  education  in  Mor- 
gan County  at  the  public  schools.  He  was  married 
to  Hannah  Farmer,  who  was  born  in  the  year  1851. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  James  Farmer,  who  had 
lived  a  great  many  years  in  Morgan  County,  and 
who  died  at  a  great  age.  He  was  married  twice,  and 
both  of  his  wives  are  also  deceased.  Mrs.  Braner 
is  the  mother  of  four  children  —  Grade  J.,  Katie  L., 
Walter  E.  and  Cora  —  all  of  whom  are  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Braner  are  earnest,  hard-working 
people,  and  are  succeeding  well.  Mr.  Braner  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and,  as  all  good  citizens 
should,  takes  an  interest  in  his  party. 


E.  CURTISS  was  born  in 
Litchfleld  County,  Conn.,  in  the  town  of 
\V:im-ii,  May  W.  1813,  and  settled  in  Mor- 
gan County  in  the  spring  of  183;").  His  ancestors 
for  many  generations  resided  in  the  New  England 
States,  where  they  came  from  England.  His  great- 
grand  father  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  his  son,  whose  name  was  Augustine  Cur- 
tiss,  was  his  aid  during  the  same  war,  and  subse- 
sequently  drew  a  pension  therefor. 

The  father  of  Theodore  E.,  after  marriage,  re- 
sided in  Connecticut  until  he  was  fifty  years  of 
age,  when,  in  1837,  he  came  to  Illinois,  passing  his 
remaining  days  in  Waverly.  He  died  in  the  year 


188G,  lacking  but  little  over  a  year  of  rounding 
out  a  full  century.  His  wife  had  died  ten  years 
before  this.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren: Miranda,  who  married  M.  B.  Strong,  and  re- 
sides in  Connecticut;  Theodore  E.;  Augustine  A., 
who  is  a  farmer  in  Morgan  County;  Lodenia,  who 
married  J.  R.  Godfrey,  and  is  a  resident  of  God- 
frey, 111.;  and  Frederick,  who  resides  in  Sangamon, 
111.  There  have  been  no  deaths  in  the  family,  and 
the  youngest  member  was  over  fifty  years  of  nge 
when  his  mother  died. 

Theodore  E.,  of  whom  we  write,  passed  his 
boyhood  days  on  n  farm,  and  received  the  limited 
education  that  was  generally  obtained  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  day.  He  resided  in  his  native 
town  until  1835,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  pur- 
chased 160  acres  of  land,  which  he  improved.  In 
1836  he  returned  to  Connecticut,  and  the  following 
year  was  married  to  Laura  A.  Sackett.  She  was 
born  in  the  same  town  as  her  husband,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Justus  and  Polly  (Bradley)  Sackett. 
Immediately  after  marriage  they  came  to  Illinois, 
and  settled  on  land  which  he  had  purchased  in 
1835.  His  parents,  two  brothers,  and  one  sister 
also  returned  with  him.  The  journey  was  made 
via  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburg,  and  the 
Ohio  River,  occupying  three  weeks.  Waverly  was 
platted  in  1835,  and  our  subject  assisted  in  the 
work,  he  having  come  to  Illinois  with  Joseph  A. 
Tanner,  father  of  Dr.  Tanner,  President  of  Illi- 
nois College.  Mr.  Curtiss  gave  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  farming  until  about  1852,  and  in  addition 
to  his  farming  operations  he  was  interested  in  a 
general  store  with  his  brother,  Fred  Curtiss,  and 
J.  W.  Ross.  The  business  continued  under  this 
firm  name  for  some  five  years,  when  Theodore  sold 
out  his  interest  to  engage  in  farming;  the  firm  then 
dissolved.  He  now  owns  400  acres  of  land,  all 
well  improved,  and  resides  in  Waverly,  where  he  is 
passing  a  retired  life  in  his  pleasant  home.  He  is 
interested  in  the  Bank  of  Waverly. 

Mr.  Curtiss,  on  June  1st,  1867,  was  called  upon 
to  mourn  the  death  of  his  wife.  She  was  the 
mother  of  one  child,  who  died  in  infancy.  On 
Dec.  22,  1808,  ho  married  Augusta  L.  Tapper,  a 
Massachusetts  lady,  the  daughter  of  Martin  and 
Persis  Lomira  (Peck)  Tupper.  The  Tuppers  re- 


388 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


sided  in  Connecticut  for  several  generations.  Mrs. 
Curtiss  was  born  Feb.  4,  1832.  Her  father,  Martin 
Tupper  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  and  preached  in  several  different 
towns.  He  was  a  minister  for  more  than  forty 
years,  over  twenty-five  years  of  this  period  being 
spent  in  Ilardvvich,  Mass.  His  wife  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years,  but  he  lived  two  years  beyond 
the  allotted  four  score  and  ten.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children.  Henry  is  a  minister  in 
the  Congregational  Church,  and  is  located  at  Joy 
Prairie  Church,  Morgan  Co.,  Ill;  Augusta,  the 
wife  of  our  subject;  Emily  married  Dr.  J.  C.  Nor- 
ris,  of  Philadelphia,  and  died  in  1866;  James  B.  T. 
is  an  employe  of  the  Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue, 
in  Washington,  and  was  a  soldier  for  three  years. 
Louisa  resides  in  Waverly,  and  Elizabeth  died  in 
1864. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtiss  are  the  parents  of  one 
child,  a  son,  Theodore  T.  Theodore  E.  Curtiss,  at 
the  time  the  Whig  party  was  alive,  belonged  to 
that  organization,  but  is  now  an  ardent  Republican 
and  a  supporter  of  its  policy.  He  is  a  communi- 
cant in  the  Congregational  Church,  being  one  of 
the  founders  of  that  society  at  Waverly.  Mr.  Cur- 
tiss has  made  his  way  in  the  world,  and  achieved 
his  present  success  through  his  own  persistent  efforts. 

A  portrait  of  Mr.  Curtiss  will  be  found  in  this 
volume,  and  is  a  valuable  addition  to  an  interesting 
work. 


'Sj  OHN  E.  SCOTT  is  a  practical  3'oung  farmer, 
who  lives  on  section  22,  township  15,  range 
11,  and  is  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  which  possesses  all  the  requi- 
sites of  a  well-improved  place.  He  lives  on  the 
old  homestead,  and  here  has  been  his  residence 
since  he  was  five  3rears  old. 

Mr.  Scott  was  born  in  the  township  where  he  re- 
sides, on  Aug.  14,  1847.  His  father,  John  Scott, 
was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  came  of 
British  ancestry.  He  was  the  son  of  Zachariah 
Scott,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  who 
married  Elizabeth  Moody.  After  marriage,  Zach- 
ariah Scott  began  life  in  Yorkshire  as  a  farmer,  and 
there  all  his  children  were  born  —  five  sons.  John 


Scott,  his  son.  was  fourteen  years  old  when  the  en- 
tire family,  in  1830,  came  to  America,  finding  a 
home  in  Morgan  County,  111.,  where  they  purchased 
a  quarter-section  from  the  Government,  which  has 
belonged  to  the  family  since,  /fechariah  Scott 
lived  and  died  on  the  farm  he  secured  from  Uncle 
Sam,  being  at  the  time  of  his  death  about  forty- 
seven  years  of  age.  He  was  brought  up  under  the 
teachings  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  was  well 
known  as  a  good  neighbor  and  a  typical  pioneer. 
His  wife  survived  him  about  ten  years,  having 
died  in  1847.  She  was  then  past  fifty  years  of  age. 
John  Scott,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  the  eld- 
est of  five  children.  In  1837  he  became  of  age, 
and  about  this  time  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Denby, 
who  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and 
daughter  of  Thomas  Denby,  and  sister  of  Thomas 
Denby,  Jr.  (For  a  fuller  family  biography,  see 
sketch  of  Thomas  Denby,  Jr.) 

Elizabeth  Scott  was  3'et  quite  young  when  her 
parents  arrived  in  this  county,  and  she  lived  here 
continuously  until  her  death,  which  occurred  in 
1878,  and  left  behind  her  the  record  which  attaches 
to  a  good  and  intelligent  woman.  She  was  sin- 
cerely mourned  by  all  her  acquaintances,  and  died 
in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
John  Scott  died  at  his  home,  April  16,  1863.  He 
was  born  Oct.  22,  1816,  and  was  a  very  successful 
man  of  affairs,  and  a  worthy  citizen.  He  was  a 
Methodist,  and  took  great  interest  in  his  Church. 
John  Scott  and  wife  had  nine  children — seven  sons 
and  two  daughters.  John  E.  is  the  fourth  son  and 
fourth  child.  Of  the  family,  six  are  living,  and  all 
are  married. 

John  E.  Scott  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
township  where  he  now  lives,  gaining  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools.  He  was  married  here 
to  Miss  Agnes  M.  Allen,  who  was  born  in  Jackson- 
ville, III.,  June  21,  1856.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Peter  F.  and  Jane  P.  (Dunlap)  Allen,  who  were 
natives  of  Scotland,  and  there  were  married,  and 
their  first  child  was  also  born  there.  When  they 
came  to  the  United  States  they  settled  in  this 
count}',  and  have  always  lived  either  at  Jackson- 
ville or  their  present  home,  on  a  farm,  which  is  sit- 
uated in  township  14,  range  11.  They  have  had 
eight  children,  two  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Scott  wa,s 


1 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


389 


the  third  child  of  the  family,  and  was  well  and  in- 
telligently trained  from  childhood  up.  She  is  the 
mother  of  three  children — Bessie  D.,  Delia  M.  and 
Allen  E. 

Since  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  have  lived  at 
their  present  home,  and  here  they  enjoy  life  as 
those  do  who  are  conscious  of  well-doing.  Mrs. 
Scott  is  a  member  of  the  Wesley  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  while  Mr.  Scott,  politically,  is  a 
sound  Democrat. 


<jft       JMLLIAM  BAKR  BROWN,  a  young  man  of 


¥morc  than  ordinary  ability,  is  one  of  those 
destined  to  make  his  mark  in  his  community, 
being  wide-awake  and  enterprising,  endowed  by 
nature  with  fine  capacities,  and  having  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  good  education,  completed  at  Jack- 
sonville College  at  the  spring  term  of  1881.  He 
was  born  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  Sept.  27,  1860,  and  is 
the  son  of  Dr.  Lloyd  W.  Brown,  an  eminent  phy- 
sician and  surgeon,  who  was  a  resident  of  Jackson- 
ville for  a  period  of  ten  years  prior  to  1881,  then 
removed  to  his  country  residence,  remaining  there 
until  1885.  He  then  returned  to  the  city,  and  is 
now  President  of  the  Illinois  Savings  Bank,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  looks  after  the  operations  of 
the  farm  carried  on  by  our  subject.  Politically, 
he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  in  religious  matters  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Mrs.  Rebecca  C.  (Warfleld)  Brown,  the  mother 
of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  and 
died  at  the  homestead  in  this  county,  in  the  fall  of 
1881.  The  parental  household  included  ten  chil- 
dren: Edward  W.  married  Ruth  Smith,  and  with 
his  father  and  our  subject  carries  on  the  farm  in 
Sangamon  County ;  Rebecca  C.  resides  in  Jackson- 
ville with  her  father;  Lloyd  W.,  Hattie  B.,  Ruth, 
Mary;  Lloyd  2d  and  Mary  2d  are  deceased. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  a  member  of 
the  parental  household  until  his  marriage,  which 
occurred  Nov.  8.  1882.  His  bride  was  Miss  Fanny 
E.  McCoy,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  Out.  20, 
1860.  Of  this  union  there  are  two  children — Will- 
iam Barr,  Jr.,  and  Eleanor  May.  Mr.  McCoy 
came  to  this  county  in  its  pioneer  days,  amassed  a 


fortune,  and  died  here.  The  mother  is  still  living 
in  Jacksonville.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother 
was  Corington,  and  Mrs.  Brown  is  their  only 
child.  In  Sangamon  and  Morgan  counties  Mr. 
Brown  and  his  sons  own  and  operate  4,500  acres  of 
land,  and  make  a  specialty  of  graded  Percheron 
horses,  of  which  they  have  on  hand  at  present 
(May,  1889)  125  head.  They  are  mostly  grade 
and  imported  animals,  and  are  the  source  of  hand- 
some returns.  They  also  deal  largelj-  in  Short- 
horn cattle. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  are  active  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  Mr. 
Brown  holds  the  office  of  Steward.  He  officiates 
as  School  Trustee  in  his  district,  and  both  he  and 
his  accomplished  wife  enjoy  the  esteem  and  friend- 
ship of  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances.  They  have 
a  delightful  home,  and  are  surrounded  by  all  the 
comforts  of  life. 


— J- 


^EORGE  W.  GRAHAM,  junior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Hysinger  &  Graham,  is  witli  his 
partners  engaged  in  general  merchandising 
and  represents  a  first-class  firm,  which  enjoys  an 
extensive  patronage.  The}1  do  business  on  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  $26,000,  and  are  well  known  through- 
out this  part  of  the  county,  not  only  for  their 
upright  business  methods,  but  as  first-class  citi- 
zens generally.  Mr.  Graham  is  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  abilities — one  who,  at  first  glance 
might  seem  a  little  austere,  but  who  upon  acquaint- 
ance is  found  to  possess  fine  conversational  powers, 
broad  and  liberal  views,  and  a  large  degree  of 
culture. 

Our  subject,  a  native  of  this  county,  was  born 
in  Meredosia  Precinct,  July  18,  1837,  and  is  the 
son  of  Lorenzo  D.  and  Elizabeth  (Taylor)  Graham, 
a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
He  pursued  his  early  studies  in  the  subscription 
schools,  and  in  the  fall  of  1855,  when  a  youth 
of  eighteen  years,  entered  McKendree  College,  in 
Lebanon,  St.  Clair  County,  where  he  took  the 
scientific  course,  attending  the  greater  part  of  three 
years.  He  taught  some  during  college  vacation,  in 
order  to  obtain  means  for  his  further  education, 


390 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


and  for  several  years  taught  and  studied  alternately, 
bearing  most  of  his  expenses,  although  occasion- 
ally assisted  by  his  father.  He  ma}-,  however, 
properly  be  called  a  self-educated  man.  not  on\y  in 
a  financial  point  of  view,  but  by  his  persevering 
efforts  with  his  books. 

In  1859  Mr.  Graham  established  himself  at 
Meredosia,  and  in  partnership  with  George  Rea- 
rick  engaged  in  the  drug,  grocery,  and  hardware 
business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Graham  ife  Kea- 
rick.  This  partnership  continued  until  the  deatli 
of  Mr.  Rearick,  which  occurred  in  about  a  year's 
time.  Owing  to  limited  capital  Mr.  Graham  was 
obliged  to  close  out,  and  lie  then  resumed  ten  cit- 
ing. On  the  10th  of  January,  1864,  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Meredosia  Precinct,  this  county,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Lusk,who  was  born  in  this  precinct  April  2, 
1842,  and  is  the  daughter  of  lion.  Edward  Lusk, 
who  at  one  time  represented  this  district  in  the 
Illinois  Legislature.  Mr.  Lusk  came  to  this  county 
as  early  as  1832,  and  for  a  number  of  years  en- 
gaged in  the  dry-goods  trade  at  Jacksonville. 
Later  he  engaged  in  steamboating  on  the  Illinois 
River. 

Mr.  Graham,  after  his  marriage,  changing  his 
occupation  somewhat,  settled  on  a  farm  in  this 
precinct,  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until 
Sept.  18,  1867.  He  then  associated  himself  with 
his  present  partner,  and  they  established  their  pres- 
ent business.  They  give  employment  to  three 
clerks  in  ordinary  seasons,  increasing  the  force 
when  necessary.  They  began  with  a  capital  of 
$8,000,  and  have  gradually  arisen  to  their  present 
financial  standing  by  strict  attention  to  business 
and  square  dealing. 

Besides  his  city  interests  Mr.  Graham  is  the 
owner  of  524  acres  of  good  land,  and  a  one-third 
interest  in  the  mercantile  business  carried  on  by 
the  firm  of  Hysinger  &  Graham,  with  a  silent  part- 
ner, T.  L.  Weeks,  at  Arenzville,  Cass  County,  this 
Stnte.  His  enterprise  and  energy  have  placed  him 
on  a  solid  footing  financially,  while  the  sterling 
qualities  of  his  character  are  fully  appreciated  as  a 
citi/en  and  a  member  of  this  community.  Mr. 
Hysinger  is  a  resident  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graham  there  have  been  born 
nine  children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 


Augustus  G.,  Flora,  Julien,  Elma  G.,  Walter,  and 
Lucien.  Julien  was  graduated  on  the  6th  of  May, 
1889,  from  the  Meredosia  High  School,  and  was 
the  valedictorian  of  his  class.  Those  deceased  are 
Minnie  L.  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
Graham  has  given  his  children  superior  educa- 
tional advantages,  and  they  are  well  fitted  to  take 
their  rightful  position  as  the  offspring  of  a  repre- 
sentative citizen. 

In  politics  our  subject  votes  the  straight  Demo- 
cratic ticket,  but  has  very  little  to  do  with  public 
affairs,  his  business  interests  consuming  his  time 
and  attention.  Socially,  he  belongs  to  Meredosia 
Benevolent  Lodge  No.  52,  and  is  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason,  identified  with  Chapter  No.  11.  In  1887 
he  was  elected  President  of  the  Farmers  and  Tra- 
ders Bank,  organized  at  Meredosia,  which  position 
he  holds  at  the  present  time.  This  bank  has  be- 
come an  institution  indispensable  to  the  people  of 
this  region,  and  its  affairs  are  conducted  in  that 
wise  manner  which  has  placed  it  upon  a  sound 
basis. 


OBERT  Y.  PARK.  This  highly  respected 
old  citizen  of  township  16,  range  11,  is 
nearly  sixty-one  years  of  age,  and  has  been 
)a  resident  of  this  county  since  a  small  boy. 
He  is  a  life-long  farmer,  and  lias  a  snug  homestead 
of  seventy-five  acres  on  section  35.  His  industry 
and  perseverance,  have  resulted  in  the  accumula- 
tion of  a  competence  sufficient  for  his  declining 
years,  while  his  life  has  been  that  of  an  honest  and 
upright  man  who  enjoys  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  his  neighbors  in  a  marked  degree. 

Our  subject  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  in 
Todd  County,  Ky.,  Sept  20,  1828,  and  is  the  scion 
of  an  excellent  family,  his  parents  being  Thomas 
and  .lane  (Maben)  Park,  who  were  both  natives  of 
South  Carolina,  and  both  born  of  Irish  parents 
who  traced  their  ancestry  to  Scotland.  The  Park 
family  was  first  represented  in  this  country  prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  War.  The  Mabens  were  from 
the  same  part  of  Ireland,  and  Henry  Maben,  the 
maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject,  served  as  a 
private  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  After 
his  marriage  in  South  Carolina  he  removed  to 


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MORGAN  COUNTY. 


391 


Todd  County,  Ky.,  where  lie  died  a  very  old  man, 
and  left  a  family  of  seven  children. 

.John  Park,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, sojourned  a  few  years  in  Kentucky,  than  came 
to  Sangamon  C'ount3',  111.,  where  he  was  a  pioneer 
settler.  He  took  up  a  tract  of  land  from  which 
he  made  a  comfortable  homestead,  and  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years,  leaving  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children.  His  son,  Thomas,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  na- 
tive county,  where  also  he  was  married  and  where 
he  lived  until  after  the  birth  of  seven  children. 
Then  disposing  of  his  interests  in  the  Blue  Grass 
State,  he  came  with  his  family  in  1828  to  Illinois, 
and  they  lived  for  three  years  in  Sangamon  County. 
In  182!)  they  came  to  this  county  and  entered  a 
tract  of  land  on  township  16,  range  11,  where 
Thomas  Park  and  his  estimable  wife  lived  and  la- 
bored together  and  died  when  quite  well  advanced 
in  years.  Mr.  Park  departed  this  life  in  March, 
1850,  when  sixty-two  years  old.  The  wife  and 
mother  survived- her  husband  until  December, 
1871,  and  was  then  eighty-three  years  old.  Both 
were  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
in  which  Mr.  Park  had  been  an  Elder  for  many 
years.  In  politics  he  was  an  Old  Line  Whig. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  son 
in  a  family  of  six  sons  and  two  daughters.  One 
daughter  died  in  childhood  before  the  removal 

o 

from  Kentucky.  Henry  M.,  died  May  17,1889, 
aged  seventy-two;  the  survivors  are  John  J.  aged 
seventy-four  years;  James  A.,  aged  seventy;  Eli- 
jah H.,  sixty-eight;  William  R.,  sixty-four;  Ro- 
bert Y.,  our  subject,  sixty-one,  and  Sarah  G.,  fifty- 
nine.  With  one  exception  they  are  all  married, 
have  families  of  their  own,  and  are  in  comfortable 
circumstances.  Robert  Y.  like  his  brothers  and 
sisters,  was  trained  to  habits  of  industry  and  thus 
was  laid  the  foundation  of  a  character  which  has 
made  of  him  a  reliable  man  and  a  good  citizen. 

After  becoming  of  age,  Robert  Y.  Park  was  mar- 
ried in  the  township  where  he  now  lives,  to  Miss 
Malinda  A.  Scott,  a  native  of  his  own  county  in 
Kentucky,  and  born  Nov.  27,  1832.  The  parents 
of  Mrs.  Park  were  David  and  Elizabeth  (Bean) 
Scott,  the  former  born  in  what  is  now  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  the  latter,  it  is  thought,  a  native  of  Todd 


County,  Ky.,  where  their  marriage  took  place. 
They  began  their  wedded  life  together  on  a  farm 
there,  where  they  lived  until  after  the  birth  of  two 
sons  and  three  daughters,  the  latter  of  whom  are  yet 
living.  The  sons — William  H.,  and  Isaac  N.,  died 
at  the  ages  of  seventeen  and  nine.  Of  the  daugh- 
ters, two  are  married — Malinda,  the  wife  of  onr 
subject,  and  Catherine  E.,  Mrs.  Tandy.  The  un- 
married daughter.  Mary  A.,  is  living  with  our  sub- 
ject. The  mother  died  in  Kentucky  at  the  age  of 
thirty-six  years.  Later  the  father  and  children 
came  to  this  county  and  located  in  township  It!, 
range  1 1 .  Mr.  Scott  was  subsequently  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Millen,  and  both  are  now  deceased; 
he  being  sixty-e:ght  years  old  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  his  wife  sixty-six. 

Mrs.  Park  was  quite  young  when  she  came  with 
her  father  to  Illinois  and  she  has  since  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  county.  Of  her  union  with  our  sub- 
ject there  has  been  born  one  child  only,  a  son, 
Frank  P.,  who  is  now  twenty-three  years  of  age. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Park  arc  members  in  good,  standing 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  at  Clayton,  III., 
and  in  politics,  Mr.  Park  is  undeniably  a  Repub- 
lican. 


IIARLES  NICKEL.  Among  those  who 
have  made  a  signal  success  of  farming  and 
stock-raising,  Mr.  Nickel  should  be  men- 
tioned as  one  occupying  a  place  in  the  front  rank. 
He  is  the  owner  of  a  finely-conducted  farm  of  260 
acreson  section  16,  township  16,  range  11,  where  he 
has  been  located  since  the  spring  of  1869.  He  has 
effected  good  improvements,  and  keeps  usually 
about  forty  head  of  cattle,  100  head  of  swine,  and 
nineteen  head  of  horses  and  colts.  He  raises  grain 
sufficient,  to  feed  his  stock,  and  the  balance  of  his 
farm  is  devoted  to  pasture  and  hay.  His  industry 
and  enterprise  have  long  been  recognized  by  the 
people  of  this  section,  while  he  has  his  future  re- 
ward in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  neigh- 
bors. 

Our  subject  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  in  the  Province  ^  of 
Hesse-Darmstadt,  Germany,  Jan.  3,  1838.  He  lived 


392 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


there  until  a.  lad  nine  years  of  age,  and  then  ac- 
companied his  father  to  America.  They  settled  in 
Beardstown,  this  State,  where  our  subject  learned 
the  trade  of  a  wheel-wright,  which  he  followed  for 
some  time  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War. 
In  May,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  14th 
'  Illinois  Infantry,  tinder  Capt.  Thomas  M.  Thomp- 
son, and  went  with  his  regiment  to  the  South, 
where  he  participated  in  some  of  the  most  im- 
portant battles  of  the  war,  being  at  Shiloh,  Vicks- 
burg,  and  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  joining  Sherman  in 
the  memorable  march  to  the  sea.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  Second  Sergeant,  and  while 
experiencing  some  narrow  escapes,  came  out  un- 
harmed, and  after  receiving  his  honorable  dis- 
charge turned  his  attention  to  farming  pursuits,  in 
which  he  has  since  been  engaged. 

Mr.  Nickel  started  out  in  life  for  himself  when  a 
lad  of  fourteen  years,  without  other  means  or  re- 
sources than  his  good  health  and  resolute  will. 
Being  faithful  and  industrious,  he  found  little 
trouble  in  securing  employment,  and  upon  reach- 
ing manhood  was  fully  prepared  to  establish  a 
home  of  his  own.  After  the  war  was  over  he  was 
married,  in  Cass  County,  this  State,'to  Miss  Paulina 
Jokisch,  a  native  of  that  county,  and  the  daughter 
of  Charles  G.  and  Christina  (Elsneer)  Jokisch,  who 
who  were  natives  of  what  was  then  the  Kingdom 
of  Saxony,  and  who,  coming  to  the  United  States 
in  their  youth,  settled  in  Cass  County,  where  they 
were  married;  both  are  now  deceased.  They  were 
excellent  and  worthy  people,  and  fine  representa- 
tives of  their  substantial  ancestry. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Nickel  died  when  she  was 
only  eight  or  nine  years  old,  leaving  the  mother 
with  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  three  daughters, 
of  whom  Paulina  was  one  of  the  younger  members. 
The  children,  as  fast  as  becoming  old  enough, 
made  themselves  useful  in  the  home,  and  after  a 
time  all  scattered  to  look  out  for  themselves.  Mrs. 
Nickel  remained  with  her  mother  until  her  mar- 
riage, which  resulted  in  the  birth  of  seven  children, 
three  of  the  boys  being  triplets.  Two  of  these — 
Howard  and  Charles — died  when  quite  young,  and 
also  a.  daughter,  Christina.  The  survivors  are 
Friinklin  C.,  John  H..  Mary  L.,  and  Edward,  the 
latter  one  of  the  triplets.  Mr.  Nickel,  politically, 


is  a  decided  Republican,  and  both  he  and  his  es- 
timable wife  belong  to  the  German  Methodist 
Church. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Henry  and  Cath- 
erine (Rohn)  Nickel,  natives  of  Hesse- Darmstadt, 
Germany,  and  the  father  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
They  were  reared  and  married  in  their  native  pro- 
vince, and  after  the  birth  of  four  children  set  out 
for  the  United  States,  accompanied  by  three  of 
them,  the  other  child  having  died.  After  a  safe 
voyage  on  a  sailing-vessel  they  landed  in  the  city 
of  Nevy  Orleans,  and  thence  came  up  the  Mississippi 
and  Illinois  rivers  to  Beardstown,  where  the  parents 
took  up  their  abode,  and  where  they  both  died  a 
few  j'ears  later. 


•IIOMAS  CROUSE.  This  name  is  recog- 
nized as  that  of  one  of  the  most  energetic 
business  men  of  Murrayville,  where  he  is 
Postmaster,  and  who  may  usually  be  found  at  his 
store  on  Main  street,  where  he  deals  in  groceries, 
hardware,  paints,  oils,  etc.,  and  occupies  a  one- 
story  brick  building,  20x75  feet  in  dimensions. 
He  is  also  a  manufacturer  of  and  dealer  in  harness 
and  saddlery,  and  gives  employment  regularly  to 
three  clerks,  while  in  the  busy  season  he  increases 
his  force.  He  carries  a  stock  valued  at  about 
$5,000  and  enjoys  a  trade  of  $12,000  to  $15,000 
annually. 

Mr.  Crouse  was  appointed  Postmaster  of  Murray- 
ville Oct.  16,  1885,  from  which  circumstance  may 
be  guessed  his  political  affiliation.  Morgan  Count}' 
has  always  been  his  home  and  is  the  place  of  his 
birth,  which  occurred  Jan.  12,  1858.  His  parents, 
Andrew  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Kitner)  Crouse,  are 
deceased.  Thomas  acquired  his  education  in  the 
district  school,  and  at  Murrayville,  and  spent  his 
time  mostly  upon  a  farm  until  a  lad  of  fifteen  years. 
He  then  commenced  his  apprenticeship  as  a  saddler 
and  harness  maker  in  Jacksonville  and  three  years 
later  his  mercantile  experience  began,  and  he  has 
been  in  trade  almost  uninterruptedly  since  that 
time. 

Mr.  Crouse  in  1876  visited  theCentennial  Exposi- 
tion at  Philadelphia  and  traveled  through  many  por- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


393 


tions  of  the  East.  Later  he  visited  the  Exposition 
at  New  Orleans,  and  in  the  winter  of  1881  made 
hi*  way  to  the  Pacific  Slope,  spending  several 
months  in  California.  Accompanied  by  his  wife 
he  revisited  the  Golden  State  during  the  winter  of 
1888-89.  He  has  traveled  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific  and  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the 
Great  Lakes — undeniably  a  very  wise  investment 
of  time  and  money. 

The  24th  of  November,  1885,  witnessed  the  mar- 
riage of  our  subject  with  Miss  Clara,  daughter  of 
C.  F.  Strung,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Grouse  is  a  very  intelligent 
lady,  a  favorite  of  the  social  circle  and  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Our  subject 
politically,  votes  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  be- 
longs to  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Andrew  C.  Grouse,  was  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, born  in  Stokes  County,  June  9,  1816,  and  a 
pioneer  of  Central  Illinois,  coming  to  this  county 
as  early  as  1836.  He  located  and  lived  several 
years  north  of  Jacksonville,  but  in  1850,  went  to 
California  and  remained  six  years  in  the  gold  dig- 
gings. He  crossed  the  plains  with  a  drove  of  cat- 
tle and  was  occupied  about  six  months  in  the  jour- 
ney; he  returned  by  way  of  the  Isthmus.  One 
year  later  he  went  to  Pikes  Peak,  remaining  this 
time  three  years,  but  subsequently  visited  New 
Mexico  and  the  Black  Hills,  remaining  away  this 
time  one  year.  Upon  returning  to  this  county  he 
purchased  land  about  one  mile  south  of  Murray  - 
ville,  and  lives  there  now  upon  a  good  farm.  He 
has  seen  the  time  when  he  could  have  purchased 
land  forming  the  present  site  of  Jacksonville  at 
$1.25  per  acre.  He  has  been  successful  in  the  ac- 
cumulation of  property,  possessing  real  estate  prob- 
ably to  the  value  of  $20.000,  the  accumulation  of 
a  life  of  industry  and  perseverance.  He  visited 
his  old  home  in  North  Carolina  a  few  years  since. 
Politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat. 

The  property  of  Andrew  C.  Crouse,  is  located  on 
section  18,  township  13,  range  10.  He  comes  of 
Southern  stock,  being  the  son  of  Andrew  C.,  Sr. 
and  Peggy  Crouse,  who  were  likewise  natives  of 
North  Carolina,  the  father,  of  German  descent  and 
the  mother  of  Irish.  He  remained  a  resident  of 
,  his  native  State  until  reaching  his  majority,  receiv- 

L  + 


ing  limited  advantages,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years  made  his  way  to  this  county  and  began  life 
for  himself  as  a  farmer  on  rented  land.  In  com- 
pany with  his  brother-in-law,  George  Fry,  he  finally 
crossed  the  Mississippi  into  Iowa,  where  he  took  up 
a  claim  and  remained  one  year.  Then  selling  out 
he  returned  to  this  county  and  purchased  a  farm 
three  miles  north  of  Jacksonville,  upon  which  he 
operated  about  ten  years.  His  next  removal  was  in 
1865,  to  his  present  farm. 

To  Andrew  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Kitner)  Crouse, 
there  were  born  ten  children,  and  the  survivors 
are  recorded  as  follows:  George  is  a  resident  of 
Missouri;  James  lives  in  this  county;  Thomas,  our 
subject,  is  the  third  child;  Charles  is  a  resident  of 
this  county;  John  lives  in  Murrayville:  Elizabeth 
lives  in  Wisconsin.  The  wife  and  mother  depart- 
ed this  life  at  the  homestead,  Jan.  2,  1883.  She 
was  a  lady  who  by  her  estimable  qualities  had  en- 
deared herself  to  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances by  whom  she  was  deeply  mourned. 
She  had  been  faithful  and  devoted  to  her  family, 
and  the  encourager  and  sympathizer  of  her  husband 
during  the  trying  times  of  their  settlement  in  this 
county. 

Mr.  Crouse  visited  nearly  all  of  the  States  and 
Territories  and  improved  all  his  opportunities  for 
obtaining  useful  information,  and  now,  surrounded 
by  all  the  comforts  of  life,  he  is  passing  his  declin- 
ing j'ears  quietly  and  free  from  care,  surrounded 
by  his  children  and  friends  and  respected  by  all 
who  know  him.  Alexander  the  oldest  son  was  a 
memberof  the  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  He  carried  the  battle-flag. 


JOHN  Bl'RT  is  a  general    farmer  and  owns 
eighty-four  acres  in  township  16,  range  11. 
I    He  has  a  well-cultivated  farm   upon  which 
'    he  has  resided   since  March,    1866.     While 
Mr.  Hurt's  farm  is  not  a  large  one,   its   productive 
qualities  are  equal  to  that  of  any  in  his  neighbor- 
hood,    lie  spares  no  pains  to  attain  good  results, 
and  by  constant  application  has  made  a  success. 

In  1861  Mr.  Hurt  came  to  Morgan  County   from 
Sangamon  County,  111.     He  is  a  c;irpenter,and  fol- 


I 


304 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


lowed  his  trade  while  living  in  Ohio,  .and  was  very 
successful.  He  was  burn  in  Ayreshire,  Scotland,  n 
few  miles  from  where  the  farmer  poet,  Robert 
Burns,  first  saw  the  light  of  day.  Mr.  Burt's  birth 
occurred  on  Dec.  23,  1814.  His  parents  were  of 
English  descent.  His  father,  Abraham  Hurt,  was 
born  in  Scotland,  and  married  Susan  Harper,  after 
which  they  located  in  Ayreshire,  and  there  the 
father  followed  mechanical  pursuits  until  1837, 
when  on  the  8th  day  of  October  of  that  year,  they 
started  for  America,  and  after  a  voyage  of  six 
weeks  and  five  days,  they  arrived  safety  in  New 
York  City.  The  ship  upon  which  they  came  from 
Scotland,  the  "  Frances,"  Capt.  Griffin  command- 
ing, was  lost  on  her  return  trip.  After  landing  in 
New  York  the  family  proceeded  immediately  to 
Warren  County,  Ohio,  where  they  settled,  the 
father  dying  there  in  1863,  being  ninety  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  wife,  the  mother 
of  .lohn,  died  in  January,  1861,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six  years.  They  were  of  the  old  Scotch-Presby- 
terian faith,  than  whom  there  are  no  better  people 
living.  John  Bnrt  was  the  fourth  child  of  five 
children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  shire  until  lie  was  twenty-three 
years  old,  at  which  time  his  parents  came  to  Am- 
erica as  before  indicated.  He  learned  his  trade 
while  in  Ohio  working  with  his  brother  Abraham. 
John  came  to  Illinois  in  1856,  when  men  were  in 
large  demand,  and  when  large  wages  were  paid. 
These  conditions  aided  him  in  making  a  start  in  the 
world.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Hunter  of  Sanga- 
mon  County,  III.  She  was  born  in  Lexington,  Ky., 
on  March  12,  1819  and  is  the  daughter  of  Josiah 
and  Elizabeth  (Neel)  Hunter,  who  were  natives  of 
Mechlenburg  County,  N.  C.,  and  who  came  orgin- 
ally  from  Pennsylvania,  ancestrally  speaking.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hunter  were  reared  in  North  Carolina,  and 
later  removed  to  Lexington,  Ky.,  where  Mr.  Hunter 
died  in  the  prime  of  life  in  January,  1831.  His 
widow,  with  her  children,  in  1836,  came  to  Morgan 
County,  where  she  died  April  4,  1862,  being  then 
past  eighty-six  years  of  age.  She,  like  her  husband 
was  a  life-long  Presbyterian. 

Mrs.  Burt  was  the  youngest  of  five  children, 
three  sons  and  two  daughters  that  lived  to  grow 
up.  Mrs.  Burt  was  a  young  lady  when  her  mother 


came  North,  receiving  her  earl}'  education  and  im- 
pressions in  Kentucky.  She  is  the  mother  of  one 
child  —  Mary  E.,  who,  as  a  dutiful  daughter  is  stay- 
ing at  home  with  her  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burt 
and  daughter  take  great  interest  in  religious  mat- 
ters. and  worship  in  the  Presbyterian  faith.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Burt  is  a  Republican;  originally  he 
was  an  Abolitionist,  but  after  the  wiping  out  of 
slavery,  he  naturally  found  a  political  home  with 
the  party  that  freed  the  slave.  He  is  reckoned  as 
one  of  the  solid,  hard-working  men  of  his  com- 
munity. 


RMSTRONG  COOPER.  Seventy-seven 
yearsMiave  come  and  gone,  since  Mr.  Cooper 
first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  in  East- 
ern Tennessee,  he  having  been  born  March 
23,  1812,  in  Roane  County,  that  State.  Fifty-four 
years  of  this  time  have  been  spent  in  this  county,  he 
first  setting  foot  within  its  limits  on  the  3d  of 
November,  1835.  Thirty  -three  years  of  this  time 
were  spent  upon  a  farm,  which  he  opened  up  from 
the  wilderness,  and  which  he  occupied  until  De- 
cember, 1880.  Then,  wisely  retiring  from  the  active 
labors  of  life,  he  left  the  farm  in  other  hands 
and  moved  into  Concord  Village,  where  he  owns 
a  home,  and  is  living  surrounded  by  all  the  com- 
forts of  life. 

The  landed  property  of  our  subject  embraces 
200  acres,  in  a  good  farm,  on  section  22,  township 
16,  range  11,  and  eighty  acres  in  another  part  of 
this  township.  Most  of  this,  when  he  became  pro- 
prietor, lay  as  the  Indians  left  it,  and  he  paid  for 
it  with  money  earned  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow. 
Like  mott  of  the  men  around  him,  he  has  arisen 
from  an  humble  position  in  life,  and  accumulated 
his  possessions  solely  by  the  exercise  of  industry 
and  perseverance.  For  a  few  years  after  his  arri- 
val in  this  county  he  lived  in  what  was  then  the 
very  unimportant  little  town  of  Jacksonville,  then 
removed  to  a  farm,  which  he  occupied  five  3'ears 
before  making  his  first  purchase  of  land. 

"\Ve  find,  upon  glancing  at  the  family  record  of 
our  subject,  that  he  is  son  of  Absalom  Cooper,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  the  grandson  of  John 
Cooper,  who  with  an  elder  brother.  Martin,  enii- 


I 


"'  Ss  «•  *  ^PrT'      "THW 


RESIDENCE  OF  MICHAEL  BODDY,  SEC.  ia.  T.i5.-R.n.  MORGAN  Co. 


RESIDENCE  or  R.C.CURTISS.WAVERLY  .  ILL. 


RESIDENCE  OF  J.  H.  J  EwsBURY,5EC's.l8.19.  20.  Ii5rR.ii  MORGAN  Co. 


i 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


397 


grated  to  America  from  England  prior  to  the 
Revolutionary  War.  They  settled  in  Old  Virginia, 
but  John  long  afterward  enlisted  in  defense  of 
American  liberty.  Martin,  the  elder,  who  was  the 
heir  of  his  father's  possessions  was  a  Tory,  and 
fought  with  the  British.  It  is  known  that  he  had 
one  of  his  hands  cut  off  by  a  sword,  and  he  may 
possibly  have  been  killed,  as  he  was  lost  sight  of 
and  was  never  heard  from  afterward. 

Grandfather  John  Cooper  married  a  Virginia 
lady  of  Southern  parentage,  and  after  a  time  they 
settled  in  Roane  County,  Tenn.,  where  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives,  dying  when  ripe  in 
years.  It  is  believed  that  grandfather  Cooper  was 
eighty  years  old,  while  his  wife  lived  to  the  great 
age  of  one  hundred  and  one.  They  were  worthy 
and  upright  people,  and  conscientious  members  of 
the  old-school  Baptist  Church. 

Absalom  Cooper,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
the  only  son  of  his  parents,  who  had  but  a  small 
family,  and  after  reaching  his  majority  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Katie  Armstrong,  whom  it  is  sup- 
posed was  born  in  Virginia.  They  began  their 
wedded  life  together  on  a  farm  in  Tennessee,  and 
after  the  birth  of  all  their  children  made  prepara- 
tions to  move  to  another  county,  but  before  becom- 
ing located,  the  father  was  drafted  into  the  army, 
during  the  War  of  1812.  Shortly  afterward  he 
was  taken  ill,  and  died  at  Ft.  Armstrong  in  the 
prime  of  life.  The  mother  lived  to  rear  her  fam- 
ily— indeed  far  beyond  that,  attaining  to  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty  years,  and  died  in  Roane 
County,  Tenn. 

The  subject-  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  but 
one  of  the  parental  family,  and  at  an  early  age 
began  to  earn  his  own  living.  He  left  Tennessee  a 
single  man,  and  in  1837  was  married  in  Jackson- 
ville, this  county,  to  Miss  Mary  Silcox.  This  lady 
was  born  in  Fentress  County,  Tenn.,  March  18, 
1818,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Jane 
(Keaton)  Silcox,  who  were  likewise  natives  of  that 
State.  They  lived  there  and  in  Kentucky  until 
1830,  then,  coming  to  this  county,  settled  first  in 
Jacksonville,  but  finally  removed  to  Deardstown, 
where  the  father  died  when  quite  aged.  The  mother 
subsequently  made  her  home  with  Mrs.  Henry 
Black,  her  daughter,  in  AVIiitehall,  Greene  County, 


where  she  departed  this  life  on  the  day  she  was 
eighty-two  years  old.  Both  steadfastly  adhered  to 
the  faith  of  the  Christian  Church. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cooper  there  was  born  a  family 
of  ten  children,  and  the  faithful  and  devoted  wife 
and  mother  passed  from  earth  on  the  21st  of  April, 
1880.  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  She  was  not 
only  deeply  mourned  by  her  family  and  immediate 
friends,  but  regretted  by  all  who  knew  her.  One 
child,  E.  C.,  died  when  ten  years  of  age;  John  A. 
died  when  two  and  one. half  years  old;  Robert  and 
Albert( twins)  died  at  the  age  of  six  months;  and 
EdwardS.  died  when  two  and  one-half  years  old; 
Mary  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  O.  T.  Pratt,  and  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-nine.  Of  the  survivors  the 
record  is  as  follows:  Eliza  J.  became  the  wife  of 
Frank  Roberts,  of  Virginia,  and  in  the  year  1879 
was  left  a  widow  with  three  children — llattie, 
Anna,  and  Katie.  Hattie  married  James  Webster, 
a  farmer  of  Scott  County;  William  II.  Cooper 
married  Miss  Carrie  Burbank,  and  they  occupy  the 
old  homestead  of  our  subject;  James  B.  married 
Miss  Rosa  O'Keffe,  and  they  also  live  on  the  Cooper 
farm.  Amanda  is  the  wife  of  Bailey  Rexroat,  and 
they  live  on  the  farm  near  Literberry.  The  family 
is  an  interesting  and  popular  one,  and  general 
favorites  in  the  social  circles  of  their  community. 
Mr  Cooper,  politically,  is  a  sound  Democrat.. 


OIIN  MURRAY,  whose  name  is  indissolubly 
linked  with  the  early  and  later  history  of 
Morgan  County  as  one  of  its  most  intelli- 
gent and  prosperous  pioneers,  is  still  dwel- 
ling among  us  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  hale  old  age. 
The  town  of  Murrayville,  where  he  owns  and  oc- 
cupies a  valuable  farm,  was  named  in  honor  of  his 
brother,  and  our  subject  has  been  a  prominent 
factor  in  promoting  its  growth  and  increasing  its 
material  prosperity.  He  has  been  very  extensively 
engaged  in  the  past  in  breeding  fine  Short-horn  cat- 
tle, and  representatives  of  his  stock  may  be  found  all 
around  in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  has  been  a 
very  large  land  owner,  but  has  sold  off  much  of  his 
real  estate,  and  has  reduced  the  acreage  of  his  farm 
to  186  acres,  all  prairie  land,  and  as  fertile  and 


398 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


i 


well  adapted  to  general  farming  as  any  in  the 
county.  Mr.  Murray  has  given  up  the  manage- 
ment of  his  farm  to  his  son,  and  has  retired  from 
active  life. 

Mr.  Murray  was  born  Sept.  3,  1812,  in  Galloway, 
Scotland,  and  was  the  second  child  in  the  family  of 
four  sons  and  one  daughter  born  to  John  and  llan- 
nnh  (McKean)  Murray,  natives  of  the  same  shire. 
Three  of  the  children  are  still  living,  and  one  son, 
David,  was  finely  educated,  and  for  many  years 
was  a  leading  business  man  in  Portsmouth,  Ohio, 
but  is  now  living  in  retirement.  The  family  came 
to  America  in  1835,  and  after  living  three  years  in 
Pennsylvania  came  to  Illinois,  taking  five  months 
In  perform  the  journey.  They  settled  in  Morgan 
County,  where  Murrayville  now  stands,  and  here 
the  good  old  father  and  mother  stayed  their  earthly 
wanderings  and  passed  their  last  days  in  peace  and 
plenty,  dying  at  a  ripe  old  age,  the  mother  passing 
away  in  1856  and  the  father  surviving  her  four 
years,  his  death  occurring  at  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty-seven  years. 

Onr  subject  was  bred  to  the  life  of  a  farmer  in 
his  native  land,  receiving  the  benefit  of  a  common 
school  education,  and  after  coming  to  America  had 
the  general  oversight  of  his  father's  affairs.  In 
1838  he  came  to  Illinois  on  a  visit,  and  being 
pleased  with  the  country  resolved  to  settle  here. 
After  purchasing  190  acres  of  land,  just  west  of 
the  present  site  of  Murrayville,  lie  went  back  to 
Pennsylvania  for  his  father  and  mother  and  the 
rest  of  the  family,  and  returned  with  them  the  same 
year.  The  country  around  here  was  very  desolate 
in  those  days,  and  the  prairies  were  filled  with 
sloughs  that  have  since  been  drained  and  form  the 
best  land  here.  Mr.  Murray  and  several  other 
young  men  cut  and  hewed  timber  to  build  a  log 
church  at  Murrayville,  which  was  the  pioneer  re- 
ligious institution  of  the  village  where  to-day  four 
churches  stand.  The  home  in  which  our  subject 
and  his  parents  lived  was  a  rudely  constructed  log 
house,  with  a  mud  chimney,  puncheon  floor,  clap- 
board door,  and  all  put  together  without  a  nail. 
That  humble  dwelling  lasted  them  a  year,  and  it 
was  then  replaced  by  a  more  commodious  two-story 
frame  house.  In  the  opening  paragraph  of  this 
sketch  we  have  seen  how  Mr.  Murray  lias  prospered 


in  the  long,  years  that  have  followed  his  settlement 
here,  and  that  by  hard  and  well-directed  labor  he 
has  accumulated  a  fine  competence.  We  will  now 
refer  more  particularly  to  his  domestic  life. 

Mr.  Murray  has  been  twice  married.  The  first 
time,  Aug.  27,  1847,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Huey,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Huey,  of  Morgan  County,  who  came 
here  from  Mississippi  in  1835.  He  was  a  largo 
laud-owner,  and  after  giving  his  two  sons  a  quarter- 
section  each,  he  still  possessed  six  full  sections  of 
fine  land.  Mrs.  Murray  was  the  third  child  in  a 
family  of  seven.  Her  married  life  was  not  destined 
to  be  of  very  long  duration,  as  on  .Ian,  30,  1852, 
she  folded  her  hands  in  death,  and  now  lies  quietly 
sleeping  her  last  sleep  in  the  pretty  cemetery  at 
Murrayville.  She  bore  her  husband  three  children, 
as  follows :  Peter,  who  died  out  West  in  1 884 ; 
James,  who  lives  near  his  father,  married  Nettie 
Moore,  and  has  one  child;  Sarah  A.,  wife  of  James 
15.  lieadles,  of  Jacksonville,  111. 

Mr.  Murray's  marriage  to  his  present  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Rachel  Emily  Reed,  look- 
place  March  7,  1854.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Silas 
Reed,  a  Virginian  by  birth,  who  became  a  pioneer 
of  Scott  County  in  1839,  and  was  a  man  of  promi- 
nence in  that  part  of  Illinois,  taking  an  active  part 
in  the  public  affairs  of  his  day.  To  her  and  her 
husband  three  children  have  been  born,  as  follows: 
John  Edwin,  who  died  in  infancy;  Catherine  Reed, 
who  married  Henry  C.  Tunison,  the  manufacturer 
of  maps  in  Jacksonville,  and  has  five  children; 
Ada,  who  lives  at  home  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  Murray  is  a  man  of  unswerving  integrity,  of 
a  high  sense  of  honor,  and  of  true  Christian  prin- 
ciple, and  is  held  in  warm  regard  and  reverence  by 
the  entire  community  with  whose  interests  his  own 
have  been  identified  for  more  than  half  a  century. 
His  keen  foresight,  cool  head,  good  powers  of 
judgment  and  discrimination,  and  other  traits  that 
he  inherited  from  a  sterling  Scotch  ancestry,  have 
led  him  to  prosperity,  and  he  is  numbered  among 
the  most  substantial  citizens  of  this  part  of  Mor- 
gan County.  Mr.  Murray  has  always  manifested 
great  interest  in  school  affairs,  and  has  promoted 
the  cause  of  education  as  School  Director,  which 
office  he  has  held  several  years,  and  for  the  past 
twelve  years  he  has  been  School  Trustee.  He  is  a 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


=4- 

399     <  > 


model  citizen  in  political  matters,  voting  as  his 
conscience  dictates,  and  has  been  a  strong  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party  since  its  formation. 
He  voted  for  William  Henry  Harrison,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1888,  forty  -eight  years  later,  had  the  pleasure 
of  casting  his  ballot  for  his  grandson,  our  present 
President,  Benjamin  Harrison.  He  and  his  wife  are 
both  devoted  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
his  connection  dating  from  1856,  and  he  is  now  an 
Elder,  and  lias  always  been  a  warm  supporter  of 
the  Sunday  School. 


J~/AMES    DINAVIDDIE,  the  son  of  a  pioneer 
I    of  Morgan  County,  is  a  prosperous  member 
of  its  farming   community,  and   is  one  of 
'    the   leading  citizens  and   public   officials  of 
his  township.     Since  the  old   homestead   that  be- 
longed to  his  father  came  into  his  possession  he  has 
augmented  its  size  by  a  further  purchase  of  sev- 
enty acres  of  land,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  250 
acres  that  is  in  all  respects  one  of  the  best  ordered 
and  most  desirable  in  this  localit}'. 

Mr.  Diuwiddie's  paternal  grandfather,  William 
Dinwiddie,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and,  after 
coming  to  this  country,  he  located  in  Kentucky, 
was  twice  married,  and  spent  his  last  days  in  that 
State,  of  which  he  was  a  pioneer,  having  been  an 
early  settler  of  Bourbon  County.  His  first  wife 
was  Martha  McConnell,  and  they  had  seven  chil- 
dren: William,  Thomas,  James,  Samuel,  Joseph, 
Julia,  and  Martha  A.  His  second  marriage  was  to 
Miss  Reynolds,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons,  John 
and  David.  His  son,  Thomas  C.,  came  to  Illinois 
from  the  old  Kentucky  home  about  the  year  1826, 
and  was  engaged  in  blacksmithing  in  Galena  the 
ensiling  nine  months.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  came  to  this  county,  and  located  on  the 
farm  where  our  subject  is  living.  He  established 
himself  in  the  tannery  business,  and  conducted  it 
several  years.  In  the  spring  of  1830  he  took  unto 
himself  a  wife  in  the  person  of  Miss  Yizilla  Sims, 
and  she  was  of  great  help  to  him  in  the  founding 
of  a  pleasant  home,  and  aided  him  in  making  his 
life  a  success  during  the  years  that  they  walked 
its  paths  together.  Her  parents,  the  Rev.  James 


and  Dolly  (Spillars)  Sims,  brought  her  from  Ken- 
tucky, where  she  was  born  in  1811,  to  Illinois,  then 
a  territory,  in  1815.  They  located  first  in  Madi- 
son County;  two  years  later  removed  to  Sanga- 
mon  County,  and  six  years  after  that,  in  1823, 
came  to  this  county,  and  were  among  its  earliest 
settlers.  Jacksonville,  now  the  county  seat,  was 
then  only  a  small  hamlet,  with  a  few  small  log 
houses  and  one  little  store.  Mr.  Sims,  who  was  an 
earnest  Methodist  and  a  fervent  expounder  of  the 
Gospel,  became  the  first  preacher  in  this  part  of 
the  county.  He  also  engaged  in  farming,  and  had 
a  farm  north  of  the  centre  of  township  16,  range 
10  west,  on  section  18,  and  there  his  wife  died. 
He  later  sold  that  place  and.  lived  some  years  with 
his  children,  and  died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Black,  in  Sangamon  Countv. 

The  farm  belonging  to  the  father  of  our  subject 
joined  his  father-in-law's  on  the  west,  and  he  and 
his  3'oung  wife  began  housekeeping  in  a  log  cabin, 
16x16  feet,  with  a  clapboard  roof,  a  clapboard  door 
on  the  south  side,  and  a  window  of  six  panes  of 
glass,  8x10,  on  the  north  side.  They  lived  there 
several  years,  and  in  that  humble  abode  our  sub- 
ject was  born.  Later  his  father  bought  an  interest 
in  a  tan-yard  owned  by  his  brother-in-law,  Wesley 
Sims,  and  then  removed  to  a  farm  house  which  he 
had  built  near  the  yard.  He  and  his  family  lived  in 
that  many  years,  but  in  1857  he  erected  and  took 
possession  of  the  house  where  our  subject  now 
lives.  He  was  not  spared  to  enjoy  his  new  home 
many  months,  for  in  1858  he  was  gathered  to  his 
fathers,  having  rounded  out  a  good  life  that  was 
useful  to  himself  and  beneficial  to  others.  He  was 
a  man  of  influence  in  this  community,  and  was 
greatly  beloved  by  his  neighbors.  He  had  been 
Justice  of  the  Peace  of  this  township  many  years, 
and  in  that  capacity  always  sought  to  promote 
amity  among  those  about  him.  To  him  and  his 
wife  came  nine  children,  as  follows:  AVilliam,  de- 
ceased;  James;  Andrew,  deceased;  Samuel;  Helen 
married  AV.  K.  Richardson,  and  died  in  this  county; 
Martha  A.  married  Mr.  Thomas  Richards;  Thomas; 
Isabelle  and  David,  deceased.  The  mother  is  a 
cherished  member  of  the  household  of  our  sub- 
ject, and,  although  she  has  reached  the  advanced 
age  of  seventy-eight  years,  she  is  still  hale  and 


400 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


active.  She  is  a  firm  Christian,  and  an  esteemed 
member  of  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church.  Her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Richards,  accompanied  her  husband 
to  California  soon  after  their  marriage,  and  on  their 
return  they  staid  at  Salt  Lake  City  more  than  a 
year,  and  their  first  child  was  born  in  that  Mormon 
stronghold. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  reared  on 
the  farm,  and  gleaned  his  education  in  the  primitive 
log  schoolhouse,  with  slabs  for  seats,  and  other 
rude  furnishings.  He  early  adopted  the  calling  to 
which  he  had  been  bred",  and  for  which  he  has  a 
natural  aptitude,  and  now  owns  his  father's  home- 
stead and  the  seventy  acres  besides  before  referred 
to,  his  farm  being  pleasantly  located  in  township 
16,  on  sections  18  and  7,  range  10,  and  on  section 
16  of  range  11.  He  has  his  farm  well  tilled  and 
well  stocked  with  cattle  of  good  grades,  and  has  a 
fine,  large  frame  house,  a  commodious  barn  and 
other  suitable  farm  buildings,  all  in  good  order. 

To  the  lady  who  presides  over  his  pleasant  home, 
and  graciously  aids  him  in  dispensing  its  boun- 
teous hospitalities,  Mr.  Dinwiddie  was  united  in 
marriage,  in  January,  1865.  Mrs.  Dinwiddie's 
maiden  name  was  Anna  H.  Richardson,  and  she 
was  born  in  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  her  parents, 
Josiah  and  Heulah  (Kelsey)  Richardson,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  having  located  there  soon  after 
their  marriage.  They  came  to  this  county  in  Feb- 
ruary. 1866,  and  spent  their  last  days  here.  The 
first  of  the  Richardson  family  to  come  West  was 
William  K.,  who  married  our  subject's  sister  Helen. 
Next  came  Anna  Richardson  on  a  visit  to  her 
brother  William,  and  she  never  returned  to  her  old 
home,  as  she  was  wooed  and  won  by  our  subject. 
Then  came  Hattie  Richardson,  and  she  met  with 
the  same  fate  that  befell  her  sister,  our  subject's 
brother  Thomas  winning  her  for  his  wife.  Father 
Richardson  was  of  an  intensely  patriotic  nature, 
and.  notwithstanding  he  was  past  fifty  years  old 
when  the  war  broke  out,  he  offered  his  services  to 
the  Government  as  a  soldier,  and,  on  being  re- 
jected in  that  capacity,  he  joined  the  1st  Artillery 
of  Ohio  as  a  mechanic,  and  did  good  service  in 
that  calling  three  years  and  one  month,  and  was 
then  discharged  on  account  of  ill-health. 

Mr.  Dinwiddie  possesses  in  an  eminent  degree 


the  best  traits  of  his  ancestry,  and  to  these,  per- 
haps, he  owes  his  good  fortune.  His  fellow-citi- 
zens, recognizing  his  ability,  and  respecting  him 
for  his  unblemished  character,  saw  fit  to  elect  him 
to  the  responsible  office  of  Township  Treasurer 
seventeen  years  ago,  and  so  satisfactory  has  his  ad- 
ministration of  the  affairs  of  that  position  been 
that  they  have  kept  him  there  ever  since.  He  is 
prominently  connected  witli  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  as  a 
member  of  Freeman  Lodge  No.  60  of  Arcadia. 
Mrs.  Dinwiddie  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  leads  an  exemplary  Christian 
life.  They  arc  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz: 
Owen  Guy,  Horace  Wayne,  and  James  Garfield. 


i  ANTON  COX,  an  English-born  citizen  of 
Bethel  Precinct,  is  numbered  among  its 
most  enterprising  and  prosperous  men.  be- 
ing the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  240  acres  in 
extent,  and  located  on  section  33,  township  16, 
range  12.  Mr.  Cox  is  a  little  over  fifty-two  years 
of  age,  having  been  born  April  28,  1837,  in  Rut- 
land County,  England,  and  is  the  son  of  William 
and  Ann  (Man ton)  Cox,  who  spent  their  entire 
lives  upon  their  native  soil. 

Our  subject  remained  a  resident  of  his  native 
country  until  reaching  his  majority,  receiving  a 
somewhat  limited  education,  but  being  trained  by 
his  wise  parents  to  those  habits  of  industry  and 
frugality,  which  laid  the  foundation  of  his  success 
in  life.  As  a  youth  he  was  more  than  ordinarily 
ambitious,  and  not  being  satisfied  with  his  condi- 
tion or  his  surroundings  in  the  home  of  his  youth, 
determined  to  sec  what  lay  beyond  the  Atlantic. 
Accordingly  in  the  fall  of  1858  he  secured  passage 
on  a  sailing-vessel  bound  from  Liverpool  to  New 
Orleans,  and  reached  the  latter  city  after  a  voyage 
of  nine  weeks. 

Mr.  Cox  from  the  Crescent  City  made  his  way 
directly  to  this  county,  where  he  secured  employ- 
ment on  a  farm  at  $13  per  month.  In  due  time  lie 
met  his  fate  in  the  person  of  Miss  Charlotte  Thorp, 
to  whom  he  was  married  on  the  8th  of  May,  1859. 
This  lady  was  born  April  2/i.  1831.  in  Rutland 
County,  England,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Danic  [ 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


401 


I 


and  Susan  (Knight)  Thorp,  who  were  natives  of 
England.  The  young  people  began  their  wedded 
life  together  in  Morgan  County,  and  they  are  now 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. Mary  A.  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Urven,  of  Kan- 
sas; Ellen  E.  married  Samuel  Brockhouse,  of  this 
county;  Charles  R.  is  fanning  in  Bethel  Precinct; 
William  II.,  Frank  S.,  Sarah  E.,  Susan  I.,  George 
T.  are  at  home  with  their  parents;  John  died  when 
three  years  old. 

Mr.  Cox  first  farmed  on  rented  land  east  of  Con- 
cord village  for  a  short  time,  then  removed  to  the 
Meredosia  bottoms  where  he  sojourned  two  years. 
He  settled  on  his  present  place  in  1874,  and  has 
brought  his  land  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 
He  has  effected  all  the  improvements  which  have 
made  it  a  valuable  piece  of  property,  and  in  his 
labors  has  been  ably  assisted  by  his  excellent  and 
sensible  wife,  who  has  borne  with  him  the  heat  and 
burden  of  the  da}'.  Mrs.  Cox  is  a  lady  respected 
by  all,  and  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church. 

Our  subject,  politically,  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  keeps  himself  well  posted  upon 
events  of  interest  to  the  intelligent  citizen.  In  the 
fall  of  1883  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  old  England, 
and  spent  six  weeks  very  pleasantly  among  the 
friends  and  associations  of  his  boyhood.  Mrs.  Cox 
visited  the  old  home  in  the  summer  of  188(5,  so- 
journing in  England  two  months.  The  Cox  home- 
stead comprises  220  acres  of  land,  while  Mr.  Cox 
owns  twenty  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Jacksonville. 
He  commenced  in  life  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  and 
by  his  own  perseverance  and  energy  has  attained 
to  a  good  position  among  his  fellow  men,  and^better 
than  all  enjoys  their  entire  confidence  and  esteem. 


J~~l    II.    POTTS,  of    the   firm  of  Potts  &  Son, 
breeders  of  fine  Short-horn  cattle,  is  located 
:    on  a  splendid  stock  farm   jnst  west  of  Jack- 
'    sonville,  and  which  consists  of  230  acres  of 
land.     This  farm  has  been  admirably  arranged  for 
the  purposes   of   stock-raising.     Messrs.   Potts  <fe 
Son  have  been  very  successful    in   their    efforts   to 
sustain  a  good  strain  of  the  celebrated  cattle  which 


they  breed.  The  present  head  of  their  berd  of 
about  seventy-five  cattle,  is  the  well-known  Imp 
King,  of  Aberdeen,  a  splendid  animal  four  years  of 
age,  and  one  of  the  very  best  of  the  Cruikshank 
breed. 

Mr.  Potts  began  the  breeding  of  Short-horn  cat- 
tle in  1869,  his  first  start  being  with  the  fine  cow, 
Bell  Morland.  By  intelligent  purchases  and  a 
strict  adherence  to  business,  he  has  constantly  added 
to  his  herd  until  he  now  has  as  fine  a  lot  of  cattle 
as  one  wishes  to  see.  He  has  exhibited  his  stock 
through  this  State,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Wisconsin,  Iowa, 
and  Nebraska,  and  at  all  points  his  cattle  have  been 
received  with  applause.  He  lias  had  many  com- 
petitors, but  sis  a  rule  he  has  brought  home  the  blue 
ribbon.  His  herd  has  taken  more  than  $33,000  in 
premiums,  and  all  this  is  the  result  of  persistently 
working  to  get  the  best  in  his  line. 

In  connection  with  their  cattle  breeding,  Potts 
&  Son  have  made  a  specialty  of  South  Down 
sheep.  They  have  a  flock  of  more  than  fifty  head, 
which  has  been  a  source  of  revenue  both  at  fairs 
and  fat  stock  shows  at  Chicago  and  Kansas  Cit}'. 
The  firm  of  Potts  &  Son  was  established  in  187G, 
and  has  been  a  success  from  the  beginning.  They 
never  omit  anything  in  the  way  of  aiding  their 
ambition  to  own  the  best  herd  of  cattle  in  the 
country. 

J.  II.  Potts  has  been  a  resident  of  Morgan  County 
since  1868.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  was 
born  near  Whitehall,  Dec.  7,  1823.  His  father, 
William  Potts  was  born  in  New  Castle,  England, 
and  was  the  son  of  English  parents.  William  Potts' 
father  was  Dr.  Anthony  Potts,  of  New  Castle,  En- 
gland. Dr.  Potts  married  an  English  lady,  and 
after  the  birth  of  William  Potts,  in  1 796,  the  fam- 
ily came  to  America,  and  while  on  the  sea,  one 
child,  Ann,  was  born.  On  landing,  Dr.  Potts 
lived  for  a  few  years  in  New  York,  when  he  later 
came  to  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  where  he  located 
near  Washington,  and  as  a  matter  of  course  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  that  county.  There  the  doc- 
tor and  family  lived  until  1820,  when  they  came 
to  Greene  County,  111.  This  afterward  became  the 
home  of  Dr.  Potts,  except  a  few  years  when  he 
lived  in  Burlington,  Iowa.  He  died  near  White- 
hall, this  state,  in  the  year  1852,  and  at  the  time  of 


^ 


i  ,     402 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


his  death,  was  ninety-three  years  old.  He  was  a 
Presbyterian,  and  politically,  acted  with  the  Whig 
party.  His  first  wife,  who  came  to  America  with 
him,  died  in  P'ayette  County,  Ohio,  being  then  a 
little  past  middle  life.  She  was  also  a  Presbyterian, 
and  was  the  mother  of  six  children,  each  of  whom 
grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  After  the 
death  of  his  first  wife,  the  Doctor  again  married, 
and  his  second  wife  was  killed  in  Ohio  by  a  run- 
away team.  .She  was  a  Mrs.  Smith  when  she  mar- 
ried Dr.  Potts. 

William  Potts,  the  father  of  the  one  whose  name 
appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  in 
Fayette  County,  Ohio,  until  he  became  of  age.  He 
was  married  in  Ohio,  to  Miss  Margaret  Parker,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia.  Her  parents  were  Absalom 
and  Massy  (Cooper)  Parker.  They  removed  from 
Virginia  to  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  when  their  daugh- 
ter, Margaret  was  ten  years  old.  Absalom  Parker 
lived  in  Fayette  County  until  after  the  deatli  of  his 
wife,  when  he  came  West  to  Illinois,  where  he 
joined  his  children,  and  lived  with  them  until  his 
death. 

William  Potts  and  wife  had  one  child  born  to 
them  while  living  in  Fayette  County.  In  1820  lie 
started  for  Illinois  with  a  keel  boat,  his  route  being 
via  the  Sciota  River,  thence  to  the  Ohio  Hirer 
down  to  Cairo,  III.,  when  they  ascended  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  cordeling  the  boat;  they  would  take  a 
rope  and  go  in  a  drift  and  tie  the  rope  to  a  tree 
and  go  back  to  the  boat  and  get  hold  of  the  rope 
and  pull  up  to  the  tree  and  go  again.  He  after- 
ward located  in  Greene  Count}',  as  it  is  now  called, 
it  then  being  Madison  County,  111.  They  lived  then 
on  what  is  now  called  the  old  .ludge  Woodson  farm. 
Later  he  located  in  Apple  Creek  Prairie,  and  lived 
there  until  he  died,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  Po- 
litically, he  was  a  Whig,  afterward  a  Republican, 
and  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Church.  His  wife 
survived  him,  and  died  in  1873,  aged  seventy-five 
years.  She  also  died  in  the  Methodist  faith. 

J.  H.  Potts  is  the  third  child  of  a  family  of 
seven,  four  sons  of  whom  yet  survive.  He  was 
reared  at  home  as  a  farmer's  boy,  and  when  twenty- 
four  years  old,  was  married  near  Whitehall,  Greene 
County,  111.,  March  30,  1848,  to  Miss  Nancy  Smith. 
She  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  was  born  in  Au- 


gust, 1829,  and  died  at  her  home  in  Greene  County, 
June  4,  1855.  She  was  one  of  the  best  of  women 
and  was  deeply  mourned.  She  left  two  sons,  one  of 
whom  died  on  the  1 1th  of  July,  1855.  The  one  liv- 
ing. William  T.,  is  now  Mr.  Potts'  partner  in  business. 
He  is  married  and  lives  on  a  farm.  Mr.  J.  H.  Potts 
married  for  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Louisa  Ransdell, 
nee  Green,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Cynthia  ( Riggs) 
Green,  now  both  deceased.  Mrs.  Green  died  in 
Jacksonville,  in  April  1879,  at  an  advanced  age. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church.  Mr. 
Green  died  at  Jacksonville,  Jan.  4,  1889,  aged 
nearly  eighty -one  years.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  politically,  was  a  Repub- 
lican. Mrs.  Louisa  M.  Potts  was  born  in  this 
county,  Nov.  2,  1829,  and  here  she  was  reared  and 
educated.  Messrs.  Potts  &  Son  are  Republicans. 


J/ACOB  STOl'T.  This  gentlemen  has  spent 
i  nearly  sixty-four  years  in  this  comity — in 
!  fact  his  entire  life  with  the  exception  of 
'  about  six  months,  when  he  was  brought 
here  \>y  his  parents  from  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  born  March  7,  1825.  Under 
these  circumstances  his  chief  interests  have  natur- 
ally centered  here,  and  while  growing  up  with  the 
country  he  has  been  closely  identified  with  the 
matters  pertaining  to  its  development  and  progress." 
He  comes  of  excellent  New  England  stock,  being 
the  son  of  Nathaniel  Stout,  who  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  and  was  the  son  of  Abraham  Stout,  a  cooper 
by  trade,  who  lived  to  be  eighty  years  old  and 
spent  his  entire  life  in  New  England.  He  was  a 
Baptist  in  religion  and  was  twice  married. 

Nathaniel  Stout  was  reared  to  man's  estate  in 
his  native  county,  and  married  a  distant  kinswoman 
Miss  Catherine  Stout,  of  Ohio,  and  the  daughter  of 
Jesse  Stout,  a  patriot  of  the  war  of  1812.  The  lat- 
ter came  to  this  county  when  nearly  one  hundred 
years  old,  and  died  nearly  fifty  years  ago.  His 
wife  survived  him  and  passed  away  at  the  home  of 
her  daughter  Catherine  after  she  had  become  a 
centenarian.  Both  Jesse  Stout  and  his  wife  were 
Baptists  in  religion.  Nathaniel  and  his  wife  after 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


403 


their  marriage  settled  a  few  miles  from  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  where  the  father  conducted  a  distillery,  but 
after  the  birth  of  their  first  child,  our  subject,  they 
determined  to  change  their  location  and  occupation, 
and  came  overland  to  Illinois.  The  father  took 
up  a  Government  tract  near  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Jacksonville,  which  cost  him  $1.25  per  acre 
and  which  he  sold  for  $30  per  acre.  He  then 
removed  to  Scott  County. 

I'pon  first  coming  to  Illinois  Nathaniel  Stout 
landed  with  a  capital  of  $50  and  a  team  of  horses 
which  would  at  this  day  be  considered  of  very  lit- 
tle value.  At  the  expiration  of  twelve  years  and 
preparatory  to  his  removal  to  Scott  County,  he 
sold  out  for  $10,000  and  purchased  land  from 
which  he  improved  two  farms.  These  also  in  time 
he  sold  and  removed  to  a  point  near  the  Ohio 
River  in  Pike  County,  where  he  began  boating  and 
was  thus  occupied  until  his  death,  which  took  place 
when  he  was  about  fifty-three  years  old.  His 
career  had  been  more  than  ordinarily  active  and 
industrious  and  presented  a  fine  illustration  of  the 
results  of  persevering  labor  and  good  management. 
His  wife  survived  him  about  three  years,  dying  in 
the  spring  of  1853,  when  about  fifty-four  years  old. 
Their  family  consisted  of  five  daughters  and  one  son 
our  subject,  and  they  are  all  living,  making  their 
homes  mostly  in  Illinois. 

Jacob  Stout  was  first  married  in  this  county,  in 
1843,  to  Miss  Harriet  Sprang,  who  was  born  here, 
where  she  was  reared  and  educated,  and  who  died 
in  Wapello  County,  Iowa,  Feb.  20,  1848.  They 
had  removed  to  Iowa  after  their  marriage.  There 
"  was  one  child  born  of  this  union,  a  daughter,  Sarah, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years.  Mr. 
Stout  was  married  the  second  time,  Dec.  24,  1849, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Deaten.  This  lady  was  born 
near  Jacksonville,  July  21,  183G,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Cook)  Deaten,  who  both 
died  here,  the  father  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  years  and  the  mother  in  1883,  aged  seventy- 
five.  The  latter  was  a  native  of  Virginia  whence 
she  came  to  this  county  with  her  father,  James 
Deaten,  in  1821,  when  but  a  few  people  had  set- 
tled here.  lie  was  thus  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers 
and  became  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  this 
county.  He  put  up  the  first  mill  within  its  limits 


northwest  of  the  present  site  of  Jacksonville,  and 
became  widely  and  favorably  known.  His  death 
was  the  result  of  a  fall  from  an  apple  tree.  His 
wife.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Pollard)  Deaten,  had  passed 
away  prior  to  the  decease  of  her  husband;  both 
were  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  the  first  class-meeting  in  the  county  was  or- 
ganized and  held  at  their  house.  Their  home  also 
became  the  stopping  place  of  the  itinerant. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stout  was  the  eldest  of  five  children 
born  to  her  mother — two  sons  and  three  daughters 
— and  she  remained  a  member  of  the  parental 
household  until  her  marriage.  The  seven  children 
born  of  her  union  with  our  subject,  are  recorded  as 
follows:  Marshall  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Rawlings 
and  lives  on  a  farm  in  the  same  township  as  his  fa- 
ther; Albert  married  Miss  Ellen  Parks  and  is  also 
in  township  15;  William  makes  his  home  with  his 
brother  Marshall,  and  they  farm  together;  Joseph 
married  Miss  Anna  Lake,  is  a  carpenter  by  trade 
and  lives  in  Ueardstown,  this  State;  Lizzie  A.,  Alta 
M.,  and  Charles  are  at  home  with  their  parents. 

After  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Stout 
on  the  2d  of  September,  -1862,  enlisted  as  a  Union 
soldier  in  Company  D,  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  the 
Company  under  command  of  Capt.  Kaufman  and 
the  regiment  commanded  by  Col.  Fox.  They  were 
assigned  to  the  lltli  Army  Corps  and  for  a  time 
were  under  (Jen.  Howard.  Later  they  were  con- 
solidated with  the  20th  Army  Corps  under  Grant 
and  Sherman,  and  our  subject  participated  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  was  one  of  four  compan- 
ions who  escaped  being  captured  by  the  Rebels. 
He  next  fought  at  Chattanooga  and  was  with  his 
regiment  near  Resaca,  May  14,  18C4.  The  follow- 
ing day  he  was  struck  by  a  shell  from  the  battery 
which  was  playing  upon  the  Infantry,  having  his 
right  leg  torn  from  his  hod}'.  He  was  conveyed 
to  a  hospital  where  he  was  confined  several  months, 
when  he  was  sent  North  and  received  his  honorable 
discharge,  Jan.  1,  18G5.  He  also  suffered  a  great 
deal  from  sickness  and  now  draws  a  pension  from 
the  ( Joverninent. 

Mr.  Stout  votes  the  straight  Republican  ticket, 
first,  last  and  altogether,  and  has  served  as  Justice 
of  the  Peace.  He  is  naturally  identified  with  the 
G.  A.  R.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are  mem- 


404 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


bers  in  good  standing  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  which  Mr.  Stout  officiates  as  Trustee, 
and  in  which  he  is  a  chief  pillar.  The  father  of 
Mr.  Stout  was  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  War. 


felLLIAM  P.  CRAIG  who  is  variously  en- 
gaged in  business  at  Woodson  as  a  grain 
buyer,  general  merchant  and  manufacturer 
of  bricks  and  tiling,  and  in  that  connection  sustains 
a  reputation  most  favorable,  was  born  on  the 
31st  of  July,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of  Edward  and 
Mary  Ann  Craig,  of  Kentucky,  and  the  place  of 
his  nativity  was  Morgan  County,  Ills.  The  grand- 
father James  Craig,  was  born  in  Virginia,  emigra- 
ted to  Kentucky  and  later  in  life,  to  Illinois,  and 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  old  school  Presby- 
terian Church  near  Jacksonville,  known  as  Union 
Church,  organized  Oct.  2,  1831,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  first  Elders,  which  office  he  held  to  his 
death. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  near  Shel- 
byville,  Ky.,  1807.  He'followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits both  in  his  native  state  and  this.  He  was  one 
of  Morgan  County's  pioneers,  and  came  to  Illinois 
in  1830,  entering  land  almost  immediately  upon 
his  first  arrival,  nine  miles  southeast  of  Jackson- 
ville, upon  which  farm  he  lived  until  his  death, 
March  30,  1883.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  for  thirty-five  years  was  one  of 
its  ruling  elders.  In  early  life  his  political  rela- 
tions were  with  the  Whig  party,  but  in  later  years 
he  was  numbered  with  the  Republicans.  Botli  hus- 
band and  wife  were  members  of  the  same  religious 
communion  and  sustained  a  faultless  reputation  in 
connection  therewith.  The  wife  was  born  in  Win- 
chester, Ky.,  in  1811,  and  died  Aug.  20,  1879. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  ourNsubject,  Wil- 
liam C.  Posey,  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  in 
youth  moved  to  Kentucky,  and  came  to  this  State 
in  1827,  when  Morgan  County  was  in  its  infancy. 
He  made  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now 
Jacksonville,  but  at  that  time  could  hardly  aspire 
to  the  dignity  of  a  village.  He  entered  a  tract  of 
land  just  east  of  the  present  city  limits,  and  there 
continued  farming  until  his  death.  He  is  on  re- 


cord  as  being  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Jacksonville,  which  was  organ- 
ized June  30,  1827,  at  which  time  the  nearest  Pres- 
byterian Church  was  seventy-five  miles.  This 
church  is  known  now  as  then,  as  the  Jacksonville 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  also  one  of  the  foun- 
ders of  the  Illinois  College  in  the  same  city.  The 
first  Board  of  Trustees  of  this  institution  were 
elected  on  the  5th  of  December,  1829,  and  the 
name  of  William  C.  Posey  is  found  as  one  of  the 
board.  To  his  self-sacrifice  and  patient  continu- 
ance in  spite  of  difficulties  and  discouragements, 
and  his  unquestioned  ability,  the  College  owes 
much  of  its  reputation  and  success.  He  was  a  zeal- 
ous worker,  an  excellent  citizen,  and  a  thorough 
and  well  educated  man.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig. 

The  family  of  which  our  subject  is  a  member  in- 
cluded seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  sons,  of 
whom  our  subject  was  the  first-born.  The  others 
were  Ann  E.,  James  G.,  George  E.,  Belle  M., 
Lloyd  A.,  and  Alexander  P.  Of  these  all  survive 
excepting  Ann  E.  and  James,  the  former  of  whom 
departed  this  life  in  infancy,  the  latter  in  the  year 
1858,  being  seventeen  years  old. 

On  the  20th  of  February,  1862,  Mr.  Craig  and 
Mary  M.  Flatford,  were  united  in  wedlock.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Louisa  (Harney) 
Flatford,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia 
and  the  latter  in  Kentucky.  Mr.  Flatford  in  early 
life  learned  the  trade  of  a  cabinet  maker  and  follow- 
ed the  same  for  many  years  in  Jacksonville.  Af- 
ter this  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  and 
continued  thus  employed  until  his  death,  August. 
1883.  They  were  both  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  were  regarded  as  true  mem- 
bers of  the  same.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Craig  was  the  third  born 
to  them.  .» 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  lias  beeM  engaged  in 
farming  for  many  years  and  still  retains  the  farm 
on  which  he  resided  before  moving  to  Woodson. 
All  the  recollections  of  his  childhood  and  early 
years  cluster  around  the  farm  of  his  father,  where 
he  obtained  his  first  knowledge  of  agriculural  pur- 
suits. He  continued  upon  the  home  farm  with 
his  father  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
and  from  that  time  until  1883  continued  similarly 


RESIDENCE  OF  J.  H.DF.VORE:,  SEC. 22.  T.i4.  R.io.   MORGAN  Co. 


"EDGEWOOD  STOCK  FARM'.'  RES.  OF  GEO  .  E.  DEWEES E, SEC.I9. 1 


"FLORAL  HOME"RE5IDENCE  OF  JAMESR  DtWEES    .5EC.31.  T.I6.-R.8  MORGAN  Co. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


407 


engaged  in  his  own  interests.  Five  years  previous 
to  his  coming  to  the  town  he  purchased  the  now 
extensive  tile  and  brick  works  of  Messrs.  Craig  & 
Holme.  These  are  perhaps  the  most  extensive  of 
tiny  in  the  district,  and  have  a  reputation  for  good 
work  that  is  worth  a  great  deal  to  the  business 
every  year.  This  department  of  his  affairs  he  has 
placed  in  charge  of  his  brother  Lloyd  A.  He  has 
quite  a  large  home  trade  for  the  goods  manufac- 
tured, and  also  ships  quite  extensively.  He  has 
supplied  his  yard  with  all  needed  and  helpful  mod- 
ern machinery,  and  a  steam  heat  drying  house  con- 
structed out  of  brick,  standing  40x90  feet,  two 
stories  in  height  and  covered  with  a  metal  roof. 
The  quality  of  his  productions  is  unquestionably 
high.  He  has  constantly  in  use  four  down  draft 
kilns,  with  a  capacity  of  30,000  brick  and  10,000 
tile  per  diem.  The  lowest  estimate  of  the  valua- 
tion of  the  works  would  be  at  least  $10,000. 

Mr.  Craig  and  wife  are  both  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  good  standing;  our  sub- 
ject is  not  what  might  be  called  an  enthusiastic 
politician,  but  at  the  same  time  is  much  interested 
in  everything  that  is  connected  with  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  community  and  State.  He  always  votes 
with  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  has  been 
a  member  ever  since  he  has  had  the  privilege  of 
casting  a  ballot,  and  that  was  at  the  birth  of  the 
party.  In  all  the  relations  of  life  our  subject  enjoys 
the  highest  regard  of  his  fellows  and  is  much  es- 
teemed by  those  who  know  him  best. 


W.  WOBBE.  There  is  no  class  of  foreign- 
ers who  come  to  this  country  to  better  their 
condition  that  make  better  citizens  and  better 
farmers  than  the  Germans.  In  their  native 
country  their  condition  was  unfavorable  to  money- 
getting,  and  their  faculties  were  constantly  at  work 
devising  ways  and  means  of  getting  on  in  the 
world,  a  state  of  affairs  which  helps  them  in  this 
country.  As  a  class  they  are  industrious,  frugal 
and  honest,  and  the  work  they  have  in  hand  to  do 
is  invariably  well  done. 

Mr.  Wobbe  is  favorably  known  among  the  Ger- 
man settlers  of  this  part  of  the  county  as  a  thor- 


ough  representative  of  the  class  of  Germans  referred 
to.  lie  has  a  good  farm  of  120  acres,  the  greater 
part  of  which  he  has  cleared  from  a  heavily  wooded 
section.  It  is  located  on  sections  26  and  27,  town- 
ship 16  and  range  11,  and  on  this  place  he  has 
made  his  home  since  1863.  He  came  to  Illinois  to 
make  a  permanent  home  for  himself  and  his  chil- 
dren, and  he  has  succeeded  well.  He  came  to 
Morgan  County  directly  from  Beardstown,  111.,  at 
which  place  he  located  in  1854,  having  come  there 
from  New  York  City.  He  lived  in  the  latter  place 
thirteen  months.  He  landed  in  New  York  City  Sept. 
30,  1852,  having  crossed  the  Atlantic  on  the  sail- 
ing-vessel ''Elizabeth."  After  landing  he  began 
life  as  a  laborer,  being  wholly  without  means  in  a 
strange  land  and  without  an  acquaintance,  and  from 
this  condition  he  has  risen  to  the  proud  position  of 
being  an  owner  of  his  own  home,  and  of  being  in- 
dependent so  far  as  this  world's  goods  are  con- 
cerned. 

Mr.  Wobbe  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  Oct. 
27,  1824.  His  ancestors  were  all  Germans.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Hanover  and  a  miller  by 
trade,  and  died  in  his  native  country  when  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice  was  not  quite  seven  years  old, 
while  his  wife,  Elizabeth  (Herman,)  survived  him 
for  a  few  years,  dying  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years.  She  and  her  husband  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  were  respected  in  their 
country. 

Mr.  Wobbe,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  written,  is  the 
eldest  of  three  children,  the  other  two  being  named 
George  and  Herman.  George  is  a  resident  of  Kan- 
sas, where  he  is  a  thriving  fanner,  and  single; 
Herman  is  yet  in  Hanover,  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  and  married.  Our  subject  has  supported 
himself  since  he  was  a  child,  and  earned  every  cent 
of  which  he  was  ever  possessed.  He  has  been  obliged 
to  fight  an  unequal  battle  with  the  wo>'ld,  and  he  has 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  has  gained  the 
victory.  lie  married  Margaret  Mass  in  his  native 
country,  and  their  first  child  was  born  after  the}' 
landed  in  Beardstown,  111.  Mrs.  Wobbe  died  at 
her  home  May  9,  1887,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one 
years.  She  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  fully  sustained  her  reputation  of  being 
an  industrious  woman  and  a  loving  mother.  Her 


t 


L. 


408 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


husband  also  worships  at  the  Lutheran  Church. 
This  couple  hnd'born  to  them  six  children,  two  of 
whom  are  deceased:  Mary,  formerly  wife  of  David 
McFadden,  died  March  8,  1889.  She  left,  five 
children — Mary,  Fred,  Arthur,  William  and  Min- 
nie. The  father  and  children  are  living  near  Ar- 
cadia, this  county.  Minnie  is  also  dead,  dying  in 
1871  at  the  age  of  eleven  years.  The  living  are 
as  follows:  Henry  married  Miss  Mollie  Mauley,  of 
Missouri;  she  died  in  that  State  Nov.  24,  1882, 
leaving  one  child,  Nellie.  Henry  is  now  working 
for  his  father  on  the  old  homestead ;  Charles  is  en- 
gaged in  farming;  Ella  is  the  wife  of  Orrin  Berk- 
enhiser.  They  live  on  a  farm  in  township  15, 
range  11 ;  Emma  is  at  home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Wobbe  is  an  ardent  Democrat, 
and  takes  interest  in  the  progress  of  his  party,  and 
though  he  has  never  sought  political  preferment 
he  has  held  about  all  the  local  offices  in  his  town- 
ship. He  is  considered  a  good,  safe  man  in  any 
place. 


jILLIAM  T.  LUTTRELL.  A  smooth  sea 
never  made  a  skillful  mariner,  neither  do 
uninterrupted  prosperity  and  success  qual- 
ify for  usefulness  and  happiness.  The  storms  of 
adversity,  like  those  of  the  ocean,  rouse  the  facul- 
ties and  excite  the  invention,  prudence,  skill  and 
fortitude  of  the  voyager. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  passed  through 
many  of  the  vicissitudes  of  life,  and  has  been  thor- 
oughly schooled  by  experience.  He  never  studied 
books  three  months  in  his  life.  lie  is  one  of  the 
pioneer  boys  of  Morgan  County,  born  Dec.  20,  1831. 
His  parents  came  to  Morgan  County,  where  his 
father  located  on  land  south  of  Franklin.  John  R. 
Luttrcll,  his  father,  was  born  in  Adair  County,  Ky., 
April  1,  1810,  where  he  lived  until  1822,  when  he 
came  here  and  commenced  farming.  Here  he  still 
lives. 

Our  subject  had  four  brothers — Ilirain  J.,  James 
Monroe,  Isaac  Newton,  and  John  W.,  in  Franklin. 
Morgan  County.  Hiram  married  Mary  E.  Ham- 
mond; both  are  deceased.  They  had  three  sons — 
Albert,  Henry  A.  and  Richard.  James  married 
Mary  A.  Ward,  of  Franklin;  they  both  died  leav- 


ing four  children  —  Lewis,  Thomas,  Ernest  and 
Cora.  Isaac  Newton  married  Catherine  Brewer, 
of  Morgan  County;  lie  is  a  farmer  of  New  Yirden, 
Sangamon  County,  this  State.  Our  subject  mar- 
ried twice,  his  first  wife,  Mary  F.  Burnett,  died 
without  issue.  The  second  wife,  Eliza  A.  Wright, 
is  a  native  of  Illinois.  Her  grandfather  was  in  the 
Revolutionary  War. 

William  T.  Luttrell  has  a  good  war  record.  He 
enlisted  Aug.  9,  1862,  in  the  101st  regiment,  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  Col.  Fox  commanding.  Capt  .1.  M. 
Fanning  was  the  commander  of  his  company.  He 
saw  service  in  1863  at  Vicksburg,  and  was  under 
Gen.  Grant  at  Missionary  Ridge  Sept.  23,  24  and  25. 
He  was  also  with  Gen.  Sherman  on  his  famous 
march  to  the  sea,  and  was  finally  discharged  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  June  7,  1864.  He  enlisted  as  a 
privrte  soldier  and  by  strict  attention  to  duty  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant. 

After  the  war  closed  he  returned  to  the  peaceful 
pursuit  of  agriculture  in  Morgan  County,  where  he 
owns  a  splendid  farm  of  250  acres,  all  accumulated 
since  his  return  from  the  war.  Mr.  Luttrell  has 
a  good  military  and  civil  record  and  bears  a  first- 
class  reputation  among  his  neighbors  for  all  the 
qualities  that  constitute  a  good  citizen.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  but  the  allurements  of  office 
have  no  charms  for  him. 


OBERT  RILEY  is  a  splendid  example  of  the 
thrifty  and  successful  farmer,  and  one  who 
cii  \\\  exhibits  his  good  sense  by  engaging  in 
^diversified  farming.  He  owns  agood  farm 
of  eighty  acres,  located  on  section  28,  township  15, 
range  1  1,  and  is  also  the  owner  of  two  other  small 
and  well-improved  farms. 

Mr.  Riley  has  lived  on  the  farm  upon  which  he 
now  resides  for  twenty-four  years.  He  lias  made 
a  large  number  of  improvements,  which  compare 
favorably  with  those  of  his  neighbors.  He  came  to 
Morgan  Count5^  in  the  fall  of  1860,  and  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  United  States  since  1859.  He  lived 
about  one  year  in  Scott  County.  He  is  a  native  of 
Lancastershire,  England,  and  was  born  on  Dec.  2, 
1834.  His  father,  Joseph  Riley,  livcnl  and  died  in 


1 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


409 


England,  where  he  was  born  of  good  English  stock. 
He  was  a  laborer  all  his  life,  and  died  in  his  native 
shire  when  his  son,  Robert,  was  a  small  boy.  He 
was  the  father  of  ten  children.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Helen  Fisher.  The  names  of  the 
children  are:  Thomas,  Nicholas,  John,  Joseph,  Rob- 
ert, Mary,  Elizabeth.  Helen,  Ruth,  and  Ann,  the 
two  latter  being  the  only  daughters  living.  Mrs. 
Riley  died  when  she  was  about  eighty  years  of  age, 
her  death  occurring  in  England,  in  1869.  She  and 
her  husband  were  both  members  of  the  English 
Church,  and  were  active  in  religious  matters. 

Robert  Riley,  of  whom  we  write,  is  the  only  sur- 
viving son  of  the  family.  His  sisters  are  both  liv- 
ing in  England,  and  married.  He  was  reared  at 
home  with  his  mother  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
of  age,  and  she  being  a  widow  with  a  large  family, 
he  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  and  later 
became  a  coachman  for  an  English  gentleman  by 
the  name  of  W.  E.  Windows,  a  position  he  occupied 
for  six  years.  Seeing  no  chance  in  England  to  bet- 
ter his  condition,  he  concluded  to  seek  his  fortune 
in  tin-  New  World,  and  so,  on  May  11,  1859,  he 
boarded  the  "City  of  Baltimore,"  of  the  Inman 
line,  at  Liverpool,  and  on  May  24th,  he  stepped 
ashore  at  New  York  City,  in  a  free  land,  where 
aristocracy  and  caste  are  unknown,  and  no  man  is 
entitled  to  be  called  a  gentleman  unless  his  actions 
deserve  it.  He  went  from  New  York  to  Canada, 
and  stayed  four  months  in  Oxford  County,  but  not 
being  satisfied  with  Canada,  he  came  to  Illinois,  lo- 
cating for  one  year  in  Scott  County,  whence  he 
came  to  Morgan  County.  He  was  married  in  this 
township  on  Jan.  31,  1865,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Rich- 
ardson, a  native  of  Morgan  County,  and  who  was 
born  in  June,  1837.  She  is  the  oldest  daughter  of 
Vincent  Richardson,  whose  biography  appears  in 
this  ALBUM.  Mrs.  Riley  was  reared  at  home,  and 
was  blessed  with  the  manifold  advantages  that  at- 
tach to  having1  careful  and  prudent  parents.  She 
is  the  mother  of  six  children :  Sarah  E.,  wife  of 
Albert  Scott,  lives  in  this  township  on  a  farm;  John 
W.,  married  Lizzie  Wilson,  and  is  also  farming 
here;  George  A.;  Vincent  R.,  Mary  R.,  and  Lizzie 
A.  are  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riley  are  consistent  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  and  politically,  Mr.  R.  is  a 


sound  Republican,  and  has  held  township  offices, 
lie  has  always  been  found  faithful  to  any  trust 
confided  in  him,  and  when  the  roll  of  good  men  of 
Morgan  County  is  made  up,  Mr.  Riley  will  appear 
as  one  of  the  best. 


MAYEIELD.  Upon  North  Main 
street  stands  the  livery  stable  so  success- 
fully run  for  the  past  five  years  by  the  gen- 
tleman, the  salient  points  of  whose  history  are  here 
briefly  recited.  He  is  the  oldest  of  six  children, 
who  comprise  the  famity  of  Milton  and  Elizabeth 
(Caudle)  May  field,  and  was  born  on  the  28th  of 
September,  1849,  at  Franklin,  in  this  county.  The 
other  members  of  the  family  are:  Brock  L.;  Sarah; 
Murray;  E.  W.;  and  G.  R.;  all  of  whom  are  un- 
married, and  with  the  exception  of  E.  W.  and  our 
subject,  reside  at  home. 

Milton  Mayfield,  the  head  of  this  household,  is  a 
native  of  Alabama,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1 822. 
When  he  was  seven  years  of  age,  his  parents  came 
to  Morgan  County,  he,  of  course,  accompanying 
them.  Since  that  time  he  has  always  continued  to 
reside  in  it,  and  has  been  identified  with  all  its  in- 
terests. He  has  been  a  tiller  of  the  soil  from  his 
youth,  and  by  no  means  unsuccessful  in  that  em- 
ployment. He  was  elected  Sheriff  of  this  county 
in  1808,  and  served  in  that  office  for  two  years. 
He  engaged  subsequently  in  the  cattle  trade,  and 
for  six  years  was  practically  a  resident  of  Nebraska, 
although  his  family,  whom  he  visited  as  often  as 
possible,  remained  in  the  old  home.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business,  and 
retired  from  active  business  life.  He  was  the  old- 
est of  six  brothers  and  one  sister  born  to  Ennis  and 
Mary  (Myers)  Mayfield,  who  were  born  in  Alabama 
and  Tennessee,  respectively. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  an  educated  man, 
having  been  through  the  classes  of  the  regular  in- 
stitutions, and  was  graduated  from  the  Jacksonville 
Business  College.  Until  he  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  he  lived  with  his  father.  He  then  engaged 
in  the  live-stock  and  cattle  trade,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  the  year  1884,  when  he  opened  the 
livery  and  sale  stable,  and  has  established  it  upon  a 


410 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


firm  business  basis.  His  stable  is  largely  patron- 
ized, and  is  considered  the  largest  and  best  in  Mor- 
gan County.  His  prosperity  in  business  is  beyond 
question,  and  is  all  the  more  noteworthy,  seeing 
that  it  has  been  all  his  own  work. 

The  family  of  which  Mr.  Mayfield  is  a  member, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  pioneer 
families  of  the  county,  and  has  always  been  held  in 
the  highest  regard  by  the  citizens  of  the  same.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  has  not  only  fully  sustained 
the  honor  and  reputation  of  the  family,  but  added 
thereto.  He  is  genial  and  affable,  business-like  and 
thorough  in  everything  he  undertakes,  and  has  a 
reputation  for  sterling  qualities  and  disposition, 
most  desirable.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P. 
and  I.  O.  O.  F.  Societies,  and  in  each  is  much  es- 
teemed. Usually  he  votes  the  Democratic  ticket. 
having  been  for  many  }'ears  a  member  of  that 
partj*.  He  is  counted  as  one  of  its  firmest  friends 
and  stanchest  adherents,  and  not  without  just  rea- 
son. He  also  has  a  fine  stock  farm  of  360  acres, 
three  miles  east  of  Murray  ville. 


II.  DEVOHE.  This  gentleman  is 
widely  and  favorably  known  throughout 
Woodson  Precinct  and  vicing  as  the  owner 
/  of  a  good  farm  property,  pleasantly  located 
on  section  22.  He  emigrated  to  this  region  during 
the  period  of  its  earliest  settlement,  being  among 
the  first  of  those  adventurous  spirits  who  firmly  be- 
lieved in  the  future  of  this  State.  He  recognized 
coming  possibilities  in  its  rich  soil,  which,  under  a 
proper  course  of  cultivation,  would  in  time  yield 
to  the  agriculturist  the  wealth  he  sought.  Time 
has  proved  the  correctness  of  his  theory,  and  he 
may  with  pardonable  pride,  consider  himself  one 
of  those  who  assisted  in  developing  the  rich  re- 
sources of  the  county. 

Mr.  Devore  is  the  owner  of  about  300  acres  of 
choice  land,  which  he  has  improved  with  substan- 
tial buildings,  and  here  lives  comfortably  without 
making  any  pretentions  to  style  or  elegance.  A 
view  of  his  residence  appears  on  another  page,  and 
is  a  good  representation  of  the  comfortable  home 
of  a  practical  farmer.  lie  lias  made  it  the  rule  of 


his  life  to  live  within  his  income,  and  has  not  only 
kept  his  estate  unembarrassed,  but  has  increased  its 
value  each  year.  Nature  endowed  him  with  .sound 
common  sense,  and  he  was  at  an  early  age  trained 
to  habits  of  industry  and  economy,  which  have 
served  him  well  during  his  struggle  to  obtain  a 
competence. 

A  native  of  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  our  subject 
was  born  June  24,  1829,  and  was  the  eldest  child  of 
Uriah  J.  and  Sarah  ,1.  (Mallory)  Devore,  who  were 
natives  of  the  same  county  as  their  son.  Soon 
after  marriage  they  settled  about  nine  miles  from 
the  city  of  Lexington,  where  they  lived  until  Octo- 
ber, 1831.  The  father,  resolving  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  great  West,  came  with  his  family  to 
this  county,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Jackson- 
ville Precinct,  where  he  took  up  quite  a  large  tract 
of  land,  some  four  or  five  hundred  acres.  From 
that  time  he  confined  his  attention  strictly  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  building  up  a  good  homestead, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days,  passing 
away  on  the  5th  of  April,  1881 ;  the  mother  is  still 
living,  making  her  home  with  our  subject,  and  is 
now  quite  well  advanced  in  3rears.  They  were  the 
parents  of  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  two  of 
whom  reside  in  this  county,  a  daughter  lives  in  Mis- 
souri, and  one  is  dead. 

Our  subject  was  a  child  two  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  came  to  this  county,  and  consequently 
grew  up  with  the  country.  He  spent  his  boyhood 
and  youth  under  the  parental  roof,  and  when  of 
suitable  years  and  strength  began  to  assist  his 
father  in  the  various  employments  of  the  farm.  He 
acquired  his  education  in  the  common  school,  and 
shortly  before  reaching  the  twenty-second  year  of 
his  age  was  married,  May  27,  18;">l,to  Miss  Cather- 
ine J.  Van  Winkle. 

Mrs.  Devore  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ky., 
Dec.  4,  1832,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Jason  and 
Elizabeth  (Simpson)  Van  Winkle,  who  were  natives 
of  Kentucky,  but  early  settlers  of  this  county. 
They  located  in  township  15,  range  9,  where  both 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  days.  Mrs.  Devore 
was  the  third  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  and  by 
her  union  with  our  subject  has  become  the  mother  of 
three  sons  and  four  daughters,  namely:  William 
T.,  Sarah  E.,  Mary  J.,  Annie  II.,  James  H.,  Robert 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


411 


L.  and  Lucy  M.  Both  our  subject  and  his  estima- 
ble wife  are  members  in  good  standing  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  Mr.  Devore 
is  a  Trustee,  and  he  contributes  liberally  toward  its 
support  and  maintenance. 

Politically  our  subject  affiliates  with  the.  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  has  held  the  office  of  County 
Commissioner  five  years,  and  has  officiated  as 
Township  Trustee  and  Treasurer,  besides  discharg- 
ing the  duties  of  many  other  local  offices.  Socially, 
he  belongs  to  Murrayville  Lodge  No.  432,  A.  F.  & 
A.M. 


T  •-?• 

jf.ILLIAM  R.  ROUTT,  a  retired  capitalist, 
having  a  fine  residence  in  the  southern  part 
of  Jacksonville,  No.  1427  South  Main 
street,  is  the  son  of  an  early  settler  of  Morgan 
County,  a  man  of  considerable  prominence  and  in- 
fluence among  its  pioneers,  forty  or  fifty  years  ago. 
The  father's  name  was  Harvey  Routt,  and  he  was 
born  in  Wood  ford  County,  Ky.,  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  18th  century.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  men- 
tal and  physical  endowments,  was  well  educated, 
and  early  assumed  a  place  of  importance  in  his 
native  county,  serving  it  at  different  times  as  Sur- 
veyor and  as  Commissioner,  he  having  received  a 
practical  training  as  Survej'or.  He  was  ambitious 
to  improve  his  financial  condition,  and  in  1834, 
with  his  wife  and  three  children,  he  left  the  pleasant 
scenes  of  his  old  Kentucky  home,  and  bravely  pene- 
trated the  wilds  of  Illinois  to  Morgan  County,  and 
soon  after  located  on  the  old  farm  where  our  sub- 
ject passed  the  most  of  his  boyhood,  and  where 
many  years  of  his  manhood  were  spent,  it  still  be- 
ing in  his  possession.  The  father,  besides  paying 
attention  to  improving  his  farm,  engaged  in  sur- 
veying, and  thus  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  the 
topography  of  the  surrounding  country.  His  fel- 
low-pioneers looked  up  to  him  as  a  man  of  superior 
wisdom  and  ability,  and  often  consulted  him  on 
important  public  questions.  He  gained  a  hand- 
some competence,  retired  to  private  life  in  Jack- 
sonville, and  in  February,  1873,  he  died,  and  thus 
passed  away  from  the  scenes  where  he  had  been  a 
familiar  figure  so  long,  a  citizen  whose  memory  is 
held  in  respect  not  only  as  a  pioneer,  but  as  a  man 


who  was  true  to  himself,  and  to  those  about  him  in 
all  the  relations  of  life.  He  was  twice  married. 
The  wife  of  his  early  manhood  died  soon  after  they 
came  here,  leaving  three  children — our  subject,  C. 
L.,  and  Mrs.  Newman,  the  latter  a  widow  living  in 
Chicago.  After  a  time  he  married  Mrs.  Ann  Fry, 
and  to  them  came  one  child,  Catherine.  She  is  now 
Mrs.  James  T.  McMillan,  and  has  one  son,  Frederic 
T.  Mrs.  Routt  survived  her  husband  four  or  five 
years,  and  then  she  too  passed  away. 

William  Routt  of  this  biography,  was  born  in 
Franklin  Count}',  Ky.,  April  1,  1832,  and  was  but 
two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  settled  on  the 
farm  eight  miles  southeast  of  Jacksonville,  in  this 
county.  Having  the  sad  misfortune  to  lose  his 
mother  a  few  years  afterward,  he  lived-  with  an  aunt 
until  after  his  father  married  a  second  time,  then 
he  took  him  home.  He  gleaned  a  good  practical 
common -school  education  in  the  local  schools,  and 
was  with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  he  attained 
his  majorit}',  and  then  his  father  left  the  old  home- 
stead in  his  and  his  brother's  care,  and  our  subject 
continued  to  live  thereon,  engaging  extensively  in 
buying,  feeding  and  selling  fat  stock,  until  Septem- 
ber, 1886.  He  then  bought  a  fine  residence  in  town, 
and  retired  to  it  to  enjoy  the  fortune  that  he  had 
accumulated  by  judicious  management  and  careful 
investments.  He  now  owns  313  acres  of  the  old 
homestead  that  once  belonged  to  his  father,  having 
sold  off  a  part  of  it,  and  also  in  addition  owns  about 
700  acres.  After  it  came  into  his  possession,  he 
made  many  valuable  improvements  such  as  any  en- 
terprising farmer  would  make,  erecting  a  fine  set  of 
farm  buildings,  including  a  bam  that  cost  $1,000, 
with  cattle  scales  adjoining,  and  everything  to 
facilitate  agricultural  pursuits,  and  under  his  man- 
agement it  became  one  of  the  finest  f.rms  in  the 
township.  It  is  located  on  section  25,  township  14, 
range  10. 

On  Jan.  28,  1869,  Mr.  Routt  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Martha  Ransdall,  and  one  son  has 
blessed  their  union,  Harvey,  born  on  the  15th  of 
March,  1871.  lie  is  now  in  the  preparatory  school 
fitting  for  college,  his  father  intending  to  give  him 
every  advantage  that  can  be  gained  by  a  fine  edu- 
cation. Mrs.  Routt  was  born  in  the  neighborhood 
where  her  husband  was  reared,  her  birthplace  being 


I 


i 


i       412 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


\ 


about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  his  father's 
homestead.  Her  father,  John  Ransdall,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  born  in  February,  1812,  came  to  Mor- 
gan County  when  a  young  man.  He  was  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade,  and  afterward  turning  his  attention  to 
agriculture,  is  still  living  on  the  same  farm  that  lie 
first  bought.  lie  married  for  his  second  and  pres- 
ent wife,  Miss  Tabitha  Grimsley,  and  four  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  one  dying  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Routt's  course  through  life  as  a  man  and  as  a 
citizen  has  always  been  highly  commendable,  and 
he  has  exerted  his  influence  for  the  public  good, 
using  his  wealth  freely  to  benefit  his  community, 
ever  having  its  highest  interests  at  heart.  He  was 
a  School  Director  for  many  years,  and  was  active 
in  promoting  the  cause  of  education.  In  politics 
he  is  a  sound  Democrat,  as  was  his  father  before 
him.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  a 
faithful  and  exemplary  follower  of  its  teachings. 


II 


B.  CORRINGTON  is  a  fine  type  of 
the  native-born  citizens  of  Morgan  County, 
sons  of  its  pioneers,  who  are  actively  en- 
gaged  in  tilling  its  soil  and  extending  its 
immense  agricultural  interests.  He  is  successfully 
and  profitably  managing  a  large  and  well-improved 
farm,  comprising  340  acres  of  land  on  section  32, 
township  16,  range  8  west,  besides  eighty  acres  of 
valuable  timber  land.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
raising  and  feeding  cattle,  and  sells  a  large  num- 
ber each  year. 

Our  subject  is  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Ann  E. 
(Cassell)  Corrington.  (For  parental  history  see 
sketch  of  his  brother  William  on  another  page 
of  this  work).  He  was  born  on  the  farm  where 
his  father  now  lives,  east  of  Jacksonville,  and  was 
there  bred  to  the  life  of  a  farmer,  receiving  a 
sound,  practical  training  in  all  that  goes  to  make  a 
good  farmer.,.  He  gleaned  a  good  education  in  the 
local  district  school,  making  the  most  of  his  advan- 
tages, and  is  to-da3'  a  well-informed  man.  In  Oc- 
tober. 1882,  he  took  unto  himself  a  wife,  marrying 
at  that  time  Miss  Mary  II.,  daughter  of  H.  L. 
Rea\  e-i.  of  this  county.  Their  wedded  life  was  not 
of  lo;i  '  duration,  for  the  shadow  of  death  fell 


across  their  peaceful  home,  and  the  young  wife 
and  mother  was  taken  from  her  loved  ones  May 
27,  1885.  Two  children,  Klsa  A.  and  Mary  E.. 
were  the  fruit  of  that  marriage.  Mr.  Corrington 
was  married  to  his  present  wife  Jan.  19,  1888. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Eugenia  S.  Thompson,  and 
she  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Thompson,  of  this 
county,  of  whom  see  sketch  in  this  volume.  She 
is  to  him  a  devoted  wife,  and  to  his  children  a 
kind,  loving  mother.  She  presides  over  their 
pleasant  home  with  grace,  attending  carefully  to 
the  comforts  of  its  inmates. 

Mr.  Corrington  early  entered  upon  the  career  of 
a  farmer,  and  has  alreadj'  achieved  more  than 
ordinary  success.  His  home  farm  is  all  under  ad- 
mirable cultivation,  excepting  that  part  of  it  de- 
voted to  pasturing  his  herds  of  cattle.  His  neat, 
substantial  buildings  are  in  good  order,  and  he  has 
every  appliance  for  conducting  agriculture  in  the 
most  profitable  way.  Our  subject  possesses  suf- 
ficient acumen,  foresight,  and  decision  of  character 
to  make  him  an  important  factor  in  fostering  the 
highest  interests  of  his  community,  and  iie  is  rightly 
considered  a  valuable  citizen.  He  is  straightfor- 
ward in  his  manner  and  independent  in  his  views, 
and  is  well  liked  by  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact  either  in  business  or  in  society.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  but  not  an  active  politician,  and  reso- 
lutely refuses  to  accept  any  office,  as  his  private 
affairs  occupy  all  his  time.  He  and  his  wife  are 
consistent  and  active  members  of  the  Christian 
Church',  and  in  that  faith  his  first  wife  died. 


EORGE  VASEY,  a  stock-raiser  and  farmer, 
resides  on  section  29,  township  15  and  range 
11,  where  he  owns  and  operates  a  splendid 
farm  of  1 09  acres,  twenty  acres  of  which  is  good 
timber.  This  farm  is  well  improved,  and  is  the  old 
homestead  entered  by  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
Mr.  Yasey  as  early  as  1832.  Mr.  Vasey  has  lived  on 
this  farm  since  1859,  and  since  he  commenced  re- 
siding upon  it  has  made  some  improvements. 

Mr.  Vasey  was  born  in  North  Riding,  near 
Scarboro.  Yorkshire,  England,  March  11,  1837, 
and  is  an  excellent  tepresentative  of  the  progres- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


413 


I 


sive  English  farmer.  He  inherited  in  a  large  de- 
gree the  painstaking  and  careful  plan  of  husbandry 
that  is  of  necessity  practiced  in  his  native  laud.  It 
is  an  established  fact  that  the  people  who  come 
from  the  old  countries,  where  land  is  scarce  and 
poverty  plentiful,  and  where  the  habits  of  econ- 
omy in  living,  and  the  thorough  plan  of  culti- 
vating land  obtains,  make  better  farmers  than  a 
great  many  who  were  reared  in  this  country.  It  is 
well  known  that  in  a  good  many  cases  where  plenty 
exists  waste  follows,  and  so  in  this  country,  where 
there  is  an  abundance  of  land,  the  people  are  not 
so  careful  of  the  way  they  cultivate  it  as  are  the  old 
country  farmers. 

John  Vasey,  the  father  of  George,  was  the  son 
of  John  Vasey,  Sr.,  both  being  natives  of  York- 
shire, England.  The  senior  Mr.  Vasey  was  a 
farmer  in  Yorkshire,  and  lived  and  died  there.  He 
was  about  three  score  and  ten  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  John  Vasey,  Jr.,  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  in  his  native 
county,  and  for  a  few  years,  when  a  young  man, 
spent  his  time  as  a  sailor.  He  was  married  in 
England  to  Miss  Hannah  Richardson,  who  was  a 
sister  of  Vincent  Richardson,  of  whom  a  sketch 
appears  in  this  ALBUM.  John  Vasey  and  wife, 
after  marriage,  began  life  as  farmers,  and  to  them 
were  born  seven  children,  their  births  all  occurring 
in  Yorkshire.  The  entire  family  came  to  the 
United  States  in  the  spring  of  1849,  landing  at 
Quebec,  Canada,  after  an  uneventful  voyage  of 
eight  weeks  and  three  days.  From  Quebec  they 
proceeded  by  land  and  water  to  Illinois,  and  in 
the  summer  of  the  same  year  they  reached  Mor- 
gan Count}'.  The  senior  Vasey  procured  land 
and  immediately  set  about  making  a  home,  and 
when  he  died,  in  July,  1871,  he  had  been  the 
owner  of  about  600  acres  of  good  and  well-im- 
proved land.  He  started  his  children  liberally  in 
life.  Mr.  Vasey  died  when  he  was  sixty-eight 
years  old,  having  well  rounded  out  a  most  useful 
and  virtuous  life.  When  he  passed  away  the 
county  lost  a  good  citizen.  His  wife  survived  him, 
the  dying  in  1884.  being  then  about  seventy -one 
years  of  age.  She  was  a  kind  mother,  a  good 
neighbor,  and  was  thoroughly  well  liked  by  every- 
one with  whom  she  came  in  contact,  and  her  mem- 


ory will  long  be  cherished  by  her  children.  George 
Vasey  was  educated  chiefly  in  Morgan  County,  and 
here  received  his  first  ideas  of  "getting  on  in  the 
world."  lie  went  back  to  England  and  was  married 
in  Lincolnshire,  April  15,  1867,  to  Emma  Grant, 
who  was  born  there  in  1843.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  James  Grant,  who  was  a  successful  business 
man  in  Lincolnshire,  and  died  ripe  in  j'ears.  The 
mother  of  Mrs.  Vasey  died  young,  and  but  little  is 
known  of  her  history.  Mrs.  Vasey  is  the  mother 
of  three  children:  John  J.,  Laura  B.  and  Charles 
II.,  all  of  whom  are  at  home.  Politically,  Mr. 
Vasey  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father  and 
brothers,  and  is  a  sound  Democrat,  but  he  cares 
little  for  politics,  except  when  local  affairs  are  in- 
volved. He  is  one  of  the  solid  men  of  this  town, 
and  one  who  is  greatly  respected  for  his  sterling 
qualities. 


AVID  MANCHESTER,  deceased,  was  a 
ii  noble  type  of  the  dauntless,  hardy  pioneer 
of  Illinois,  and  Morgan  County,  of  which 
he  was  an  early  settler,  is  greatly  indebted 
to  him,  for  what  he  did  to  promote  its  progress  and 
the  high  position  it  has  attained  among  its  prosper- 
ous and  wealthy  sister  counties.  Coming  here  in 
the  days  when  the  country  was  thinly  inhabited  by 
white  people,  and  the  Indians  were  still  lingering 
around  their  old  haunts,  and  there  were  scarcely 
any  traces  of  the  coming  civilization,  he  had  in  the 
vigor  of  early  manhood  thrown  himself  heart  and 
soul  into  the  pioneer  work  before  him,  and  in  the 
long  years  of  toil,  sacrifice  and  hardship  that  fol- 
lowed he  bravely  and  energetically  performed  his 
part  in  the  upbuilding  of  a  great  commonwealth. 
His  labors  in  behalf  of  himself  and  family  were 
amply  rewarded  by  the  wealth  that  he  succeeded  in 
accumulating,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he 
owned  a  beautiful  home,  a  large  and  valuable  farm 
of  more  than  400  acres,  had  a  surplus  at  the  bank 
and  owed  no  man  a  cent. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Warren  County,  N.  Y., 
in  1798,  coming  of  good  Revolutionary  stock, 
his  father,  Thomas  Manchester,  having  aided  his 
fellow-colonists  to  get  their  freedom  from  the 
mother  country,  and  in  the  course  of  the  conflict 


,    414 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


receiving  a  wound,  for  which  he  drew  .1  pension 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  of  English  ancestry. 
Our  subject  passed  his  boyhood  in  his  native 
county,  and  while  still  a  lad  served  thirty  days  in 
the  war  of  1812  as  a  flfer,  under  Gen.  Strong  and 
C:\pt.  Spencer.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  left  the 
parental  home  to  work  in  the  lumber  business  at 
(Quebec.  N.  Y.  He  afterward  determined  to  make 
his  way  to  the  then  almost  unknown  West,  and  see 
what  life  held  for  him  in  these  wilds,  and  going  to 
Ft.  Duquesne,  in  Pennsylvania,  he  bought  a  skiff  in 
which  he  floated  down  the  Ohio  River  to  Shawnee- 
town,  III.,  and  thence  lie  proceeded  on  foot  to 
Miner  Hurton,  below  St.  Louis.  He  worked  in  a 
lead  mine  at  that  place  two  years,  and  then  walked 
to  St.  Louis,  where  he  worked  in  a  livery  stable 
four  months  for  $5  a  month.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  again  set  fotth  on  a  pedestrian  tour, 
and  coming  to  this  county  he  settled  in  this  town- 
ship. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Manchester  had  less  than  a  dol- 
lar in  his  pocket,  but  he  went  to  work  with  charac- 
teristic energy  to  obtain  the  wherewithal  to  supply 
him  with  the  necessities  of  life,  and  the  first  thing 
he  did  was  to  split  f>00  rails  for  a  pair  of  shoes,  the 
leather  being  tanned  here  in  a  trough  by  Kasbier, 
with  the  hair  not  half  removed.     In  order  to  pro- 
cure material  for  clothes  he  raised  cotton,  which  he 
took  to  Beardstown  and  traded   for  the   required 
articles  of  apparel.     During  the  time  of  the  Indian 
troubles  he  took  an  active  part  against  the  savages, 
and    served    through   the   whole    campaign  in  the 
Hlack  Hawk  War  with  Gen.  Taylor,  Jeff  Davis  and 
Abraham  Lincoln,  he  having  been  a  member  of  Col. 
Ewing's  Spy  Battalion.     He  went  into  the  Mexican 
War  as  chief  musician  under  Col.  Hardin,  but  was 
taken  sick,  and  sent  back  to  Jacksonville,  where  he 
was  discharged  from  the  service.     He  was  for  some 
time  engaged  in  making  and  burning  brick  in  1835. 
He   devoted   much  of  his  time  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, raising  cattle,  etc.,  and   had   his   large   farm 
well   stocked,  and    became  one  of  the  leading  and 
most  prosperous  fanners  in  this  part  of  the  county, 
his  farm  on  section  5,  township    16  north,  range  8 
west,  comparing  with  the  very  best  in  this  region. 
June  12,  1825,  was  the  date  of  his  marriage  with 
Miss  Ethia  Linda  Cox.     They  were  well   suited  to 


each  other  in  mind  and  temperament,  and  in  the 
years  that  they  passed  together,  numbering  over 
half  a  century,  they  mutually  aided  each  other  in 
making  life  a  success,  and  from  first  to  last  their 
journey  together  was  as  happy  as  usually  falls  to 
the  lot  of  mortals.  In  this  homestead,  which  once 
belonged  to  her  father,  and  to  which  she  came 
when  a  girl  in  her  teens,  and  where  the  most  of  her 
married  life  was  passed,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
years  in  the  western  part  of  this  count}',  Mrs.  Man- 
chester is  spending  her  declining  years,  and  though 
more  than  fourscore  years  have  whitened  her  ven- 
erable head  she  still  retains  much  of  her  old  time 
mental  and  physical  vigor,  and  is  active  in  spite  of 
her  years.  Of  her  wedded  life  nine  children  were 
born,  as  follows:  Thomas,  Helen  and  Elizabeth 
(deceased),  Louisa;  Van  Rensselaer;  James  and 
David  (deceased),  Jerome,  Josephine  (deceased). 

Mrs.  Manchester  is  a  native  of  Henry  County, 
Ya..  born  Oct.  9,  1803,  to  John  and  Jane  (Prunty) 
Cox,  who  were  also  natives  of  that  county.  Early 
in  the  present  century  they  removed  to  Anton 
County,  Tex.,  and  thence  to  Southern  Illinois  in  the 
fall  of  1819.  They  passed  the  following  winter 
near  St.  Louis,  and  then  her  father  came  to  this 
locality  in  the  spring  of  1820,  and  bought  the  farm 
where  Mrs.  Manchester  and  her  family  now  live. 
After  his  daughter's  marriage  he  removed  with  the 
other  members  of  his  family  to  Iowa,  where  his 
earthly  pilgrimage  was  at  last  stayed  by  the  hand 
of  death.  After  his  demise  his  widow  came  to 
this  county  and  died  at  the  home  of  our  subject. 

In  this  brief  life-record  of  one  so  worthy  of  all 
honor  and  praise,  the  biographer  can  do  but  scant 
justice  to  the  character  of  the  subject.  Here  where 
so  many  years  of  his  active  and  useful  life  were 
passed,  and  where  his  honorable  career  was  brought 
to  a  close  Sept.  6,  1878,  at  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty  years,  his  memory  is  cherished  by  the  many 
who  knew  and  venerated  him  as  a  pioneer,  and  as 
one  of  our  best  citizens,  a  kind  neighbor  and  a  well- 
loved  friend.  lie  always  took  a  lively  interest  in 
politics,  and  he  and  his  father-in-law  and  one  other 
man  were  the  only  three  to  vote  for  James  Monroe 
in  this  county.  He  was  always  an  ardent  follower 
of  the  Republican  party  after  its  organization. 
Miss  Louisa  Manchester,  the  daughter  of  our 


• 


I 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


415 


subject,  is  managing  her  father's  large  property 
with  success,  displaying  ability  and  business  tact  of 
a  high  order,  and  keeping  up  the  farm  to  the  same 
standard  that  it  had  attained  under  her  father's 
care. 


H.  HALL.  Among  the  native- 
'•)Orn  citizens  °f  this  county,  who  are  com- 
fortably  established  in  homes  of  their  own 
and  are  well-to-do,  may  be  properly  mentioned 
Mr.  Hall,  who  was  born  April  21.  1853,  and  is 
consequent!}'  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  represents 
property  to  the  amount  of  160  acres  of  thoroughly 
cultivated  land,  with  good  improvements,  and  is  a 
man  looked  up  to  in  his  community  as  possessing 
all  the  qualities  of  a  good  citizen.  He  acquired  a 
good  education,  and  although  not  a  college  gradu- 
ate, is  master  of  probably  more  practical  knowledge 
than  many  who  have  been  for  years  under  the 
tutelage  of  learned  men. 

Mr.  Hall  is  of  English  descent,  being  the  son  of 
William  Hall,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  who  was 
born  July  11,  1803.  The  latter  remained  upon 
his  native  soil  until  after  his  marriage,  emigrating 
to  America  in  1830.  He  made  his  way  directly  to 
this  county,  and  was  one  of  its  earliest  pioneers, 
locating  on  a  tract  of  land  west  of  the  present  site 
of  Jacksonville,  which  was  then  marked  by  a  few 
rude  buildings.  He  made  his  mark  upon  a  portion 
of  the  primitive  soil,  building  up  a  good  homestead, 
where  "he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  de- 
parted hence  May  14,  1873.  He  was  first  married 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Killam,  of  Yorkshire,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  six  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living:  Ann  married  George  Exley,  of  Jack- 
sonville, a  saddler  and  harnessmaker,  and  they  now 
live  in  California;  John  W.  married  Fanny  Wilkin- 
son, of  this  county,  and  lives  in  Jacksonville,  where 
he  operates  as  a  blacksmith  and  deals  in  agricultural 
implements;  Martha  married  Thomas  Lee,  a  farmer 
of  this  county;  they  live  near  Markham,  and  are 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  five  living.  Mary 
married  Robert  Newby,  is  living  in  Morgan  Count}', 
and  is  fanning. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  L. 
(Riggs)  Hall,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  Her 


parents  removed  from  New  Jersey  to  Brown  County, 
this  State,  in  1831  ;  she  had  only  two  children — our 
subject  and  Isaac  T.,  who  was  born  in  1857  and 
died  in  1861.  George  H.,  of  our  sketch,  married 
Elizabeth  A.  Moody,  a  native  of  Morgan  County. 
They  settled  in  this  county,  and  her  father  died 
about  1871.  The  mother  is  still  living,  and  makes 
her  home  in  Jacksonville.  The  family  included 
twelve  children,  only  four  of  whom  are  living, 
namely:  John,  Sarah,  Ulysses  Grant,  and  Mrs.  Hall. 
John  married  Lucinda  Murphy,  and  is  a  farmer  of 
tin's  county;  Sarah  is  the  widow  of  Charles  L.  New- 
by,  and  resides  in  Jacksonville.  Ulysses  G.  mar- 
ried Hannah  Hogan,  of  Jacksonville,  and  they 
occupy  the  old  homestead. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  there  have  been  born  six 
children,  viz:  Flora  J.,  Rachel  L.,  John  W.,  Ritta 
A.,  Henry  R.,  and  Augustus  C.  Mr.  Hall  has  oc- 
cupied his  present  farm  nine  years,  and  has  made 
all  the  improvements  upon  it.  It  was  formerly  a 
part  of  the  Alexander  estate,  and  he  purchased  it 
of  A.  E.  Ayers.  He  has  few  outside  interests,  giv- 
ing his  attention  closely  to  the  improvement  and 
cultivation  of  his  farm.  He  keeps  himself  well 
posted  upon  current  events,  however,  and  uni- 
formly votes  the  Republican  ticket.  Aside  from 
serving  on  the  jury,  he  has  had  little  or  nothing  to 
do  with  public  affairs.  Mr.  Hall  is  Grand  Worthy 
Secretary  of  the  A.  H.  F.  A.,  of  Illinois. 


E.  DEWEESE.  Among  the  rising 
|  CT  young  farmers  of  the  present  generation  who, 
within  the  last  decade,  have  become  import- 
ant factors  in  sustaining  and  extending  the  material 
interests  of  Morgan  County,  the  gentleman  whose 
name  is  at  the  head  of  this  sketch  occupies  no 
mean  position.  He  is  bright,  alert  and  talented, 
and  possesses  fine  business  qualifications  that  have 
already  won  him  a  reputation  for  sound  judgment, 
keen  discrimination  and  far  reaching  forethought. 
He  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  200  acres,  on  sec- 
tion 19,  township  16  north,  range  8  west,  which  is 
partly  under  cultivation  and  the  remainder  devoted 
to  pasturage;  is  neatly  fenced,  and  supplied  with  .1 
fine  set  of  buildings,  including  a  roomy,  well- 


416 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


appointed  house,  a  commodious  barn,  etc.  It  is 
admirably  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  a  stock 
farm,  and  Mr.  Deweese  pays  much  attention  to 
breeding  superior  road-horses  of  a  fine  Hamble- 
tonian  strain,  intending  in  the  future  to  devote 
himself  almost  wholly  to  that  rather  than  to  culti- 
vating the  soil. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  James  and  Nancy  J. 
(Trimble)  Deweese,  for  whose  personal  history  see 
sketcli  of  James  Deweese  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  He  was  born  near  Waverly,  this  county, 
June  5,  1862,  but  was  reared  in  this  township,  re- 
ceiving the  foundation  of  his  education  in  the 
district  school,  and  afterwards  completing  it  by  a 
course  in  Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville,  and  sub- 
sequently pursuing  his  studies  at  the  Jacksonville 
Business  College.  He  was  thus  fitted  for  any  calling 
that  he  might  adopt,  and  brings  a  well  trained 
mind  to  his  work.  Ever  since  leaving  college,  in 
1879,  lie  has  been  engaged  as  noted  in  the  com- 
mencement of  this  article,  and  in  1882  he  began 
farming  on  his  present  farm,  and  since  his  marriage 
has  lived  here.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  breeding 
stahdard  road-horses,  keeps  several  mares  of  good 
blood,  and  his  stallion,  Dictator,  a  bay  horse,  three 
years  old,  which  he  keeps  chiefly  for  breeding  pur- 
poses, is  of  the  famous  Hambletoniau  stock,  noted 
as  producing  some  of  the  fastest  trotters  in 
America.  His  farm  is  in  a  fine  condition,  and  is 
amply  supplied  with  everything  necessary  for  car- 
rying it  on  to  the  best  advantage,  and  the  build- 
ings and  all  are  in  good  repair.  Mr.  Deweese  is 
quite  a  mechanical  genius,  and  though  never  learn- 
ing the  carpenter's  trade,  he  has  built  an  addition 
to  his  barn,  and  put  up  another  building  all  by 
himself. 

Nov.  10,  1887,  Mr.  Deweese  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Hattie,  daughter  of  John  Virgin,  of 
whom  see  sketch  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 
She  presides  with  charming  grace  over  their  home, 
and  renders  it  comfortable  for  him  and  attractive  to 
their  numerous  friends  who  enjoy  its  generous  hos- 
pitality. 

In  Mr.  Deweese,  his  native  county  finds  one  of 
its  progressive,  wide-awake  sons,  who  is  honest- 
hearted,  whole-souled  and  public-spirited,  and  is  in 
every  way  a  very  desirable  citizen.  He  has  good 


mental  endowments  and  strong  opinions  of  his  own 
on  all  subjects  that  interest  him,  which  he  expresses 
frankly  on  proper  occasions,  though  not  so  as  to 
give  offence.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P. 
Lodge  at  Jacksonville,  and  also  of  the  Anti-Horse 
Thief  Association  of  this  neighborhood. 


JONATHAN  RICHARDSON  is  a  general 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  whose  farm  is  situ- 
ated on  section  27,  township  15,  range  11. 
Here  he  owns  110  acres  of  very  fine  land, 
and  good  buildings.  He  has  lived  on  this  farm 
since  1870,  renting  the  place  until  1877,  when  lie 
purchased  it  with  money  made  as  a  renter.  He 
came  to  Jacksonville  in  May,  1857,  directly  from 
England,  and  since  coming  to  this  country  has 
made  his  home  in  Morgan  County.  He  was  born 
in  Yorkshire,  England,  April  15,  1835. 

Mr.  Richardson's  career  since  coming  to  America 
is  a  practical  illustration  of  the  possibilities  that 
lie  within  the  reach  of  all  who  have  the  courage, 
ability  and  industry  to  grasp  them.  His  English 
training  taught  him  that  nothing  is  gained  without 
labor,  and  following  this  idea,  he  has  reached  a 
high  eminence  in  his  calling.  Many  Englishmen 
have  come  to  this  country  with  money,  and  plenty 
of  it,  and  have  miserably  failed.  They  did  not 
have  a  proper  conception  of  their  opportunities, 
but  brought  with  them  the  high  notions  that  are 
inseparable  from  the  English  aristocracy.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  poor  man  who,  perhaps,  came 
in  the  same  ship,  riding  in  the  steerage  of  the 
vessel  while  his  wealthier  brother  was  having  the 
best  in  the  cabin,  attained  wealth,  and  when  they 
visited  their  native  land,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the 
one  who  came  here  with  money  exchanged  places 
on  the  ship  with  the  Englishman  who  came  here 
totally  destitute  of  resources. 

The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Jona- 
than Richardson,  Sr.,  was  a  typical  English  farmer. 
He  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  was  married  in 
his  native  county  to  Jane  I'asby,  who  was  a  native 
of  the  same  shire.  After  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Richardson,  Sr.,  began  farming  on  a  small  scale, 
and  in  common  with  most  small  farmers  of  Eng- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


417       k 


land,  it  was  with  difficulty  that  they  made  both 
ends  meet,  but  they  succeeded  in  giving  their 
children  a  fair  education,  and  teaching  them  that 
their  success  in  life  would  depend  wholly  upon 
their  own  efforts;  and  with  that  lesson  fully  learned, 
Jonathan  Richardson,  Jr.,  sailed  for  America  in 
1857.  joining  his  brother  William,  who  had  pre- 
ceded him  to  America  in  1850,  and  had  located  in 
Morgan  County. 

In  1858,  the  father  and  mother,  accompanied  by 
three  of  their  other  children,-  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  near  Jacksonville.  They  both 
lived  and  died  in  Morgan  County,  living  to  a 
good  old  age.  The  elder  Richardsons  had  the  rep- 
utation of  being  prudent,  industrious  and  intelli- 
gent people,  and  when  they  died  were  deeply 
mourned.  When  Jonathan,  Jr.  came  to  America, 
he  had  just  become  of  age.  He  was  married  in  the 
house  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  on  April  12,  1867, 
to  Miss  Martha  J.  Mawson,  a  native  of  Scott 
County,  and  who  was  born  March  10,  1841.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Robert  and  Ann  (Killam)  Maw- 
son,  now  both  deceased,  having  died  at  their  home 
at  an  advanced  age.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Richard- 
son were  natives  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  came 
to  America  in  1829  and  located  in  Morgan  County. 
They  came  here  when  this  part  of  the  country  was 
nearly  uninhabited,  and  by  good  management  built 
up  a  comfortable  fortune.  Their  reputation  was 
that  of  worthy  citizens. 

Mrs.  Richardson,  as  before  indicated,  was  reared 
to  womanhood  in  this  county.  Not  being  blessed 
with  any  children  of  their  own,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rich- 
ardson reared  and  educated  two — Thomas  B.  Swa- 
well  and  Lena  Ball.  Mr.  Richardson  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  and  attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


I 


'RANKLIN  RAYHON.  In  the  subject  of 
this  biography  we  have  a  man  who  com- 
menced life  in  this  county  with  a  capital  of 
thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents,  and  who  is  now 
the  owner  of  a  well-regulated  farm,  embracing 
125  acres  of  valuable  land,  upon  which  he  has 
erected  good  buildings  and  otherwise  added  to  the 
taxable  property  of  his  township.  He  was  one  of 


the  earliest  pioneers  of  this  section,  to  which  he 
came  when  there  were  but  few  evidences  of  civili- 
zation and  people  mostly  dwelt  in  log  cabins  on 
the  prairie,  tilling  their  wild  land  under  many  dif- 
ficulties and  enduring  all  the  hardships  of  life  on 
the  frontier.  He  and  his  wife  also  settled  in  a  log 
cabin  and  farmed  on  fifty  acres  of  land,  which  they 
rented  on  shares.  Our  subject  did  the  work  mostly 
himself,  with  the  assistance  of  his  wife,  who  dropped 
corn  and  did  other  light  work. 

The  first  purchase  of  Mr.  Raybon  was  eighty 
acres  on  section  14,  township  16,  range  12,  which 
he  cleared,  and  from  which  he  constructed  a  'good 
farm.  This  they  occupied  until  the  year  of  1876, 
when  they  removed  to  their  present  place.  This 
has  only  been  brought  to  a  state  of  cultivation  by 
downright  hard  work  and  good  management,  there 
being  but  few  improvements  when  he  took  posses- 
sion. The  first  year  of  his  residence  in  this  county 
Mr.  Raybon  worked  for  $100  and  'his  board,  and 
did  not  lose  a  single  day  by  sickness  or  otherwise. 
He  has,  like  other  men,  had  his  difficulties  to  con- 
tend with,  but  believing  that  "  all  things  come  to 
those  who  wait,"  labored  with  patience  and  hope, 
and  finally  met  with  his  reward. 

Mr.  Raybon  was  born  in  Roane  County,  Tenn., 
Nov.  16,1 833,  and  came  to  this  county  with  his 
brother  John  when  a  youth  of  fifteen  years.  He 
had  only  received  a  limited  education,  and  for 
three  years  thereafter  worked  by  the  month.  In 
January,  1850,  before  reaching  the  seventeenth  year 
of  his  age,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emaline  Long, 
who  was  a  few  months  older  than  her  husband,  and 
who  was  born  March  26,  1832,  and  was,  like  him, 
a  native  of  Tennessee.  Her  parents  were  Henry 
and  Nancy  (Gadberry)  Long,  likewise  natives  of 
Tennessee,  and  who  came  to  this  county  when  their 
daughter  was  an  infant  of  five  months.  They  set- 
tled on  the  raw  prairie,  in  township  16,  range  12, 
where  the  father  put  up  a  log  cabin,  cleared  his 
land,  and  built  up  a  comfortable  homestead. 

The  four  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Raybon 
are:  Susan  E.,  the  wife  of  Alexander  B.  Condiff,  of 
this  county;  Lewis  A.,  a  resident  of  Pleasant  Hill, 
Mo. ;  Lucinda  E.,  the  wife  of  E.  H.  Williams,  of 
this  county;  and  Henry  S.,  also  living  here. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Raybon,  after  their  marriage,  set- 


418 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


tied  in  a  log  cabin  on  section  25,  township  16, 
range  12,  the  place  which  we  have  already  men- 
tioned, and  lived  in  a  manner  corresponding  to 
their  means  and  surroundings.  They  have  labored 
together  with  one  purpose  in  view  —  that  of  pro- 
viding for  themselves  and  their  children,  and  rear- 
ing the  latter  in  a  manner  which  should  make  of 
them  good  and  worthy  members  of  society. 

To  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Hay  lion  there  were  born 
ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living.  The  eldest 
daughter,  Mary,  is  the  widow  of  Humphrey  May; 
Annie  married  Alexander  Johnson,  and  lives  in 
Virginia;  Jane  is  the  wife  of  Washington  Filey,  of 
Kansas:  Mrs.  Raybon  is  next  in  order  of  birth; 
Christina,  Mrs.  L.  W.  Wallack,  lives  in  Altamont, 
this  State;  Nancy  is  a  resident  of  Concord;  Me- 
liuda,  the  wife  of  W.  15.  Rigler,  resides  in  Chandler- 
ville;  Tabitha  Q.,  Mrs.  E.  P.  Taylor,  makes  her 
home  in  this  precinct.  The  parents  were  members 
of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

Our  subject,  politically,  votes  the  straight  Dem- 
ocratic ticket,  and  has  served  as  Scbool  Director  in 
his  district.  His  father,  Jesse  Raybon,  was  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  and  married  Miss  Susan  Funk, 
who  is  supposed  to  have  been  born  in  Tennessee 
and  traced  her  ancestry  to  Germany. 


I 


AMUEL  G.  WEAGLEY,  M.  D.  Perhaps 
the  highest  tribute  that  can  be  passed  upon 
a  man,  is  to  acknowledge  that  in  all  re- 
spects he  has  fulfilled  his  obligations  as  a 
member  of  the  community,  conscientiously,  and  to 
the  best  of  his  ability.  Such  individuals  are  com- 
paratively few  and  far  between,  and  while  perhaps 
making  little  stir  in  the  world,  really  exercise  a 
deep  and  lasting  influence  upon  those  with  whom 
they  come  in  contact.  From  the  known  character 
of  Dr.  Weagley  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  these  re- 
marks are  peculiarly  applicable  to  his  case.  He  has 
.labored  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  among  the  peo- 
ple of  this  county  for  the  last  forty  years,  and  en- 
joys in  a  marked  degree  their  confidence  and  es- 
teem, both  professionally  and  as  a  business  man 
and  a  citizen. 

Fayette  County,  Ky.,  was  the  native  place  of  our 


subject,  and  his  birth  occurred  Jan.  6,  1823.  He 
was  among  the  comparatively  few  who  at  that  early 
day  received  a  good  education.  He  completed  his 
studies  in  Jacksonville,  (111.)  College,  where  he 
took  a  course  of  medical  lectures,  and  later  attended 
lectures  at  Louisville,  Ky.  He  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  his  chosen  profession,  first  in  1849.  Upon 
his  arrival  in  this  county,  the  settlers,  few  and  far 
between,  were  located  mostly  in  the  timber  along 
the  streams.  The  Doctor  was  familiar  with  agri- 
cultural pursuits  which  were  perfectly  in  harmony 
with  his  tastes,  and  he  accordingly  purchased  a 
farm  of  I.  N.  Tindall.  Upon  this  he  labored  a  num- 
ber of  seasons,  and  purchased  additional  land  ad- 
joining, then  sold  and  secured  his  late  homestead 
from  W.  M.  Cassell.  This  he  has  recently  sold  to 
Whitakcr  M.  Grant,  but  during  the  absence  of  the 
latter  in  Alaska,  remains  upon  it,  and  is  looking 
after  its  affairs  until  the  return  of  the  owner.  This 
farm  comprises  240  acres  of  choice  land  upon  which 
Dr.  Weagley  effected  good  improvements. 

Our  subject  has  practiced  medicine  in  Morgan 
County  for  the  long  period  of  forty  years,  and  is 
consequently  known  to  a  large  proportion  of  its 
people.  He  is  amply  adapted  both  by  training  and 
education  to  the  responsible  duties  in  connection 
therewith,  and  his  career  has  been  characterized  by 
that  conscientious  fidelity  to  the  best  interests  of 
his  patients  and  that  ready  sympathy  which  him  been 
more  effective  than  drugs  and  nostrums.  He  is  the 
offspring  of  an  excellent  family,  being  the  son  of 
Isaac  N.  and  Sarah  (Gregg)  Weagley,  who  were 
likewise  natives  of  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  where  the 
father  owned  a  farm,  and  also  operated  as  a  carpen- 
ter. He  died  when  comparatively  a  young  man 
during  the  infancy  of  his  sou,  Samuel  G.  lie  was 
of  German  descent,  while  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, whose  parents  came  from  Maryland,  traced 
her  ancestry,  to  England.  Besides  our  subject,  there 
were  but  two  children.  The  other  son,  Abraham, 
married  a  Miss  Cassell,  of  Fayette  County,  and  is 
now  deceased.  The  sister,  Maria,  became  the  wife 
of  Henry  Iliggins  of  Scott  County,  Ky.  They 
lived  there  some  years,  then  came  to  this  county, 
and  Mr.  Higgins  engaged  as  an  upholsterer  in  Jack- 
sonville. He  was  then  provided  with  considerable 
means,  indeed  was  quite  wealthy,  but  lost  a  large 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


419 


portion  of  his  property,  and  died  in  limited  circum- 
stances. His  widow  is  still  a  resident  of  Jackson- 
ville, and  has  arrived  at  tlie  age  of  eighty-eight 
years.  She  retains  all  her  mental  faculties  unim- 
paired. 

In  July,  1849,  Dr.  Weagley  was  wedded  to  Miss 
Amanda  C.  Lay  ton,  of  Scott  County,  Ky.  She  was 
born  March  7,  1830,  and  came  with  her  parents  to 
this  county  about  1831.  They  settled  on  a  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  Jacksonville,  where  the  death  of 
the  father  occurred  in  1840.  The  mother  is  still 
living,  and  residing  there.  They  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  living.  Of 
these,  William  T.,  married  Miss  Melinda  Boyce, 
and  is  acting  Deputy  Sheriff  of  this  county.  They 
have  five  children — Mattie,  William,  Nettie,  Bessie, 
and  Linda.  Sarah  E.  married  Andrew  Jackson 
Morton,  of  this  county;  he  is  now  deceased;  she  is 
a  resident  of  Jacksonville.  Mary  F.  married  Irvin 
Dunlap,  who  is  quite  prominent  in  local  politics, 
and  was  Sheriff  of  this  county  for  eight  years;  they 
are  the  parents  of  one  son,  Millard  F.,and  have  an 
adopted  daughter,  Lizzie,  a  child  of  the  sister  of 
Mr.  Dunlap;  she  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Nixon,  a 
railroad  man  holding  a  responsible  position.  Mr 
and  Mrs.  Dunlap  are  now  traveling  in  California, 
on  account  of  the  health  of  the  latter. 

The  Doctor  and  his  estimable  lady  arc  the  par- 
ents of  five  children :  Isaac  W. ;  S,  G regg,  who  mar- 
ried Lillie  B.  Davis ;  they  have  one  daughter,  Katie. 
Martin  H. ;  Katie  L.  is  the  wife  of  Whitaker  M. 
Grant,  formerly  of  Alabama,  but  who  is  now  United 
States  District  Attorney  in  Alaska;  they  have  two 
children,  Alice  C.,  and  Katie  W.  Ida  May  married 
Robert  M.  Hockenhull,  a  banker  of  Jacksonville, 
and  they  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Virginia  May. 
Their  son,  Isaac  W.,  died  when  a  promising  young 
man  of  twenty  -one  years,  and  Martin  II.  was  taken 
from  the  household  circle  at  the  interesting  age  of 
fourteen  years. 

Politically,  Dr.  Weagley  is  one  of  the  most  active 
members  of  the  Republican  party  in  this  section, 
although  steadfastly  declining  to  become  an  office- 
holder, lie  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, being  a  member  of  Blue  Lodge.  Formerly 
both  he  and  Mrs.  Weagley  were  identified  with  the 
Christian  Church  at  Jacksonville.  The  society  was 


eventually  disbanded,  and  they  have  not  since  as- 
sociated themselves  with  any  religions  denomina- 
tion. They  have  made  hosts  of  friends  during 
their  long  residence  in  this  county,  and  form  a  part 
of  that  solid  and  reliable  element  by  means  of  which 
it  has  attained  to  its  present  reputation  and  stand- 
ing among  the  communities  of  the  Great  West. 


ENRY  WILKIE  is  a  general  farmer,  living 
")j-  on  section  26,  township  16,  range  11,  and 
owns  a  fine  farm  of  eighty  acres.  If  there 
is  one  thing  in  agriculture  in  which  a  Ger- 
man excels,  it  is  in  his  thoroughness  in  cultivating 
his  land.  On  his  farm  nothing  is  allowed  to  go  to 
waste,  and  everything  connected  with  it  denotes 
thrift  and  industry.  Though  Mr.  Wilkie's  farm  is 
not  so  large  as  those  of  some  of  his  neighbors,  it 
will  be  a  safe  assertion  to  make,  that  he  gets  as  much 
from  an  acre  of  ground  as  any  other  farmer.  It  is 
a  notable  characteristic  of  his  race  to  do  all  things 
well. 

Mr.  Wilkie  has  lived  on  his  present  farm  since 
1865,  coming  here  from  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  where 
he  had  lived  from  his  boyhood  days.  He  was  born 
in  Mechlenburg,  Germany,  on  Aug.  7,  1832.  He  i 
the  son  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth  (Schmidt)  Wilkie, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Mechlenburg,  and  were 
residents  of  that  city  until  they  came  to  America. 
The  father  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  a  suc- 
cessful one.  In  184!),  the  father,  mother  and  two 
sons  concluded  to  seek  their  fortunes  in  far-off 
America,  of  which  they  had  read  and  heard  so 
favorably,  and  after  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks  and 
three  days  they  landed,  without  incident  worthy  of 
mention,  at  New  York.  They  immediately  started 
for  Sheboygan  County,  Wis.,  where  they  arrived 
in  due  time,  and  in  a  few  years  the  elder  Wilkie 
purchased  a  tract  of  land,  upon  which  he  is  yet  liv- 
ing, at  the  age  of  eight3'-five  years,  and  is  enjoying 
good  health.  His  wife  died  in  1887,  and  was  then 
eighty-three  years  and  two  months  of  age.  They 
had  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  five  years  be- 
fore the  death  of  Mrs.  Wilkie.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  her  husband  also  be- 


420 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


I 


lieves  in  the  same  religion.  In  their  neighborhood 
none  were  better  thought  of  than  this  venerable 
couple. 

Henry  Wilkie  is  the  eldest  of  the  two  sons  born 
to  his  parents.  His  brother,  William,  died,  leaving 
a  wife  and  two  children,  his  death  occurring  in 
Jacksonville.  Henry  was  educated  in  his  native 
city,  and  was  early  apprenticed  to  the  carpenter's 
trade,  finishing  it  at  Chicago.  He  became  a  good 
mechanic,  and  at  this  business  he  first  got  a  start 
in  the  world.  He  was  married  in  Wisconsin  to 
Miss  Henrietta  Seibert,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1841,  and  was  four  years  old  when  her  parents  carne 
to  the  United  States.  Her  father,  Charles  Seibert,  is 
yet  living  on  a  farm  in  Sheyboygan  County,  Wis.. 
where  her  mother  died  when  Mrs.  Wilkie  was  quite 
young.  Mrs.  Wilkie  was  educated  and  lived  to 
maturity  in  Wisconsin.  She  is  the  mother  of  three 
children,  as  follows:  Adelia  is  the  wife  of  Philip 
Engel,  who  is  a  druggist,  living  in  Kansas  City, 
Mo.;  Made  and  Charles  are  at  home,  assisting  their 
father  and  mother  in  carrying  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilkie  are  well  known,  in  the  com- 
munity where  they  have  so  long  resided,  as  a 
worthy  couple,  and  of  whom  naught  can  be  said 
but  words  of  commendation.  Mr.  Wilkie,  politi- 
cally, does  not  affiliate  with  any  party,  but  prefers 
to  vote  and  act  independently.  He  cares  little  for 
politics,  and  is  only  desirous  of  seeing  the  best  men 
in  office. 


illness; 


TEPHEN  S.  MASSEY,  who  was  one  of  the 
prominent  citizens  of  this  county,  died  at 
his  home,  located  in  township  15,  range  11 
section  29,  Oct.  14,  1877,  after  a  very  short 
the  date  of  his  death  being  the  thirty- 
eighth  anniversary  of  his  marriage.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  and  was  born 
Feb.  18,  1814.  His  father,  Silas  Massey,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Salem,  N.  H.  The  family  came  from  good 
New  England  stock.  Silas  Massey  was  reared  to 
manhood  in  his  native  town,  and  later  removed  to 
St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  and  was  married,  in 
the  State  of  Vermont,  to  Miss  Frances  Farnsworth, 
who  was  a  native  of  the  latter  State.  After  their 


marriage  they  began  life  in  St.  Lawrence  County, 
and  here  part  of  their  children  were  born.  At  a 
date  which  is  not  known  the  family  came  West, 
and  for  a  time  lived  in  or  about  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
whence  they  removed  to  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  finally 
locating  in  Morgan  County,  in  1837,  in  what  is 
known  as  Diamond  Grove.  Mr.  Massey  improved 
his  farm  well,  and  after  seeing  his  family  well 
started  in  life  he  passed  away,  Jan.  2,  1874,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-seven  years  and  nine  months.  He 
left  behind  him  an  excellent  record;  he  was  an 
intelligent  man,  of  moral  characteristics,  but 
not  a  member  of  any  church.  He  acted  with  the 
Republican  party  and  took  great  interest  in  local 
politics.  His  wife  died  Aug.  7,  1871,  in  her  eighty- 
third  year.  She  died  in  the  Presbyterian  faith. 

Stephen  S.  Massey  was  the  youngest  child  of  a 
family  of  four  that  attained  maturity,  three  of 
whom  are  married  and  have  families.  Stephen  was 
reared  as  a  farmer,  and  as  he  came  to  Morgan 
County  in  1 837  takes  rank  as  one  of  the  pioneers. 
He  was  married,  in  this  count}',  Oct.  14,  1840,  to 
Miss  Levina  A.  Bement.  She  was  born  in  Brad- 
ford, N.  H.,  May  10,  1817,  and  was  the  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Lucy  (Barnes)  Bement,  natives  of 
New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  respectively.  Mr. 
Bement  was  a  blacksmith  and  worked  at  his  trade 
for  a  long  time  in  Vermont,  and  after  the  birth  of 
seven  children  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Brad- 
ford, N.  H.,  where  Mrs.  Massey  was  born,  being 
the  eighth  child;  she  was  a  twin.  Three  children 
were  born  in  New  Hampshire,  making  ten.  Her 
mother  died  in  Bradford,  in  1836,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  her  father  also  died,  both  being  at  an 
advanced  age.  They  sustained  a  good  reputation 
and  were  beloved  by  all  who  knew  them. 

Shortly  after  the  death  of  her  parents  Mrs.  Mas- 
sey, when  about  twenty  years  of  age  migrated  with 
some  relatives  to  Illinois,  coming  by  team.  They 
stopped  in  Michigan  for  awhile,  and  in  two  years 
after  she  left  New  Hampshire  she  arrived  in  Mor- 
gan County,  was  married,  and  her  husband  and  she 
began  life  on  a  farm.  Mr.  Massey  from  the  start 
was  successful  in  the  business  of  stock-raising  and 
general  farming,  and  in  time  by  industry  and 
shrewd  management,  built  up  a  good  home,  along 
with  the  many  that  are  located  on  the  Mound 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


421 


Ridge  road.  Since  his  death  Mrs.  Massey  has  op- 
erated the  farm  of  115  acres,  and  lias  exhibited  her 
good  management  by  making  a  success  of  it.  She  is 
highly  respected  for  her  many  good  qualities  and  is 
deserving  of  the  home  she  now  owns  and  occupies. 
She  is  the  mother  of  eight  children,  two  of  whom 
are  deceased— Emily  .1.  and  Ettie.  The  former  died 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  months,  while  Ettie  passed 
away  a  few  days  before  her  contemplated  marriage. 
The  following  are  living:  Maria  L.,  wife  of  Edward 
Ayers;  they  are  residing  on  a  farm  at  Emporia, 
Kan.  Henry  H.  is  living  in  Los  Angeles,  Gal.,  and 
is  engaged  as  a  fruit  merchant;  he  married  Miss 
Mary  Barber,  who  died  in  Chicago,  leaving  three 
children.  George  W.  married  Mary  Dellaven,  of 
Beardstown;  they  now  live  in  Kentwood,  La.  Anna 
F.  is  the  wife  Jefferson  Ketner,  a  farmer  who  lives  in 
.Jacksonville;  Clara  E.,  is  the  wife  of  Robert  D. 
Moffet,  and  they  are  now  residents  of  Chicago;  Silas 
married  Ida  L.  Verry,  of  this  county,  and  now 
manages  his  mother's  farm.  He  is  one  of  the  young 
and  progressive  stock-breeders  of  this  State,  and 
makes  a  specialty  of  Poland-China  hogs,  and  he  has 
been  very  successful.  He  is  also  interested  in  Per- 
cheron  horses.  It  is  his  intention  to  ultimately 
make  his  farm  a  model  one,  and  to  raise  Poland- 
China  stock  exclusively.  He  also  raises  fine  poul- 
try of  the  Plymouth  Rock  breed. 

Mrs.  Stephen  S.  Massey  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  is 
interested  in  all  social  affairs.  Her  husband,  po- 
litically was  a  strong  Republican,  as  also  are" his 
sons. 


ICIIARI)  HEMBROUGH,  one  of  the  old  set- 
tler* of  Morgan  County,  came  from  Eng- 
land in  search  of  a  better  country,  and  he 
found  it  here.  He  owns  and  occupies  the 
old  homestead,  which  is  located  on  section  15,  town- 
ship 15, range  11,  and  here  he  has  lived  since  1829. 
(A  fine  view  of  this  home  place  appears  on  another 
page,  which  with  its  attractive  environments  forms 
a  pleasant  scene  in  the  surrounding  landscape.) 
He  owns  240  acres  of  Well-improved  land,  adorned 
by  first-class  farm  buildings,  and  is  also  the  owner 
of  timber  property  in  another  township. 

Mr.  Hembrough  was  born  in  West  Riding,  York- 


shire, Nov.  6,  1814.  His  ancestry  on  both  sides 
are  English,  and  the  family  is  noted  for  being  phy- 
sically of  a  stalwart  mould.  His  father,  John  Hem- 
brough, was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  a  weaver 
by  trade,  as  was  his  grandfather,  whose  name  was 
Richard  Hembrough,  and  who  died  in  his  native 
shire  when  about  eighty-two  years  old.  John 
Hembrough  married  Annie  Terver,  also  a  native 
of  Yorkshire  and  of  English  parentage.  After  the 
birth  of  five  children,  John  Hembrough  and  wife 
sailed  from  Hull  on  April  14,  1829,  and  landed  in 
Quebec,  after  a  journey  of  six  weeks  and  four  days. 
Thence  they  came  to  Morgan  County  and  purchased 
from  the  Government  the  farm  now  owned  by  Rich- 
ard, the  deed  being  distinguished  by  the  signature  of 
Gen.  Andrew  Jackson.  This  became  the  home  of 
the  parents  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  until  death 
called  them  away.  The  father  died  in  18C8,  aged 
about  eighty-three  years.  He  was  an  active  Whig 
and  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
England.  He  was  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Mor- 
gan County,  and  was  an  honor  to  the  land  of  his 
adoption.  He  came  here  with  the  laudable  object 
of  living  in  a  free  country,  and  at  the  same  time 
was  desirous  of  procuring  land  for  his  children. 
He  knew  if  he  remained  in  England  the  only  herit- 
age he  could  bequeath  to  his  posterity  would  be 
life-long  poverty,  so  he  made  a  resolve  to  improve 
his  financial  condition;  that  he  did  so,  the  posses- 
sions which  he  left  his  heirs  is  ample  testimony, 
and  over  and  above  all  this  and  what  is  far  better,  he 
left  a  good  name  for  his  children  and  his  entire  circle 
of  acquaintances  to  honor  and  emulate.  His  wife 
died  in  1845,  when  she  was  fifty-five  years  old. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  English  Church  and  a 
consistent  Christian.  Those  who  enjoyed  the  honor 
of  her  acquaintance  say  that  she  was  a  good  wife 
and  neighbor. 

Richard  Hembrough  was  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  were  born  in  Eng- 
land and  five  of  whom  are  yet  living.  He  was  first 
married  in  Greene  County,  III.,  to  Sarah  Bains,  a 
lady  of  English  parentage.  She  emigrated  to  this 
country  with  her  parents  while  young,  and  died  a 
little  over  two  years  after  her  marriage,  leaving  no 
children.  Mr.  Hembrough's  second  marriage  was 
in  this  county  to  Miss  Rachael  Rawlings,  who  was  a 


'    422 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  1816.  In  1840,  she  came  to  the  United 
States  with  her  parents,  who  located  near  Franklin, 
Morgan  County.  Here  her  father,  William  Raw- 
lings  died  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  Her 
mother,  Mary  (Wilson)  Rawlings,  died  at  her  home, 
being  over  fourscore  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rawlings,  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  and  were  good  Christian  people.  Mrs. 
Hembroiigh  was  the  third  child  of  a  family  of  nine 
children.  She  is  the  mother  of  four  children,  two 
of  whom  died  young,  and  Mary  died  when  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  Sarah  is  living  and  is  the  wife 
of  James  Scott.  They  live  on  a  farm,  which  is 
their  own  property,  and  have  five  children:  Rich- 
ard A.,  James  E.,  Ida  M.,  Frances  M.,  and  Hattie. 
Since  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hembroiigh 
have  lived  on  their  farm,  and  are  now  serenely  ap- 
proaching the  evening  of  their  life.  They  can  look 
back  over  the  past  years  with  the  pleasant  concious- 
ness  of  having  done  what  is  right  to  every  one. 
They  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  Mr.  Hembroiigh  being  Superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school.  Politically,  he  votes  and  works 
for  the  Republican  ticket. 


ffi  ACOB  A.  BOSTON  is  a  native-born  citizen 
of  Illinois,  Cass  County  being  the  place  of  his 
nativity,  and  July  3,  1840,  the  date  of  his 
birth.  He  is  now  connected  with  the  farm- 
ing interests  of  Morgan  County,  and  since  1876  has 
been  industriously  and  prosperously  pursuing  his 
vocation  in  township  16  north,  range  8  west,  where 
he  lias  a  well-developed,  highly  improved  farm, 
that  is  second  to  none  in  the  neighborhood  in  point 
of  cultivation  and  in  regard  to  its  neat  buildings 
and  orderly  appearance. 

He  comes  of  an  old  Kentucky  family,  who  were 
pioneers  of  that  State,  and  his  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Boston,  was  born  there,  Jessamine  County 
being  his  birthplace,  and  there  lie  was  reared  to  the 
life  of  a  farmer.  He  married  and  reared  a  family 
of  children,  and  died  in  the  home  of  his  nativity  at 
the  venerable  age  of  ninety-five  years.  His  son, 
Anthony,  father  of  our  subject,  was  brought  up  on 


the  Kentuck}'  homestead,  where  be  first  saw  the  light 
of  day,  and  was  married  in  the  county  of  his  birth 
to  Miss  Louisa,  daughter  of  James  Stephenson,  and 
soon  after  marriage  in  1836,  they  came  to  Illinois 
and  located  in  Cass  County  among  its  pioneers. 
They  resided  there  until  \1856,  and  then  removed 
to  Jacksonville  to  pass  their  declining  years,  where 
the  father  died  in  1881,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  The  mother  is  still  living, 
making  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Andrew 
Bacon,  and  she  is  now  seventy-three  years  old. 
Mr.  Boston  was  a  man  of  fine  physique,  possessing 
a  sound  constitution,  and  had  vigorous  health  until 
within  a  short  time  before  his  demise.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church  for  many  years,  and 
died  strong  in  the  faith.  Mrs.  Boston  also  united 
with  that  church  many  years  ago,  and  is  still  a  con- 
sistent member.  To  this  worthy  couple  the  fol- 
lowing children  were  born:  James  W.,  Mary  A., 
now  Mrs.  William  Patterson;  Jacob;  John  W. ; 
Robert,  deceased;  George  E.  died  in  1881 ;  Martha 
C.  married  James  L.  Dyer,  and  died  in  Kansas;- 
Frances  L.,  now  Mrs.  Andrew  Bacon;  A.  Judson; 
and  Charles  C. 

Their  son,  Jacob,  was  reared  on  the  homestead 
that  had  been  his  birthplace,  and  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Cass  County.  He  was  care- 
fully trained  in  agricultural  pursuits  by  his  father, 
who  was  a  skillful  and  successful  farmer,  and  on 
arriving  at  years  of  discretion,  chose  that  occupa- 
tion as  the  one  by  which  he  could  best  make  a  liv- 
ing, and  the  years  that  have  since  ensued,  have 
justified  the  wisdom  of  his  choice,  as  he  is  now  one 
of  the  substantial  and  prosperous  citizens  of  his 
community.  lie  has  a  fine  farm  of  105  acres  of  as 
fertile  and  highly  productive  land  as  is  to  be  found 
in  this  precinct,  and  it  is  all  under  good  cultiva- 
tion, and  has  many  valuable  improvements.  He 
has  not  always  lived  here,  however,  since  leaving 
his  native  county.  In  1865  he  bought  a  farm  in 
Menard  County,  having  lived  prior  to  that  time  for 
a  few  years  in  Morgan  County.  He  resided  on  his 
Menard  County  property  until  1870,  then  returned 
to  Morgan  County.  After  staying  here  one  year, 
he  went  to  Missouri,  and  thence  to  Kansas,  near 
Kansas  City,  where  he  remained  a  year.  In  1876 
he  came  back  to  Illinois,  and  bought  his  present 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


425 


farm  in  Morgan  County,  and  has  since  been  a 
valued  resident  of  this  township. 

Mr.  Boston  is  in  every  respect  a  good  and  law- 
abiding  citizen,  who  has  at  heart  the  highest  inter- 
ests of  his  native  State,  and  of  the  community 
where  he  now  lives,  and  for  that  reason  he  is  a  con- 
scientious supporter  of  the  Democratic  party.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Anti  Horse-thief  Association. 
He  and  his  wife  are  zealous  supporters  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  are  considered  to  be  useful  and  estimable 
members  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Mr.  Boston  has  not  been  without  the  able  assist- 
ance of  one  of  the  best  of  wives,  whose  hearty  co- 
operation has  been  an  important  factor  in  bringing 
nbout  his  present  prosperous  circumstances.  Mrs. 
Boston's  maiden  name  was  Louisa  Ransdell,  and 
she  is  a  daughter  of  Eli  and  Ann  (Graff)  Ransdell, 
formerly  of  Kentucky.  She  was  born  and  reared 
in  this  county,  whither  her  parents  came  in  the 
early  days  of  its  settlement,  and  her  union  with  our 
subject  was  solemnized  in  November,  1865.  Two 
children  have  been  born  into  their  pleasant  home, 
May  and  William.  The  latter  is  a  student  in  Illi- 
nois College. 


1NEAS  SCOTT,  a  leading  land  owner  of  this 
count}',  a  fine  portrait  of  whom  is  to  be 
found  on  the  Opposite  page,  has  the  war- 
rantee deed  to  612  acres,  all  of  which  is  under  a 
good  state  of  cultivation,  and  upon  which  he  trans- 
acts a  general  farming  business.  He  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  stock-raising,  and  keeps  a  goodly  assort- 
ment of  horses,  cattle,  swine  and  sheep.  He  also 
raises  each  year  a  large  quantity  of  grain  and  other 
products  common  to  the  Prairie  State.  Personally, 
he  is  a  fine  old  English  gentleman,  master  of  all 
the  courtesies  peculiar  to  his  nationality,  and  is  a 
man  who,  from  an  humble  beginning  in  life,  has 
attained  to  a  high  position,  socially  and  financially, 
by  hard  work  and  good  management.  He  is  one  of 
those  whom  the  biographer  loves  to  meet,  as  illus- 
trating what  may  be  accomplished  by  a  steady 
course  of  industry  and  those  sterling  qualities  of 
character  which  invariably  elevate  a  man  in  the 
estimation  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

Somersetshire,  England,  was  the  early  tramping 


ground  of  our  subject,  and  there  his  birth  took 
place  June  25,  1813.  His  father,  Jonas  Scott,  of 
Somersetshire,  was  born  in  1780,  and  lived  there 
until  1816.  He  then  emigrated  to  America,  ship- 
ping on  a  sailing  vessel  from  Liverpool,  and  after 
an  ocean  voyage  of  twelve  weeks  landed  in  New 
York  City.  Thence,  accompanied  by  his  family, 
he  proceeded  to  New  Jersey,  and  settled  about  fif- 
teen miles  from  New  York  City,  on  a  farm.  There 
the  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days,  the 
father  dying  in  1848  and  the  mother  in  1857.  'I  he 
latter  was,  in  her  girlhood,  Miss  Catherine  Bond, 
also  a  native  of  Somersetshire,  and  born  in  1785. 
Both  father  and  mother  were  laid  to  rest  in  Newark 
Cemetery,  on  the  banks  of  the  Passaic  River. 

The  parental  family  of  our  subject  comprised 
four  children,  viz:  Charles,  Jonas,  Asenath  and 
Eneas.  Charles  married  Miss  Williams,  of  New 
Jersey,  and  is  now  deceased;  ttyey  had  two  chil- 
dren—^Charles  and  Adam;  the  widow  remains  a 
resident  of  Newark.  Jonas  came  to  the  West,  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Carlisle,  of  this  county,  and  by  her  be- 
came the  father  of  two  children- — Ezra  and  Mary; 
the  first  wife  died,  and  he  was  then  married  to  a 
Miss  Grimsley;  they  live  in  Jacksonville,  and  he 
occupies  himself  as  a  carpenter,  although  he  also 
owns  a  farm.  Asenath  became  the  wife  of  Richard 
Jacovis,  a  mason  and  bricklayer;  they  have  three 
children — John,  Pierson  and  Elijah ;  the  wife  is 
deceased. 

Our  subject  received  a  limited  education,  and 
lived  in  New  Jersey  until  reaching  man's  estate. 
He  was  there  married  to  Miss  Anna  Garrison,  of 
Trenton,  who  became  the  mother  of  two  children — 
George  and  Eneas  G.,  and  who  died  in  1840.  The 
son  George  married  Phebe  Taylor,  of  this  county, 
and  is  occupied  as  a  dairyman  in  Norfolk,  Va. ;  he 
is  the  father  of  nine  children.  Eneas  G.  married 
Jane  Smallwood,  of  DeWitt  Count}',  III.,  and  is 
farming  in  Yernon  County,  Mo.;  they  have  six 
children. 

Eneas  .Scott  was  a  second  time  married,  Nov.  20, 
1841,  to  Miss  Lois  Hand,  of  New  Jersey,  and  there 
were  born  to  them  five  children,  of  whom  the  record 
is  at  follows:  Sylvanus  married  Lydia  Dods worth, 
and  is  farming  in  this  county;  they  have  eight 
children — Edward,  Sally,  Rhoda,  Gilbert,  Ira,  Win- 


426 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


ifred,  Anna  and  Fred.  Anna  married  Willi:un 
Dalton,  of  this  county,  but  now  farming  in  Vernon 
County,  Mo.;  they  have  three  children  —  Hattie, 
Lois  and  Samuel.  Johnny  married  Fannie  Favord, 
of  Philadelphia,  and  occupies  a  part  of  the  home- 
stead ;  they  have  three  children  —  Thomas,  Jewel 
and  Minnie.  Evaline  became  the  wife  of  David 
Rawlings,  a  farmer  of  this  county,  and  they  have 
four  children  —  Henr3%  Grace,  Nellie  and  Arthur. 
Horton  H.  married  Katie  Dodsworth,  of  this  county; 
they  have  no  children. 

Mr.  Scott,  when  approaching  manhood,  learned 
the  trade  of  a  shoemaker,  which  lie  followed  six 
years,  and  after  that  was  employed  in  a  foundry  for  a 
period  of  twenty  years.  Ten  years  of  this  time  he 
was  foreman  in  a  Cincinnati  establishment.  In  1  856 
he  resolved  to  change  his  location  and  occupation, 
and  coming  to  this  county,  invested  the  money  he 
had  earned  by  the  labor  of  his  hands  in  200  acres  of 
partially  improved  land.  He  was  prospered  in  his 
operations  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  added  to  his 
real  estate  by  degrees  until  he  attained  to  his  pres- 
ent broad  possessions.  Mr.  Scott  is  not  a  member 
of  any  religious  organization,  but  endeavors  to  do 
by  his  neighbors  as  he  would  have  them  do  bv 
him.  He  is  a  Democrat,  politically,  and  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  Fraternity  and  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  His 
life  has  been  pnssed  quietly  and  unobtrusively,  and 
aside  from  holding  the  township  offices,  he  has 
mingled  very  little  in  public  affairs.  Notwithstand- 
ing this,  he  is  widely  known  throughout  this 
county,  and  is  held  in  universal  respect. 


I 


[JOHN  VASEY.  The  farmer  who  depends 
wholly  upon  raising  grain,  as  a  rule,  is  not 
successful.  When  a  crop  fails  it  is  a  disas- 
trous  blow  to  him,  and  so,  many  Illinois 
farmers  have  taken  up  diversified  husbandry,  and 
are  not  dependent  wholly  upon  one  kind  of  a  crop. 
Many  have  gone  extensively  into  stock-raising,  and 
this  is  a  business  that  rarely  ever  fails.  The  grain 
that  is  raised  is  fed  upon  the  farm,  and  two  profits 
are  made,  one  on  the  grain  and  the  other  upon  the 
stock.  Mr.  Vasey  has  a  farm  of  165  acres,  consist- 
ing of  the  best  of  land  which  he  inherited  from  his 


father's  estate.  He  is  engaged  in  stock-raising,  and 
as  a  result  of  good  management,  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful. 

Mr.  Vasey  came  with  his  parents  to  this  county 
in  1849,  and  has  lived  in  the  township  where  he 
now  resides,  since  1852.  He  is  a  native  of  York- 
shire, England,  and  was  born  Feb.  27,1841.  His 
father,  John  Vasey,  was  a  Yorkshire  Englishman, 
and  after  he  became  of  age,  married  Anna  S.  Rich- 
ardson, a  native  of  the  same  shire.  The  senior 
Vasey  was  engaged  as  a  pork  packer  in  the  old 
country,  and  until  he  came  to  America.  .  John 
Vasey,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  came 
from  a  prominent  English  family,  who  were  the 
owners  of  a  large  tract  of  real  estate  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  where  the  Vaseys  had  lived  for  many 
generations. 

It  was  after  the  birth  of  all  the  family  of  seven 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  when  on  May 
21,  1849,  the  Vasey  family  left  their  native  heath 
for  Hull,  England,  where  they  took  passage  for 
Quebec,  and  after  a  voyage  of  eight  weeks  and  three 
days,  landed  in  America.  From  Quebec  they  came 
directly  to  Morgan  County,  and  located  near  Lynn- 
ville,  where  they  resided  until  1852.  They  then 
removed  to  the  township  in  which  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  now  resides,  and  where  the  father  at- 
tained a  fine  property.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  the  owner  of  600  acres  of  splendid  land,  a 
small  portion  of  which  was  valuable  timber.  John 
Vasey,  Sr.,  died  at  his  home  July  20,  1871,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five  years.  His  wife  survived  him, 
and  died  June  17,  1884,  aged  seventy-two,  and  so 
a  worthy  couple  passed  away  leaving  to  their  chil- 
dren a  heritage  beyond  price,  that  of  a  good  name. 

John  Vasey,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  written,  had 
the  advantage  of  a  good  training  by  worthy  par- 
ents. He  lived  at  home  until  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  and  in  1875  made  a  trip  to  his  native  home 
in  England,  and  was  there  married.  The  ceremony 
occurred  at  St.  Michaels,  in  Malton.  and  the  bride 
was  Miss  Isabella  Danby.  She  was  a  native  of  York, 
England,  and  was  born  in  Jan.  1851.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  English  parents.  William  and  Annie  A. 
(Marshall)  Danby.  Her  father,  William  Danby, 
was  a  successful  furniture  anil  cabinet-maker  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  Malton,  England.  He 


I 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


427 


I 


i 


was  a  prominent  man  in  his  shire,  and  was  reck- 
oned as  an  influential  and  good  citizen.  His  wife, 
who  survives  him,  is  now  in  America,  living  with 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Vasey.  She  is  past  sixty -seven 
years  of  age,  but  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health, 
and  is  an  intelligent  lady.  Mrs.  Vasey  obtained  a 
good  education  in  her  native  country,  and  is  the 
worthy  daughter  of  worthy  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vasey  fully  appreciate  their  nice 
home  and  enjoy  it.  They  have  no  children  of  their 
own,  but  are  foster  parents  of  one  child.  Louisa 
Jones,  an  intelligent  Miss  of  fourteen  years.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Vasey  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  takes  great 
interest  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  adopted  coun- 
try. His  success  in  his  line  of  business  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  he  never  stopped  short  of  obtaining 
the  best,  no  matter  what  it  cost. 


H.  NAYLOR  resides  on  section  9,  town- 
ship 16,  range  12,  is  a  native  of  Rutland- 
shire, England,  and  was  born  May  12, 
1817.  In  England  the  man  who  owns 
twenty-five  acres  of  land  is  the  possessor  of  a  do- 
main, and  is  looked  upon  by  his  less  fortunate 
countrymen  with  awe.  So  it  is  no  wonder  that  these 
people,  who  rank  among  the  most  skilled  farmers 
in  the  world,  seek  to  better  themselves  by  coming 
to  America,  where  land  is  within  the  reach  of  all. 
Here  the  provident  English  farmer  is  reasonably 
sure  to  attain  success,  for  with  his  prudent  habits 
formed  by  necessity,  coupled  with  his  complete 
knowledge  of  husbandry,  he  has  only  to  go  forward 
and  grasp  the  opportunities  that  lie  within  easy 
reach.  Mr.  Naylor  is  a  good  type  of  the  English 
fanner,  and  that  he  has  been  a  successful  one  his 
record  will  demonstrate. 

Our  subject  was  the  sou  of  Robert  and  Catherine 
Naylor,  both  natives  of  England,  and  his  boyhood 
days  were  spent  On  the  -'tight  little  isle."  His 
education  was  secured  at  the  schools  incident  to 
his  country,  and  as  a  matter  of  course  he  gained 
knowledge  under  difficulties.  The  poorer  classes 
in  European  countries  can  send  their  children  to 
school  but  very  little,  as  at  an  ea.r\y  age  the  little 
ones  are  obliged  to  aid  their  parents  in  gaining  a 


livelihood.  In  the  fall  of  1851  Mr.  Naylor  became 
possessed  of  the  idea  that  he  wanted  to  become  an 
owner  of  land,  and  in  futherauce  of  this  scheme 
he  took  passage  at  Liverpool  on  a  sailing-vessel, 
and  after  a  long  voyage  covering  two  months  he 
landed  at  New  Orleans,  in  a  strange  country  and 
without  friends*.  He  proceeded  directly  up  the 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  and  so  reached 
Meredosia.  Here  he  worked  for  nearly  three 
years  as  a  farm  hand,  and  subsequently  rented  a 
farm  for  several  years,  and  to  illustrate  his  total 
lack  of  resources,  it  may  be  incidentally  stated  that 
he  was  obliged  to  borrow  money  to  pay  his  fare 
from  St.  Louis  to  Meredosia.  His  first  purchase 
consisted  of  695  acres  of  bottom  land,  and  upon 
this  crude  farm  he  settled,  and  here  has  resided 
since.  He  has  made  additions  to  his  original  farm 
until  he  now  owns  855  acres  of  land,  and  beside 
this  he  has  partly  given  two  sons  an  aggregate  of 
240  acres  of  land,  situated  in  Cass  County.  111.  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  Mr.  Naylor's  total  possess- 
ions consisted  at  one  time  of  1095  acres  of  land, 
and  in  addition  to  this  he  also  owned  a  quarter  sec- 
tion in  Missouri,  which  he  gave  to  one  of  his  sons 
who  lives  in  that  State.  Mr.  Naylor.  by  good 
management,  and  by  shrewd  financiering,  has  at- 
tuined  a  high  eminence  in  the  farming  community 
of  his  county,  and  is  in  every  sense  a  good  repre- 
sentative of  the  English  farmer. 

Mr.  Naylor  was  married,  Sept.  29,  1842,  to 
Sarah  E.  Haines,  who  was  born  in  Rutlandshire, 
England,  Jan.  13,  1825.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  (Willimot)  Haines,  both  natives 
of  England.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Naylor  have  been 
born  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  living: 
Thomas,  the  eldest,  is  residing  in  this  county,  and 
is  the  owner  of  one-half  interest  in  240  acres  of 
laud  in  Cass  County,  111.;  George  is  also  a  resident 
of  this  county,  and  owns  the  other  half  of  the  Cass 
County  land  referedto;  Charles  is  in  Missouri;  the 
two  deceased  are  William  H.  and  Mary  C. 

Mr.  Naylor,  politically,  acts  with  the  Democratic 
party.  He  has  served  a  number  of  years  as  a 
School  Director,  and  has  given  satisfaction.  He 
and  Mrs.  Naylor  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  worship  at  McKindry 
Chapel,  and  he  is  now  serving  as  Trustee  of  that 


428 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


organization.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  give  the  history 
in  this  ALBUM  of  such  people  as  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Naylor.  The  praise  which  is  given  them  is  not  of 
that  perfunctory  sort  that  usually  attaches  to  biog- 
raphy. 


I 


^ILLIAM  J.  LATHOM.  On  section  13, 
township  16,  range  9  west,  lies  one  of  the 
fairest  and  best  tilled  farms  in  this  part  of 
Morgan  County,  and  its  fortunate  owner  is  the 
gentleman  whose  name  is  at  the  head  of  this  bio- 
graphical review.  Said  farm  comprises  297£  acres 
of  fertile  land,  well  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the 
stock-grower,  in  which  pursuit  our  subject  is  chiefly 
engaged,  and  all  the  grain  that  it  produces  is  fed 
to  his  fine  herd  of  well  graded  cattle. 

Mr.  Lathom  comes  of  Southern  blood,  and  his 
ancestors  figure  as  pioneers  of  Kentucky  and  Indi- 
ana. He  is  also  a  pioneer,  as  he  came  to  this  county 
in  the  days  of  '49  and  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  early 
settlers  of  this  township.  For  forty  years  he 
has  been  managing  and  constantly  improving  his 
present  homestead,  until  with  its  substantial,  con- 
veniently-arranged frame  buildings,  and,  indeed, 
in  all  its  appointments  it  compares  well  with  the 
best  estates  in  this  vicinity. 

William  Lathom,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
born  in  1769,  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  was  at  all  events  married  in  the  Old 
Dominion,  Miss  Nancy  Norman  becoming  his  wife. 
They  removed  to  Kentucky  in  the  early  days  of 
its  settlement,  and  in  1807  they  once  more  lookup 
the  march  to  a  still  more  unsettled  part  of  the 
country.  Penetrating  the  forests  primeval  of  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  Territory  of  Indiana  to 
Gibson  County,  they  identified  themselves  with 
its  early  pioneers,  hewed  a  farm  out  of  the  heav- 
ily timbered  land,  and  built  up  a  comfortable  home 
in  which  they  spent  their  last  days  in  peace  and 
plenty,  and  amid  its  primitive  surroundings  reared 
their  children  to  lives  of  usefulness.  Their  son, 
Ollie,  was  killed  by  the  Indians  in  18  In,  his  cruel 
captors  having  stripped  his  clothes  from  his  body 
and  chopped  him  to  pieces;  James  died  when 
young. 

Jonathan  Lathom,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 


the  second  son  of  these  worthy  people,  and  he  was 
born  in  Kentucky  in  1805,  and  was  scarce  two  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  took  him  to  their  new  home 
in  the  wilderness  of  Southern  Indiana.  He  grew 
to  a  strong  and  self-reliant  manhood,  and  married, 
in  1827,  and  established  a  home  of  his  own,  Miss 
Elinor,  daughter  of  James  Brown,  a  pioneer  of 
Indiana,  who  went  there  from  North  Carolina,  be- 
coming his  wife.  She  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
and  was  quite  young  when  her  parents  removed 
to  Indiana.  Mr.  Lathom  was  reared  to  the  life  of 
a  farmer,  and  prosperously  followed  that  calling  on 
his  homestead  in  Indiann,  untii  he  was  gathered  to 
his  fathers  in  1877.  His  wife  died  in  1879,  in  Mor- 
gan County.  Four  sons  and  six  daughters  were 
born  to  them,  as  follows:  William  J.,  James;  two 
girls  who  died  in  infancy;  Jonathan,  Isephena, 
Sarah,  George,  Nancy  and  Richard. 

Their  son  William  was  a  bright,  active  lad.  and  on 
the  old  Indiana  homestead  where  he  had  first  seen 
the  light  of  day  he  grew  to  man's  estate.  He  early 
displayed  the  independence,  push  and  foresight  so 
necessary  to  success  in  any  calling,  and  having 
adopted  that  to  which  he  had  been  bred,  having  a 
clear,  practical  knowledge  of  it  in  all  its  branches, 
he  determined  to  make  his  way  to  the  broad,  open 
prairies  of  the  part  of  Illinois  embraced  in  Morgan 
County,  actuated  by  the  same  pioneer  spirit  that 
had  animated  his  sires  before  him,  and  in  1849  he 
came  to  this  neighborhood  and  has  ever  since  made 
his  home  here.  The  success  that  has  met  him  in 
his  endeavors  to  develop  a  farm  from  the  wild 
prairies  has  been  recorded,  and  he  is  now  in  com- 
fortable circumstances,  lie  has  erected  a  commo- 
dious set  of  frame  buildings,  including  a  neatly 
painted,  artistically  styled  frame  house  and  a  good, 
roomy  barn,  and  everj'thing  about  the  place  is  in 
good  repair. 

Mr.  Lathom  has  been  twice  married.  He  was 
wedded  in  his  early  manhood  to  Miss  Rhoda  J., 
daughter  of  Isham  Lynn.  By  this  marriage  he 
had  the  following  eight  children:  Jonathan  J., 
George  R.  (deceased) ;  a  child  that  died  in  infancy; 
Lydia  A.,  now  Mrs.  Martin  Robinson,  of  whom  see 
sketch  on  another  page  of  this  volume ;  Samuel  C. 
Stephen  D.,  William  N.;  Ilattie  E.,  now  Mrs. 
Charles  Virgin  (of  whom  see  sketch  on  another  page 


i 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


429 


in  this  volume).  Mrs.  Lathom  died  in  1870,  leav- 
ing to  those  who  loved  her  the  memory  of  a  true 
and  pleasant  womanhood.  Mr.  Lathom  later  mar- 
ried Miss  Jane,  daughter  of  Isaac  R.  and  Mary 
(Jones)  Bennitt,  and  one  son,  Robert  T.,  has  blessed 
their  union.  Mrs.  Lathom  is  a  devoted  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  in  ever}'  deed  shows  her- 
self to  be  guided  by  high  Christian  principles. 

The  citizenship  of  this  community  received  a 
worthy  recruit  when  our  subject  came  here  to  es- 
tablish a  home  among  its  intelligent,  industrious 
people  forty  years  ago,  and  neither  by  word  or  deed 
has  he  shown  himself  unworthy  of  the  confidence 
in  which  he  is  held  by  all.  He  interests  himself  in 
the  politics  of  his  country,  and  is  a  stalwart  Demo- 
crat. 


e~  ORNELIUS  DEWEES.  One  of  the  best 
.  regulated  farms  in  township  16,  range  11,  is 
owned  and  operated  by  the  subject  of  this 
notice,  who  is  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this 
county.  His  homestead  embraces  240  acres  of 
thoroughly  cultivated  land,  with  good  buildings 
and  modern  improvements,  forest,  fruit  and  shade 
trees,  and  all  the  appliances  of  the  enterprising  and 
progressive  agriculturist.  As  a  man  and  a  citizen 
Mr.  Dewees  has  fulfilled  his  obligations  to  the  com- 
munity in  a  praiseworthy  manner,  and  enjoys  the 
friendship  of  the  best  people  of  this  region.  He  is 
thus  entitled  to  a  more  than  passing  notice  in  a 
work  of  this  kind. 

With  the  exception  of  eight  years  spent  in  Jack- 
son County,  Mo.,  prior  to  the  late  Civil  War,  Mr. 
Dewees  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since 
1829.  He  served  in  the  Mexican  War,  but  saw 
little  active  fighting.  He  was  born  in  Barren 
County,  Ky  ,  Nov.  22, 1 824,  and  is  the  son  of  South- 
ern parents — Nimrod  and  Elizabeth  (Murphy)  De- 
wees,  who  were  natives  of  North  Carolina,  where 
Grandfather  Cornelius  Dewees,  it  is  believed,  was 
also  born,  reared  and  married.  When  Nimrod  was 
but  a  child  the}'  removed  to  Kentucky,  where  they 
sojourned  for  a  number  of  years,  and  where  the 
mother  of  Nimrod  died  when  quite  old. 

In  Barren  Count}',  Ky.,the  father  of  our  subject 
was  married  to  Miss  Murphy,  who  was  born  in  Vir- 


ginia.  After  the  birth  of  four  children,  one  of 
whom  died,  the  parents  with  their  three  living  chil- 
dren came  to  this  county,  and  the  father  entered 
a  tract  of  Government  laud  on  section  1,  in  town- 
ship 15,  range  11,  now  owned  by  William  Patterson 
(a  sketch  of  whom  appears  on  another  page  in  this 
volume).  This  tract  embraced  168  acres,  and  Mr. 
Dewees  was  obliged  to  go  to  Vandalia  to  secure 
his  title  and  pay  for  his  claim.  It  remained  the 
home  of  Nimrod  Dewees  until  1846,  and  there  his 
wife,  Elizabeth,  died.  Subsquently  lie  was  married 
a  second  time  and  removed  to  a  farm  near  Alexan- 
der, a  few  miles  east  of  Jacksonville.  In  1852  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Jacksonville,  where  he  died, 
in  1866,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  having  been 
born  in  1801.  The  name  of  his  second  wife  was 
Eliza  Sanders,  and  after  her  death  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Talbert,  who  is  now  a  resident  of 
West  State  street,  Jacksonville. 

Our  subject  is  the  second  of  nine  children  born 
to  his  mother,  who  died  when  he  was  in  his  boy- 
hood. He  attained  to  his  majority  in  this  county, 
in  the  meantime  acquiring  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, and  becoming  familiar  with  farm  pursuits. 
Then  desirous  of  seeing  something  of  the  world  he 
started  out  on  the  10th  of  April,  1849,  with  a  com- 
pany of  men  designing  to  cross  the  plains  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  arrived  in  the  Sacramento  Valley  on  the 
26th  of  November  following.  For  some  months 
thereafter  he  was  in  the  employ  of  one  man  in  the 
city  of  Sacramento,  then  engaged  in  mining  and 
later  began  farming  in  the  valley  of  San  Jose,  not 
far  from  the  bay,  and  was  thus  occupied  until  the 
1st  of  January,  1853.  He  now  started  homeward 
by  the  water  route  and  New  Orleans,  and  came  up 
the  Mississippi  as  far  as  Cairo,  III.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1863. 

Mr.  Dewees  in  the  meantime  was  married,  in 
1856,  in  Pettes  County,  Mo.,  to  Miss  Mary  Goodwin, 
who  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1831.  Her  parents 
were  James  B.  and  Mildred  M.  (Powell)  Goodwin, 
who  were  natives  of  Virginia,  and  closely  allied  to 
the.  F.  F.  Vs.  Mr.  Goodwin  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, and  both  he  and  his  wife,  leaving  their 
native  State  in  their  youth,  removed  to  Wilson 
County,  Tenn.,  where  later  they  were  married. 
Mrs.  Dewees  was  their  first  and  only  child  born 


430 


MORGAN  COUNTY 


there,  as  when  she  was  an  infant  they  removed  to 
Morgan  County,  Mo.,  during  its  pioneer  days.  Mr. 
Goodwin  died  in  1838  when  a  man  in  the  prime  of 
life.  His  father,  Francis  Goodwin,  was  a  patriot 
of  the  W;ir  of  1812,  having  enlisted  in  his  native 
State  of  Virginia.  He  also  migrated  to  Morgan 
County,  Mo.,  where  he  died  in  1855,  when  over 
seventy  years  of  age.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia  and  died  when  her  son,  James 
B.,  was  a  child  of  three  years.  He  was  the  only 
one  of  her  two  children  who  lived  to  mature  years. 
Mrs.  Mildred  M.  Goodwin,  the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Dewees,  after  the  death  of  her  first  husband  was 
married  to  Joshua  Harrison.  They,  with  their  two 
children  started  for  Texas,  and  while  on  their  way 
there  the  mother  died  Oct.  1.  1870,  after  she  had 
nearly  reached  her  threescore  years.  She,  with 
both  her  first  and  second  husband,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church.  Mrs.  Dewees,  after 
the  death  of  her  father,  remained  with  her 
mother  until  her  marriage.  Of  her  union  with  our 
subject  there  have  been  born  eight  children,  four 
of  whom  died  young,  viz:  Anna,  Lou  K.,  Frank  L. 
and  James  R.  The  latter  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight  years;  Mildred  E.  is  the  wife  of  James  A. 
Powell,  and  they  reside  in  Bates  County,  Mo.; 
Krnest  G.  married  Miss  Nettie  Patterson,  and  they 
live  on  the  farm  of  our  subject;  Cora  K.  and  Mary 
A.  also  remain  with  their  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dewees.  with  their  children,  are  active  members  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  our  subject,  politically, 
is  an  uncompromising  Democrat. 


|OIIN  II.  BROCKHOUSE.  The  substantial 
German  element  of  this  county,  as  wherever 
it  becomes  part  of  a  community,  has  been 
largely  instrumental  in  its  growth  and  de- 
velopment. and  represents  some  of  the  best  qualities 
to  l>e  found  among  the  early  pioneers..  The  sub- 
ject of  this  notice  is  fully  entitled  to  be  mentioned 
among  this  latter  class,  MS  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
this  county  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century.  To 
what  purpose  he  has  labored  is  amply  illustrated  in 
his  valuable  homestead,  comprising  350  acres  of 
land,  uhich  lie  has  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cul- 


tivation, and  upon  which  he  has  erected  a  hand- 
some modern  residence,  with  other  buildings  to 
correspond.  He  labored  early  and  late  during  his 
younger  years  in  the  accumulation  of  his  property, 
and  is  now  enjoying  the  reward  of  his  toil. 

A  true  son  of  the  Fatherland,  our  subject  was 
born  in  what  was  then  the  county  of  Firstcnan- 
Bippen,  in  the  Province  of  Osnaburg,  Kingdom  of 
Hanover,  June  19,  1828.  His  parents,  John  G. 
and  Ellen  (Fontalgea)  Brockhouse,  were  of  pure 
German  stock,  and  in  1843,  when  John  H.  was  a 
youth  of  fifteen  years,  they  emigrated  to  America, 
making  the  vo}-age  on  a  sailing-vessel,  embarking 
from  the  city  of  Bremen,  and  landing  in  New  Or- 
leans between  three  and  four  months  later.  Thence 
they  came  up  the  Mississippi  directly  to  this  count}', 
and  located  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Bethel  Precinct, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  en- 
gaged in  farming  pursuits. 

There  were  nine  children  born  to  the  parents  of 
Mr.  Brockhouse,  only  two  of  whom  survive,  him- 
self and  his  brother  Henry,  the  latter  a  resident  of 
Bethel.  Our  subject  attended  school  several  years 
in  his  native  Province,  and  since  coining  to  Amer- 
ica has,  by  reading  and  observation,  kept  himself 
well  informed  in  regard  to  current  events.  He  hns 
a  fair  knowledge  of  English,  and  is  numbered 
among  the  intelligent  men  of  his  community. 
Shortly  before  reaching  his  majority  he  was  mar- 
ried, April  9,  1849,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Taylor.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Nellie  (Parsons) 
Taylor. 

Ten  children  came  to  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brockhouse,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Will- 
iam C.,  John  H.,  Jr.,  Charles;  Harriet,  the  wife  of 
Jacob  Vallery,  of  this  county;  Milton,  Jane,  Mar- 
tha, and  James  F.  George  W.  and  Emma  died  at 
the  ages  of  twenty-three  and  twenty-nine  respect- 
ively. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brockhouse  took  possession 
of  the  farm  which  they  now  occupy  in  1851,  first 
purchasing  eighty  acres,  and  gradually  adding  to 
their  possessions  as  their  means  justified.  The 
land  was  mostly  in  its  primitive  condition,  and  in 
its  transformation  to  its  present  state  there  has 
been  involved  a  large  amount  of  labor,  and  a  con- 
siderable outlay  of  money.  Diligence  and  economy 
have  borne  their  legitimate  fruits,  and  in  the  life 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


431 


of  Mr.  Brockhouse  has  l>een  finely  illustrated  that 
of  the  self-made  man,  who  has  been  courageous 
nmicl  its  drawbacks  and  difficulties,  and  permitted 
no  small  circumstance  to  discourage  him. 

In  political  matters  our  subject  supports  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  mixes 
very  little  in  public  affairs,  although  he  is  at  pres- 
ent serving  as  School  Director,  and  upon  several 
occasions  has  officiated  as  Judge  of  Elections.  In 
religious  views  he  coincides  with  the  doctrines  of 
the  Lutheran  Church. 


CARY  F.  STRANG,  a  native  of  Greene 
County,  111.,  was  born  June  19,  1838.  His 
parents  were  Benjamin  and  Martha  A.  (San- 
ders) Strang.  the  former  of  English  descent,  and 
the  latter  a  native  of  Kentucky.  They  emigrated  to 
Greene  County  sometime  in  the  thirties.  The  father 
died  when  our  subject  was  about  seven  years  of  age, 
and  at  the  age  of  nine,  with  his  mother,  and  step- 
father, Samuel  Murray,  he  came  to  Morgan  County. 
The  family  settled  about  two  and  one-half  miles 
northeast  of  the  present  site  of  Murrayville,  and 
lived  there  two  years.  In  1851,  they  removed  to 
the  present  farm  of  our  subject.  Samuel  Murray 
was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  laid  off  the  town  of 
Murrayville,  which  is  named  in  honor  of  him.  He 
continued  a  resident  here  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1867. 

Mr.  Strang,  of  whom  we  write,  was  reared  to 
manhood  in  this  county  and  received  his  education 
in  the  early  subscription  schools,  and  later  attended 
the  public  schools.  He  had  not  the  advantages  of- 
fered the  young  men  of  to-day,  but  being  a  reader 
all  his  life  he  has  been  able  to  keep  himself  posted 
in  the  current  topics  of  the  day.  Mr.  Strang  is 
engaged  in  fanning  and  raising  live  stock,  and 
has  seen  the  county  rise  from  its  primitive  condi- 
tion into  what  it  now  is. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  being  Ellen  M.  Grimes,  who  became 
the  mother  of  five  children:  Mary  E,  is  the  wife  of 
Benjamin  Rice,  and  they  reside  in  this  county; 
Maggie  married  John  Wyatt,  and  the}*  are  also  re- 
siding in  this  county;  Clara,  is  the  wife  of  Thomas 


Grouse,  Postmaster  at  Murrayville;  Edward;  one 
child  is  deceased.  Mrs  Strang  passed  away  on 
Nov.  21,  1871.  Mr.  C.  Strang  was  subsequently 
married  to  Margaret  Grimes,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  A.  (Potts)  Grimes,  the  father  a  native  of 
Kentucky.  By  this  union  he  became  the  father  of 
four  children,  all  of  whom  still  survive — Ellen  M., 
Lulu  G.,  Harry  G.,  and  Meda  E.  The  mother  of 
these  children  is  a  native  of  Pike  County,  111.,  and 
was  born  Dec.  7,  1839.  She  left  her  native  county 
when  quite  young  and  resided  for  some  time  in 
Greene  County,  this  State,  and  also  for  a  time  in 
Jerse}'  County,  and  in  1871  came  to  this  county. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  is  the  owner  of 
200  acres  of  land  in  this  county.  He  also  owns  one- 
half  interest  in  247  acres,  where  he  now  lives,  with 
his  brother,  B.  D.  Strang,  who  resides  in  Greene 
County,  this  State.  He  likewise  has  an  interest  in 
1280  acres  of  land  with  his  brother  heretofore  men- 
tioned in  Greene  County.  He  is  practically  a  self- 
made  man,  having  made  all  he  has  by  his  energy  and 
industry  with  the  exception  of  receiving  a  small 
start  from  his  father's  estate.  He  and  his  wife 
are  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  he  serving  as  Trustee  of  that  organization. 
He  owns  one  of  the  finest  and  best  furnished 
homes  in  the  county.  He  and  his  wife  are  active 
members  of  society  and  are  now  in  the  prime  of 
life  and  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  life  well-spent  and 
surrounded  by  their  children  and  friends.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  Strang  votes  with  the  Republican  party. 


Sj  OHN  A.  HUGHES  the  oldest  living  settler 
of  his  part  of  the  county,  is  a  native  of 
Fleming  County,  Kentucky.  He  was  born 
April  17.  1803.  and  is  the  son  of  Allen  B.. 
and  Elizabeth  (Tilton)  Hughes.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  his  mother  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  that  State.  His  paternal  ancestors  are  said 
to  have  been  English,  while  those  of  his  mother 
were  Welsh.  The  exact  time  of  their  emigration 
is  not  known,  but  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  at  an 
early  day,  when  they  located  in  Clertnont  County, 
then  called  Brown  County,  Ohio.  Here  they  re- 
sided for  nine  or  ten  years.  In  1823.  John  Hughes 


~ 


132 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


with  his  parents  came  to  White  County,  III.,  ami 
there  lived  for  three  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1826 
came  to  this  count}'.  When  he  landed  at  Jackson- 
ville it  had  only  four  houses  and  these  were  built 
of  logs.  His  father  first  rented  a  few  acres,  and 
then  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Indian  Creek 
ami  settled  on  the  raw  prairie.  Here  he  resideil 
for  a  short  time  and  died  in  this  county  in  1835. 

Our  subject,  John  A.  Hughes,  was  reared  mostly 
in  Ohio,  and  engaged  chiefly  in  farming  and  in  the 
milling  business.  Like  most  self-made  men  his  ed- 
ucational advantages  were  few,  and  even  those  were 
obtained  under  difficulties.  He  attended  in  Ohio  the 
subscription  school,  which  was  held  in  a  log  cabin 
built  in  the  usual  primitive  style  with  greased  pa- 
per for  windows  and  slabs  for  benches  with  legs 
put  in  to  k  ep  them  up.  Being  naturally  fond  of 
reading  lie  lias  aimed  to  keep  well  posted  on  the 
general  topics  of  the  day,  so  that  he  is  in  reality 
principally  self-educated.  He  first  leased  land  on 
section  16,  and  afterward  entered  240  acres  of  land 
near  the  present  site  of  Murrayville,  and  settled  on 
the  game,  when  the  country  was  in  a  wild  and  prim- 
itive condition,  just  as  the  Indians  had  left  it.  He 
first  built  a  double  log  cabin,  each  room  being 
1C  feet  square  and  this  he  first  occupied  in  1832. 
lie  resided  there  a  number  of  years  and  improved 
it  from  time  to  time  until  he  had  a  very  desirable 
frame  house.  He  had  virtually  no  means  when  he 
started,  having  invested  all  he  had  in  laud.  By 
untiring  industry  and  careful  management  he  made 
of  liis  land  a  good  farm. 

Like  all  of  the  pioneers  Mr.  Hughes  was  sub- 
jected to  many  hardships.  He  lias  been  an  eye  wit- 
ness of  the  gradual  growth  of  the  country,  from  a 
wild  state  into  what  it  is  to-nay,  and  he  himself  has 
nobly  done  his  part.  He  was  married  Feb.  20,  1 827, 
to  Elizabeth  Webb,  who  has  borne  him  nine  child- 
ren: Sarah  A.,  wife  of  William  McDonald,  a  native 
of  Scotland;  Mary,  wife  of  A.  Gunn,  of  this  county; 
Allen  B.,  in  this  county;  William,  in  Kansas  City, 
Mo.;  Emily,  wife  of  James  Dikis,  in  Murrayville, 
111.;  Robert  R.,  Komar,  Pratt  County,  Kan.;  John,T. 
in  Snngamon  County,  111.;  Harrietts  K.,  wife  of 
Stewart  Murray,  in  Kansas;  Oliver  P.,  in  Cass 
County,  111. 

Mr.  Hughes  at  one  time  owned  about  1,200  acres 

1- 


of  land  which  he  has  mostly  divided  among  his 
children.  He  has  been  married  three  times.  His 
first  wife  died  in  1860,  and  his  second  was  Abigail 
Hickes,  the  third  who  died  in  1888  was  the  widow 
Entricen.  Our  subject  is  a  thorough  and  self-made 
man,  and  is  numbered  among  old  settlers  of  Mor- 
gan County.  He  is  now  reaping  the  fruits  of  his 
early  industry,  enjoying  life  in  his  old  age  sur- 
rounded by  his  children.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  his  two  sons,  Robert  and  Oliver,  served 
gallantly  in  the  late  war.  He  has  always  been  at 
the  head  of  every  movement  to  improve  the  county 
or  elevate  society.  He  is  a  Member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  has  been  Stew- 
ard for  about  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  his  usual 
industry  and  energy  have  characterized  his  deal- 
ings with  the  church  as  well. 


^EORGE  W.  LAURIE.  This  gentleman 
is  one  of  the  few  citizens  in  Morgan  County 
who  have  lived  on  the  same  land  nearly 
sixty  years.  Fifty -eight  years  ago  his  father,  John 
Laurie,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  township  15, 
entered  this  land  from  the  Government,  on  the 
last  day  of  August,  1830,  and  here  founded  a  new 
home  far  from  the  old  one,  which  lay  across  the 
broad  waters  of  the  Atlantic.  He  became  a  man 
of  much  prominence  in  this  community,  and  always 
worked  for  its  highest  good.  His  son,  of  whom 
we  write,  is  a  worthy  descendant  of  his  honored 
sire.  Most  of  his  life  has  been  passed  on  this  old 
homestead,  and  he  is  a  sturdy  representative  of 
those  who  were  reared  to  a  stalwart,  honest  man- 
hood, amid  the  pioneer  scenes  that  prevailed  in 
this  county  less  than  half  a  century  ago.  He  has 
been  closely  identified  with  the  agricultural  inter- 
ests of  the  township  for  many  years,  and  is  classed 
among  its  most  substantial  citizens.  His  farm,  on 
sections  3  and  4,  townships  15  and  16,  range  10, 
comprises  285  acres  of  choice  land,  under  fine  cul- 
tivation and  well  improved. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  Jan.  27, 
1787,  on  the  River  Clyde,  in  Scotland,  at  a  town 
called  Bigger.  When  a  young  man  he  entered  the 
office  of  the  Craig  Leith  Quarry,  near  Edinburg, 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


433 


4* 


as  clerk,  and  remained  there  for  twenty  years  and 
became  quite  an  accomplished  man  of  business.  In 
1830,  when  he  was  about  forty-three  years  of  age,  he 
threw  up  his  clerkship  in  that  company  in  order  to 
try  life  in  the  United  States,  and  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  four  children  that  had  been  born  to  them 
in  their  Scottish  home,  he  set  sail  on  the  ship 
Klix.a,  and  after  a  voyage  of  eight  weeks  and  two 
days  landed  in  New  York  August  2. 

Leaving  his  family  in  that  city,  and  taking  with 
him  his  eldest  son,  Mr.  Laurie  came  to  this  State 
by  the  way  of  New  Orleans  and  the  Mississippi 
River,  his  family  subsequently  coming  to  join  him 
here  by  way  of  the  lakes  and  river.  He  found  the 
country  in  a  wild  condition,  sparsely  settled,  there 
being  but  a  few  families  between  there  and  Jackson- 
ville, and  it  was  all  open  prairie  in  the  vicinity  of 
that  citj-.  He  entered  the  tract  of  land  men- 
tioned as  being  the  present  homestead  of  our  sub- 
ject, settled  on  it,  and  commenced  its  development 
into  a  farm.  He  broke  nearly  all  of  the  land,  put 
it  under  excellent  cultivation,  and  made  many 
needed  improvements.  But  being  a  man  of  spe- 
culative turn  of  mind  and  active  temperament, 
farming  alone  did  not  satisfy  him,  and  he  became 
interested  in  buying  and  selling  land,  and  also  en- 
gaged in  the  loan  business.  He  took  a  prominent 
part  in  promoting  the  material  prosperity  of  this 
township,  and  was  active  in  securing  educational 
and  religious  privileges.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
to  start  a  school  here,  the  head  of  each  house- 
hold paying  a  certain  sum  each  day  for  each  one  of 
his  children,  and  our  subject  can  well  remember 
the  little  log  building  that  served  the  double  pur- 
pose of  a  school-house  and  church. 

The  father  of  our  subject  died  on  the  old  home- 
stead, Oct.  21,  1863,  at  a  ripe  old  age,  having 
lived  to  see  the  wonderful  growth  of  Morgan 
County  from  the  wild,  scarcely  inhabited  condition 
in  which  he  found  it  on  that  August  day  so  many 
years  before,  to  a  wealthy  and  populous  com- 
munity, occupying  a  proud  position  among  its 
sister  counties,  he  having  had  an  honorable  share 
in  bringing  about  the  marvelous  change.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Jemima  Kirk,  died  the  8th 
of  the  following  January,  1864,  so  that  they  who  had 
lived  in  peace  and  harmony  so  many  years  were 


not  long  divided  by  death.     She  would  have   been 
seventy  years  of  age  the  26th  of  March,  1864. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  review  was  born 
in  New  York  City,  and  was  an  infant  but  eight 
months  old  when  he  was  brought  to  his  future 
home  in  Morgan  County.  Here  he  was  bred  to  the 
honorable  life  of  a  farmer,  gaining  a  good  practi- 
cal knowledge  of  the  vocation  in  all  its  details, 
and  has  ever  since  prosperously  pursued  it.  When 
he  came  to  establish  hinself  in  life  Mr.  Laurie 
chose  as  a  wife  and  helpmate  Miss  Mary  J.  Massey, 
who  was  born  in  Cass  County,  this  State,  just 
across  the  line  from  this  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Laurie's  happy  domestic  life  has  proved  the  wisdom 
of  his  choice,  and  in  their  comfortable  home  six 
children  have  come  to  bless  their  union:  Martha 
J.,  Mary  J.,  Esther  B.,  John  H.,  Elizabeth  M.,  arid 
George  W.,  all  of  whom  are  at  home  and  have  re- 
ceived fine  educational  advantages. 

Mrs.  Laurie's  father,  Henderson  E.  Massey,  was 
born  in  Roanoake,  Va.,  July  27,  1808,  but  in  his 
boyhood  he  went  to  Tennessee  to  live.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  made  his  way  to  Galena,  111.,  was 
there  at  the  time  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  enlisted 
in  the  service,  fought  bravely,  and  had  some  close 
calls.  He  married  Miss  Martha  Marshall,  of  Cass 
County,  her  father,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent, 
having  been  an  early  settler  of  that  county.  She 
died  March  29,  1874,  aged  fifty-eight  years,  leav- 
ing a  family  of  twelve  children.  Mr.  Massey  was 
an  early  settler  of  Cass  County. 

Mr.  Laurie's  career  in  life  as  a  man  and  a  citi- 
zen is  worthy  of  emulation.  In  every  relation  that 
he  has  sustained  toward  others,  as  son,  husband, 
father,  neighbor,  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  guided 
by  the  highest  and  holiest  principles,  and  the  many  ' 
to  whom  he  is  known,  unite  in  testifying  to  his 
honorable  character  and  unswerving  integrity. 


>ILLIAM  T.  DUNN.  This  gentleman  is 
recognized  as  a  leading  stock-raiser  of  this 
county,  being  one  of  the  first  who  intro- 
duced the  famous  Holstein  cattle  into  this  section, 
in  the  breeding  of  which  he  is  largely  interested, 
and  has  at  the  head  of  his  herd  "Tim  Tulau"  and 


*r 


434 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


"  Fenelon,",  both  registered  animals  from  the  herd 
of  George  E.  Brown  &  Co.,  of  Aurora,  and  aged 
two  and  three  years  respectively.  The  farm  of 
Mr.  Dunn  comprises  160  acres  of  valuable  land, 
where  he  has  all  the  buildings  and  appliances  suit- 
able to  the  requirements  of  the  enterprising  and 
progressive  agriculturist.  A  spring  of  living  water 
is  one  of  the  important  adjuncts  of  this  industry, 
and  the  rich  pasturage  forms  a  beautiful  range  for 
his  herds.  The  farm  is  located  on  section  8,  town- 
ship 15,  range  1 1,  and  although  Mr.  Dunn  lias  only 
occupied  it  since  1884,  he  has  effected  many  im- 
provements, and  there  are  few  which  excel  it  in  its 
loo  ition  and  general  value. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  having  been  born 
in  ('ass  County  Feb.  24,  1850,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Caroline  (Treadway)  Dunn,  both  of  whom 
are  deceased,  the  father  passing  away  in  Cass 
County  in  October,  1875,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
years.  Ho  had  been  a  resident  there  for  the  long 
period  of  forty-one  years,  settling  there  when  the 
country  was  mostly  a  wild  prairie,  and  assisting  in 
developing  his  township,  where  he  was  numbered 
among  its  most  useful  citizens. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Cornwall 
County,  England,  where  he  lived  until  reaching 
man's  estate,  then  came  to  America,  and  settling  in 
Cass  County,  this  State,  was  married  to  Miss  Tread- 
way,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  of  American  parents, 
the  name  of  her  father  being  Edward  Treadwaj'. 
The  Treadway  family  lived  for  many  years  in  the 
Miami  "Valley,  whence  they  removed  to  Illinois 
about  1837,  and  spent  their  last  years  in  Cass 
County.  Mrs.  Caroline  Dunn,  after  the  death  of 
her  husband,  retained  the  homestead  until  about 
two  years  before  her  decease,  then  went  to  live 
with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Paschal,  of  this 
county,  where  she  spent  her  last  days  and  died  in 
1887,  at  the  age  of  seventy -three  years;  both  she 
and  her  husband  had  been  active  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  from  the  time  of  un- 
iting with  it  in  1858. 

Our  subject  was  the  next  to  the  youngest  of 
the  nine  children  born  to  his  parents,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  the  three  besides  himself  making  their 
homes  in  Cass  County,  this  State.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  county,  and  remained  a 


member  of  his  father's  household  until  twent3r-five 
years  old.  He  was  then  married  to  Miss  Matilda 
Chalfant,  who  was  born  in  Beardstown,  this 
State,  March  12,  1856.  Her  parents  were  Thomas 
and  Ann  (Norton)  Chalfant,  natives  of  Wheeling, 
W.  Va.,  who  came  to  Illinois  in  their  youth, 
and  formed,  in  Beardstown,  the  acquaintance  which 
resulted  in  their  marriage.  M~s.  Chalfant  died  in 
Cass  County  in  the  spring  of  1878,  at  the  age  of 
forty-one  years.  She  was  taken  away  very  sud- 
denly with  neuralgia  of  the  heart.  Mr.  Chalfant 
still  resides  in  Beardstown,  where  lie  is  employed 
as  a  pattern  maker,  wagon-maker,  and  general  me- 
chanic, and  is  now  about  sixty-six  years  old. 

Mrs.  Dunn  was  given  a  good  education,  being 
graduated  from  the  High  school  at  Beardstown, 
and  afterward  occupied  herself  as  a  teacher  some 
time  before  her  marriage.  The  two  children  born 
to  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife,  a  son  and  a 
daughter,  John  and  Alice,  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dunn  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  in  which  our  subject  officiates 
as  Steward,  and  in  politics  he  upholds  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party. 


with 


ETER  ROBERTS  first  saw  the  light  of 
daj'  Jan.  12,  1812,  in  Washington  County, 
Tenn.,  where  he  resided  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  in  company 
Alexander  Pitner,  emigrated  to  Morgan 
County  in  1833.  He  commenced  life  by  working 
on  a  farm  by  the  month. 

Mr.  Roberts,  in  1837,  was  married  to  Miss  Erne- 
line  McGinnis,  a  native  of  Washington  County, 
Tenn.  Her  parents  came  to  Morgan  County  in 
1825.  Mr.  Roberts  is  now  the  happy  possessor  of 
600  broad  acres  of  land,  well  improved,  and  in  a 
good  state  of  cultivation. 

William  Roberts,  father  of  the  subject  ot  this 
sketch,  was  also  a  native  of  Washington  County, 
Tenn.  He  married  Miss  Eve  Ruble,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, whose  parents  emigrated  to  Tennessee  at  an 
early  day.  Our  subject  had  eleven  brothers  and 
sisters:  One  brother.  Joseph,  married  Caroline 
Sargent,  of  Sangamon  County,  111.,  where  he  is  en- 


I 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


485 


gaged  in  farming;  they  have  six  children.  Samuel 
married  Eve  Seymour,  of  Morgan  County;  he  en- 
listed in  the  late  war,  and  was  one  of  the  many 
thousands  who  gave  their  lives  in  defense  of  their 
country.  He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Ga.,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  chil- 
dren, who  are  now  living  in  Morgan  County. 

In  the  family  of  Peter  Roberts,  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch,  are  four  children:  Thomas, 
James,  Douglas,  and  Hardin.  Douglas  married 
Miss  Lulu  Dickinson,  of  Morgan  County,  and  is  a 
fanner;  they  have  seven  children.  Hardin  married 
a  lady  in  Texas,  where  he  is  residing,  following  the 
occupation  of  lawyer  and  teacher.  The  rest  of  the 
children  are  at  home. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Morgan  County,  and  is  a  man  of  ability.  He 
was  elected  Colonel  of  the  22d  Illinois  Militia,  a 
position  he  filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  the 
service  for  seven  years.  He  inherited  his  soldierly 
qualities  from  his  father,  who  served  with  distin- 
guished honor  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  is  engaged 
in  a  general  farming  business,  and  has  been  emi- 
nently successful  in  business  affairs.  His  neighbors 
can  testify  to  the  fact  that  there  is  no  more  public- 
spirited  man  in  the  community  than  Col.  Roberts. 
His  son,  Douglas,  is  superintendent  of  the  farm. 

Col.  Roberts  is  a  Democrat,  and  cast  his  first 
vote  for  Andrew  Jackson,  so  that  it  will  be  seen 
that  lie  is  not  a  recent  recruit  in  the  Democratic 
party. 


M1OMAS  15.  CULLY  is  one  of  the  younger 
generation  that  has  .grown  up  since  this 
county  hns  been  settled,  and  who  have  in- 
herited their  fathers'  homesteads.  The  farm  upon 
which  Mr.  Cully  is  now  residing  was  located  by  his 
father  very  early  in  the  history  of  Morgan  County, 
about  1834,  and  is  situated  on  section  36  of  town- 
ship 16,  range  11,  and  consists  of  170  acres  of 
average  Illinois  prairie  land,  which  means  as  good 
as  there  is  under  the  sun. 

Mr.  Cully's  father,  Joshua  Cully,  bought  this 
place  when  it  was  partially  improved.  He  came 
here  from  his  native  State  (Indiana),  where  he  was 
reared  to  manhood  and  married,  and  after  the  birth 


of  two  children  came  to  Morgan  Countv.  He 
came  overland  with  teams,  and  located  on  the  farm 
that  Joshua  Cully  had  previously  selected.  After 
the  selection  was  made  Mr.  Cully  sent  for  his  wife 
and  children.  About  a  year  after  they  came  to 
Morgan  County  Mrs.  Cully  died,  while  in  the 
prime  of  life,  leaving  two  children,  one  of  whom, 
Elizabeth,  died  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  and 
left  two  children,  her  husband  having  died  before 
her.  The  living  child  of  Mr.  Cully  by  his  first 
marriage  is  J.  M.  Cully,  now  a  resident  of  Kansas, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  farming.  Joshua  Cully 
married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Mary  E.  Sluirt- 
zar.  She  was  born  in  Virginia  of  German  ancestry, 
and  was  quite  young  when  her  parents  removed 
from  Virginia  to  Illinois,  where  they  located  in 
township  15,  range  11,  near  the  County  Poor 
Farm,  and  there  her  parents  died.  Her  father  was 
a  very  successful  farmer,  and  was  well  liked  by  his 
neighborhood.  Joshua  Cully  was  fortunate  in  his 
selection  of  a  wife,  and  together  they  built  up  a 
good  home  and  a  most  excellent  reputation.  Mr. 
Cully  was  born  in  the  first  year  of  this  century, 
and  died  in  1859.  His  wife  survived  him,  passing 
away  in  1881,  when  she  was  sixty-seven  years  of 
age.  The  house  that  was  built  Ivy  hjs  father  and 
mother  is  owned  by  Thomas  B.  Cully,  and  by  him 
is  held  in  reverence.  In  this  country  people  think 
too  little  of  old  landmarks,  and  the  march  that  is 
being  made  toward  riches  is  never  stopped,  nor 
even  obstructed  for  a  moment,  by  any  of  the  old 
monuments  that  ought  to  be  retained  for  the  asso- 
ciations that  cluster  around  them.  The  old  log 
cabin,  in  which  the  early  struggles  of  our  fathers 
and  mothers  were  made,  ought  to  be  preserved  as 
a  precious  relic  of  the  heroic  days  when  it  cost 
something  to  be  a  resident  of  Illinois. 

Thomas  B.  Cully  is  the  second  child  of  eight 
children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters.  All  the 
daughters  and  two  of  the  sons  are  now  dead. 
William  W.  and  John  J.  are  now  residents  of  Mor- 
gan County,  where  Thomas  B.  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated. He  was  married  here  to  Mary  E.  An^el 

•'  O  ^  *  ' 

who  was  also  a  native  of  Morgan  County,  and  was 
born  in  1847.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John  Angel, 
whose  biography  appears  in  another  part  of  this 
ALBUM.  Mrs.  Cully  had  the  advantage  of  being 


436 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


trained  to  womanhood  by  careful,  conscientious, 
and  intelligent  parents.  She  is  the  mother  of  eight 
children:  Ida  M.,  Thomas  H.,  James  ().,  Nellie  C., 
Johanna,  Elmer  and  Albert  (twins),  and  Frank. 

Since  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cully  have 
lived  on  the  farm  which  the}'  now  own  and  occcupy. 
and  where  they  have  scored  a  great  success  in  life. 
They  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  an  or- 
ganization in  which  they  take  a  great  deal  of  inter- 
est. Politically,  Mr.  Cully  is  an  ardent  Democrat, 
and  has  held  about  all  the  local  offices. 


WILLIAM  FLKTCHERSIIOKT,  D.  D., Presi- 
dent of  the  Illinois  Female  College.  This 
gentleman  who  holds  an  advanced  posi- 
tion in  religious  and  educational  circles  in  Illinois, 
was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  near  the  city  of 
Hamilton  in  the  year  1829.  He  is  the  son  of  Daniel 
and  Diana  (Petefish)  Short,  and  was  the  first-born 
of  a  family  that  included  eleven  children.  The 
brothers  and  sisters  were  named  as  follows:  Martha 
J.,  Oliver  Francis,  Sarah  Ellen,  Thomas  B.,  Samuel 
P..  Elizabeth,  Mary  A.,  Harriet,  Ezra  D.  and  Char- 
lotte. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  William  Short, 
was  born  in  Virginia,  and  came  to  this  State  about 
the  year  1848,  and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  De- 
catur  in  Macon  County.  His  life  occupation  was 
that  of  farming,  which  he  followed  with  varying 
success,  yet  withal  no  little  financial  progress,  and 
died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years  at  the 
home  where  he  had  so  long  enjoyed  the  compe- 
tency he  had  made.  His  political  position  was  in 
the  ranks  of  the  Democrat  party,  of  which  he  was 
a  (inn  adherent.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  Rockingham  County,  Va.,  in  the  year  1810. 
After  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Short  they  remained 
in  Virginia  for  a  time,  but  removed  to  Ohio,  and 
later  to  this  county,  where  they  settled  in  1834. 
The  next  year  following  her  parents  also  settled  in 
this  county.  After  a  happy  married  life  of  about 
thirty-five  years  she  died,  in  Sangamon  County, 
aged  about  sixty  years. 

The  early  clays  of  our  subject  were  spent  in  this 
county,  he  being  but  five  years  of  age  when  \ii$ 


i 


parents  removed  hither.  After  receiving  the  usual 
course  of  instruction  in  the  ordinary  schools,  at  the 
age  of  twenty  he  entered  McKendree  College, 
and  after  studying  through  his  junior  year  entered 
the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  1854  as  A.  B.,  and  three 
years  later  rceived  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in  course, 
and  was  made  a  Doctor  of  Divinity  by  the  Ohio 
Wcsleyan  University  in  1877.  During  his  senior 
year  he  was  appointed  to  a  Missouri  Conference 
Seminary  at  Jackson,  and  served  three  years  teach- 
ing in  the  same.  At  the  end  of  that  period  his 
health  failed  and  he  joined  the  Illinois  Conference 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  commenced 
his  labors  as  a  clergyman  at  Island  Grove,  which 
pulpit  he  filled  for  two  years.  From  there  he  went 
to  Williamsville,  Sangamon  County,  serving  for 
the  same  period.  The  next  two  years  were  spent 
at  Waverly,  in  Morgan  County,  after  which  he 
went  to  Winchester,  Scott  County,  for  a  like  term. 
The  subsequent  three  years  he  was  at  Carlinville, 
thence  he  removed  to  Hillsboro,  remaining  one 
year  and  then  went  to  Jacksonville,  where  for  three 
years  he  was  Pastor  of  Grace  Church.  At  that 
period  he  was  appointed  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Jacksonville  District,  holding  the  same  for  four 
years,  after  which  lie  received  the  appointment  to 
his  present  position,  in  which  he  has  continued  for 
fourteen  years. 

The  nuptials  of  Dr.  Short  and  Miss  Sarah  B. 
Laning  were  celebrated  in  the  year  1854.  This 
lady  was  one  of  a  family  of  nine,  and  the  only 
daughter  born  to  Jacob  II.  and  Hannah  (Silvers) 
Laning,  who  were  natives  of  the  State  of  New  Jer- 
sey. They  migrated  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Me- 
nard  County,  at  an  early  date  in  the  history  thereof. 
The  above  interesting  event  occurred  at  Peters- 
burgh,  Menard  County.  There  lias  been  given  to 
them  five  children,  whose  names  are  as  follows: 
Luella  Belle,  Catherine,  Flora  M.,  William  Fletcher, 
Jr..  and  Edward  Laning. 

The  eldest  daughter  of  our  subject  was  educated 
in  the  Illinois  Female  College  and  was  graduated  in 
1873;  the  name  of  her  husband  is  Edward  Lambert, 
of  Jacksonville.  Their  family  now  includes  three 
children,  viz.:  Annie  Watson,  Edward  Laning, 
and  Helen  May.  Annie  is  attending  the  college  of 


T 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


437 


which  her  grandfather  is  principal.  Catherine,  who 
was  born  in  the  year  1858,  was  graduated  from 
the  same  institution  in  1876,  as  was  also  her  sister 
Flora,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Julian  S.  Wadsworth; 
her  husband  is  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Church  of 
Centerville,  Rhode  Island;  Catherine  is  now  Mrs. 
Dr.  J.  D.  Waller;  William  was  born  in  1866,  at- 
tended Illinois  College,  and  is  now  a  salesman  in 
the  dry-goods  store  of  Mr.  Patterson,  of  Jackson- 
ville. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  a  man  of  strong, 
patriotic  sentiments,  and  he  took  occasion  during 
the  late  war  to  express  himself  forcibly  in  that  con- 
nection, lie  made  quite  a  number  of  fervid  and 
loyal  speeches,  aiming  to  arouse  the  most  loyal  en- 
thusiasm of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  was  actively 
engaged  in  raising  recruits  to  do  active  service. 
lie  was  a  member  of  the  party  known  then  as  War 
Democrats,  and  none  could  possibly  have  taken  a 
firmer  stand,  both  in  private  and  public,  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  rebellion  and  in  support  of  the  Union 
than  did  he. 

The  Short  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  stock,  and 
blends  at  once  the  national  characteristics  of  both, 
giving  all  the  firmness  and  hardy  manhood  of  the 
one  and  the  keen-witted,  bright  vivacity  of  the 
other.  Dr.  Short  has  been  a  resident  of  Morgan 
County  and  vicinity  for*  over  fifty  years,  and  is 
thoroughly  well-known  and  that  also  most  favora- 
bly. His  administration  of  the  college  has  been 
such  as  to  keep  it  upon  the  top  wave  of  popularity, 
financial  success  and  intellectual  power.  As  a  re- 
sult the  attendance  is  always  strained  to  its  utmost 
capacity,  and  usually  there  are  more  waiting  to 
take  their  places  in  the  classes  than  can  possibly  be 
received. 


\f;OHN  II.  COX  is  a  native  of  Morgan  County, 
where  he  was  born  March  1,  1838.  He  is 
in  the  possession  of  a  good  common-school 
education,  supplemented  by  a  good  fund  of 
common  sense.  His  father,  Harris  Cox,  was  born 
in  Mercer  County,  Ky.,  Oct.  20,  1807.  He  lived 
in  his  native  State  until  he  attained  his  majority. 
He  married  Nancy  McC'lellan,  who  was  a  distant 
relative  of  Gen.  George  B.  McC'lellan.  She  was  boni 


July  12,  1809.  After  his  marriage  Harris  Cox  re- 
moved to  Boone  County.  Ind.,  and  lived  there  four 
years,  but  becoming  dissatisfied  with  that  country, 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  better  himself,  and  conse- 
quently, in  1834,  came  to  Morgan  County  and 
located  on  a  piece  of  land,  which  he  afterward  de- 
veloped into  a  splendid  homestead.  He  died  in 
1864,  his  wife  preceding  him.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  three 
are  living,  a  record  of  whom  follows:  Ailsie  mar- 
ried Melchi  Hart  (deceased).  She  was  married 
again  to  Helms  Roberts,  of  Sangnmon  County. 
He  is  now  a  farmer  of  this  county.  Julia  Ann 
married  James  Hill,  of  Morgan  County,  who  died 
in  Franklin,  leaving  one  son,  Robert.  John  H.,  of 
whom  this  sketch  is  written,  married  Mary  F. 
Boyer.  Her  father  came  from  Kentucky,  while 
her  mother  was  a  native  of  Tennessee.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cox  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  William  H.,  George, 
Charles,  David  N.,  Nancy,  and  John  E.  George 
married  Susan  Edwards,  daughter  of  Marion  and 
Rachel  Edwards,  of  Morgan  County.  He  is  farm- 
ing. The  rest  of  the  children  are  living  at  home 
with  their  parents. 

The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
married  twice,  his  second  wife  being  Mrs.  Mary 
Sims,  and  to  this  union  there  were  born  eleven 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  living:  William  H., 
Jane,  Lucinda  and  Er  (twins),  James  L.,  Sarah, 
Miriam  and  Mary  M.  Jane  mariied  Luther  Cline,  of 
Ohio,  who  is  now  a  farmer  in  Morgan  County.  They 
have  six  children.  Lucinda  married  David  Cham- 
bers, of  Morgan  Count}7,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  two  children.  Er  married  Emiline  Rees,  and  is 
a  fanner  of  Morgan  County ;  they  have  six  children. 
James  L.  married  a  lady  in  Jackson  County,  Mo., 
to  whom  was  born  two  children;  he  is  engaged  in 
railroading.  Sarah  married  George  Smith,  of 
Athensville,  Greene  Co.,  111.;  he  is  eng'aged  in 
the  lumbering  business,  and  they  have  four  chil- 
dren. Miriam  married  Marion  Smith,  a  farmer  of 
Greene  County;  they  have  five  children.  Mary  M. 
married  Ransom  Chambers,  a  farmer  of  this  county. 
The  result  of  this  union  was  three  children. 

John  H.  Cox,  in  common  with  most  of  the 
people  who  go  to  a  new  country  to  seek  a  home 


I 


438 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


and  to  better  themselves,  had  little  upon  which  to 
build  his  present  fortune.  Seven  years  after  his 
marriage  he  had  but  eighty  acres  of  land,  partially 
improved,  but  by  industry,  intelligence,  and  econ- 
omy he  has  increased  his  holdings,  so  that  now  his 
farm  contains  167  acres  of  unsurpassed  land,  every 
spot  of  which  is  improved,  and  which  brings  large 
returns  to  the  owner.  Besides  raising  grain,  he 
takes  great  pride  in  good  stock,  and  finds  that  it 
pays. 

The  members  of  Mr.  Cox's  family  are  consistent 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he  has 
been  Clerk  for  a  long  time;  Politically,  Mr.  Cox 
is  a  sound  Prohibitionist,  leaning  toward  Democ- 
racy. He  has  held  the  office  of  Constable  and 
School  Director,  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
and  is  also  a  Patron  of  Husbandry.  Mr.  Cox  is 
reckoned  by  his  neighbors  and  acquaintances  as 
being  a  solid,  substantial  farmer — a  reputation 
well  earned. 


*  AMES  P.  DEWEES  is  the  son  of  a  pio- 
neer of  Morgan  County,  who  came  here  in 
the  early  days  of  its  settlement,  and  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  calling  as  a  farmer  accu- 
mulated a  handsome  property,  and  left  besides  an 
honorable  name  as  a  legacy  to  his  children.  He, 
of  whom  we  write  is  one  of  the  oldest  native  citi- 
zens of  this  county,  and  has  been  counted  among 
its  successful  grain-growers  and  stock-breeders 
these  many  years.  He  has  a  farm  on  section  31, 
township  16,  north,  range  8,  west,  that  is  not  ex- 
ceeded in  value  or  productiveness  by  any  other  of 
equal  size  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  home  that  he  has 
built  up  here  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
township. 

Our  subject  is  of  Kentucky  lineage,  on  both  the 
paternal  and  maternal  side.  His  father,  Nimrod 
Dewees,  was  born  in  Barren  County,  that  State,  in 
1801,  a  son  of  John  Dewees,  an  early  settler  of 
that  region.  He  was  there  reared  and  married  to 
Elizabeth  Murphy.  In  1830,  animated  by  the  pio- 
neer spirit  of  his  forefathers,  he  with  his  wife  and 
four  children  left  their  old  home  and  penetrated 
the  wilds  of  Illinois  as  far  as  this  county,  and  lo- 


cated  near  where  the  county  infirmary  now  is. 
There  the  mother  gave  up  the  struggle  for  life  in 
March,  1837.  She  was  a  truly  good  woman  and 
a  sincere  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  of  which 
her  father  was  a  preacher  in  Kentucky.  The  fath- 
er married  a  second  time,  Mrs.  Eliza  (Sanders) 
Kerr,  becoming  his  wife,  and  by  her  he  had  four 
children,  of  whom  one  survives.  Mrs.  Dewees 
died,  leaving  the  memory  of  a  just  and  good 
woman,  and  one  who  as  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  had  led  an  exemplary  life.  Mr. 
Dewees  married  again,  Mary  J.  Talbot,  becoming 
his  third  wife.  She  is  a  thoroughly  good  woman, 
and  an  esteemed  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 
She  lives  in  Jacksonville  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
M.  L.  D.  Keiser,  who  is  her  only  surviving  child. 
In  March,  1866,  the  father  of  our  subject  rounded 
out  a  useful  and  busy  life.  He  was  ever  an  in- 
fluence for  good  in  this  community,  materially  ad- 
vancing its  interests,  and  his  death  was  sincerely 
lamented  by  the  many  friends  and  acquaintances 
that  he  had  made  in  Morgan  County,  during  his 
thirty -six  years'  residence  here.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Christian  Church,  and  led  a  pure  and  spot- 
less life  in  consonance  with  its  teachings.  His  son, 
William  W.,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1822, 
and  that  son's  son  Henry,  served  in  the  late  war, 
as  members  of  the  101st  Illinois  Infantry.  William 
died  in  Piatt  County,  111.  in  March,  1 888. 

James  Dewees  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
to  the  life  of  a  farmer,  and  from  him  inherited 
property  that  gave  him  a  good  start  in  life.  After 
his  marriage  he  and  his  bride  began  their  wedded 
life  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  Frank  Robinson.  In 
the  following  fall  our  subject  went  to  Texas,  and 
staid  in  the  Lone  Star  State  till  the  spring  of  1860, 
and  then  came  back  to  his  native  State  and  with 
his  family  settled  in  Sangamon  County.  Five 
years  later,  he  came  with  them  to  this  county  and 
settled  on  his  present  farm,  where  he  has  ever  since 
lived.  The  farm  comprises  240  acres  of  land  in  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  all  fenced,  and  a  com- 
modious, well-appointed  frame  house  and  a  large 
barn  have  taken  place  of  the  one-story  frame  housu 
arid  small  barn  that  formerly  stood  on  the  place. 
Here  he  and  his  family  have  one  of  the  most  charm- 
ing and  beautiful  homes  in  this  locality.  The  lawns 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


439 


are  tastefully  laid  out  with  walks  and  lovely  large 
flower  beds,  flower  stands,  etc,  and  adorned  with 
fine  shade  trees  and  everything  to  make  the  place 
attractive. 

In  these  years  our  subject  has  had  the  able  as- 
sistance of  the  best  of  wives,  to  whom  he  was  united 
in  marriage  near  C'arrollton,  Greene  County.  111., 
Sept.  29,  1858,  and  they  have  reared  afamil3r  of  six 
children  to  honorable  and  useful  lives,  as  follows: 
George  E.,  (see  sketch)  S.  N.,  Lizzie  A.,  Frank  L. 
Norman  and  Hettie.  Mrs.  Dewees'  maiden  name 
was  Nancy  J.  Trimble,  and  she  is  a  daughter  of 
Harvey  and  Margaret  (Rice)  Trimble,  natives  of 
Kentucky.  Her  father  was  born  in  1811,  and  her 
mother  in  1810,  and  she  died  Dec.  5,  1887.  The 
father  is  an  esteemed  resident  of  Greene  Count}-, 
111.,  of  which  he  was  a  pioneer. 

Mr.  Dewees  is  a  thoroughly  practical  man,  skill- 
ful in  his  calling,  and  he  well  knows  how  to  work 
to  advantage  so  as  to  produce  the  best  results. 
Sound  judgment  and  foresight  are  the  prominent 
traits  in  his  character,  and  have  led  him  to  pros- 
perity. He  commands  the  respect  of  all  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact  either  in  a  business  or  in  a 
social  way,  as  he  is  known  to  be  a  man  of  high 
moral  character,  who  would  not  willfully  wrong 
another.  Having  been  reared  by  pious  pn  rents  in 
the  faitli  of  the  Christian  Church,  he  united  with 
it  early  in  life,  but  as  there  is  no  organization  of 
that  denomination  in  this  neighborhood,  he  is  not 
as  active  in  religious  matters  as  he  was  once.  He 
is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  though  rather  reserved 
and  wants  no  office. 


'OHN    WHITLOCK    HAIRGROVE,  M.    D. 

This  rising  young  physician  and  surgeon  al- 
though  only  having  been  a  resident  of  AVav- 
erly  since  May,  1886,  is  quite  well  estab- 
lished in  his  profession  at  this  point,  and  is  rapidly 
gaining  the  confidence,  not  only  of  his  patrons,  but 
the  people  at  large,  lie  is  a  native  of  this  county, 
having  been  born  in  .Jacksonville,  Aug.  21,  1856, 
and  is  the  son  of  Columbus  and  Rose  A.  (Whit- 
lock  Ilairgrove.  natives  respectively,  of  Georgia 
and  Kentucky,  and  now  residents  of  .Jacksonville. 


Soon  after  his  birth,  the  parents  of  our  subject 
removed  to  Kansas,  and  later  to  Memphis  Tenn. 
Finally  returning  to  this  county,  they  settled  on  a 
farm  near  Jacksonville,  and  there,  from  the  age  of 
six  years  upward,  our  subject  spent  his  boyhood 
and  youth,  and  received  such  educational  advan- 
tages as  was  afforded  by  the  country  schools.  Later 
he  took  a  course  in  the  Business  College  at  Jack- 
sonville, and  finally  became  a  student  of  Illi- 
nois College,  where  lie  remained  three  years.  In 
the  fall  of  1880  he  commenced  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, and  in  the  spring  of  1881  entered  the  office 
of  Dr.  David  Prince,  of  Jacksonville,  where  he  ap- 
plied himself  closely  to  the  best  medical  works 
within  his  reach,  and  at  the  end  of  one  year  became 
the  assistant  of  his  tutor. 

Our  subject  remained  with  Dr.  Prince  until  May, 
1885,  and  a  portion  of  this  time  attended  lectures 
in  the  Hospital  College  of  Medicine,  of  Louisville. 
Ky.,  and  in  the  Missouri  Medical  College  at  St. 
Louis.  From  this  latter  institution  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1885,  passing  his  examination  and  receiv- 
ing his  diploma  two  months  prior  to  the  time  of 
commencement.  He  then  commenced  travel in<>- 

o 

over  the  AVestern  country,  and  was  thus  occupied 
for  about  ten  months,  practicing  medicine  some  of 
the  time  at  Raton,  N.  M.  Upon  returning  to  Illi- 
nois in  1886,  he  located  at  Waverly,  where  he  pro- 
poses to  remain. 

Although  having  little  time  to  give  to  the  dis- 
cussion of  political  affairs,  Dr.  Ilairgrove  keeps 
himself  posted  on  the  situation,  and  takes  suffi- 
cient interest  therein  to  give  his  unqualified  sup- 
port to  the  Republican  part}'.  Socially,  he  belongs 
to  the  K.  of  P.  and  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  the  bio- 
graphy of  his  parents,  on  another  page  in  this  ALBUM 
further  reference  to  the  family  history  may  be 
found. 


R.  CHARLES  M.  VERTREES.  A  resi- 
dence of  thirteen  years  in  Murray ville, 
and  that  length  of  time  a  practitioner  of 
medicine  and  surgery,  has  fully  established 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  in  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  the  residents  of  this  locality,  who  look 
upon  him  as  one  of  their  leading  men.  both  profes- 


440 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


\T     cag 

r" 


sionally  and  as  a  member  of  the  community.  He 
is  a  scion  of  old  Kentucky  stock,  although  a  native 
of  this  State,  having  been  born  in  Pike  County, 
March  1,  1838.  His  parents  were  John  and  Nancy 
(Bradbury)  Vertrees,  the  father  born  in  the  Blue 
Grass  State,  and  the  mother  in  Ohio. 

About  1839,  when  our  subject  was  a  year  old, 
his  parents  moved  to  Fulton  County,  where  they 
probably  lived  six  years.  We  next  find  them  in 
Knox  County,  where  they  sojourned  until  our  sub- 
ject was  reared  to  man's  estate.  The  father  during 
those  years  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
but  finally  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  life,  and 
is  now  a  resident  of  Galesburg,  111.  The  mother 
died  June  8,  1888. 

The  early  education  of  our  subject  was  obtained 
in  the  district  school,  but  when  approaching  his 
majority,  anxious  to  gain  further  knowledge,  he 
entered  Abingdon  College,  where  he  applied  him- 
self to  his  books  one  year.  Then  followed  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War,  and  at  its  beginning  in 
April,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier  in  Com- 
pany E,  17th  Illinois  Infantry.  His  regiment  was 
assigned  to  the  army  of  the  Southwest  under  com- 
mand of  Gen.  Grant,  and  young  Vertrees  fought  at 
the  battle  of  Frederickstown,  Mo.,  and  received  a 
painful  wound  in  the  face,  which  confined  him  in 
the  hospital  a  number  of  weeks.  As  soon  as  con- 
valescent he  rejoined  his  regiment,  and  met  the 
enemy  in  battle  at  Ft.  Donelson,  Shiloh,  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  numerous  other  engage- 
ments and  skirmishes.  He  served  the  regular  term 
of  his  enlistment,  was  promoted  to  First  Sergeant, 
and  after  receiving  his  honorable  discharge,  re-en- 
listed in  1865  in  Hancock's  7th  Veteran  Corps, 
which  was  mostly  assigned  to  guard  duty  around 
the  cities  of  Washington  and  Philadelphia.  He  re- 
mained with  the  army  until  early  in  1866,  and 
served  as  Sergeant  Major  of  his  regiment.  At 
Vicksburg  he  was  struck  by  a  spent  canister  shot, 
from  which,  however,  he  soon  recovered. 

Upon  retiring  from  the  service,  our  subject  be- 
gan the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  S.  D.  Pollock, 
of  Abingdon,  and  now  of  Galesburg,  with  whom  lie 
remained  about  two  years.  During  the  winter  of 
1868-69,  he  attended  Rush  Medical  College  at  Chi- 
cago, and  at  the  close  of  the  term  began  the  prac- 


tice of  his  profession  at  Bath,  in  this  State.  Subse- 
quent^ he  passed  examination  by  the  State  Board 
of  Health,  and  was  duly  licensed  to  practice  in  the 
State.  He  sojourned  at  Bath  about  one  year,  and 
then  took  up  his  abode  in  Murrayville,  where  he 
has  since  resided. 

Dr.  Vertrees  was  married  July  20.  1871,  to  Miss 
Amelia  D.  Fields,  daughter  of  Dr.  Fields,  of  Mason 
County,  this  State.  This  union  resulted  in  the 
birth  of  three  children,  two  of  whom,  lone  A.,  and 
J.  William,  are  deceased.  The  only  daughter  liv- 
ing, Sada  A.,  was  born  May  7,  1877.  The  Doctor 
as  an  ex-soldier,  belongs  to  Watson  Post  G.  A.  R., 
of  which  he  was  Commander  one  year.  He  is  also 
identified  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  the  Treasurer 
of  his  lodge.  He  has  passed  all  the  Chairs,  and 
represented  it  in  the  Grand  Lodge.  He  is  an  hon- 
ored member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  in  this 
has  served  as  Senior  Warden. 

Mrs.  Vertrees  is  a  lady  held  in  high  respect  in 
her  community,  and  an  active  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Our  subject,  politically,  votes 
the  straight  Republican  ticket,  and  is  quite  promi- 
nent in  local  affairs,  holding  the  office  as  President 
of  the  Village  Board  of  Trustees,  and  is  also  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  School  Directors.  He  IIHS  at- 
tained to  his  present  position  solely  by  his  own 
efforts,  receiving  no  financial  assistance  at  the  start, 
and  having  no  capital  but  his  good  health  and  per- 
severing disposition.  He  is  popular  both  among  his 
professional  brethren  and  as  a  citizen,  and  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  throughout  Murrayville  and 
vicinity. 


ILLIAM  S.  PHILLIPS.  Superintendent 
of  the  Illinois  Institution  for  the  Educa- 
tion of  the  Blind,  is  fulfilling  the  duties  of 
a  very  arduous  and  responsible  position  in  the  most 
praiseworthy  manner.  He  was  born  at  Mackville, 
Washington  Co.,  Ky.,  July  8,  1 856,  and  is  the  sec- 
ond son  of  the  late  Dr.  Franklin  W.  Phillips,  his 
distinguished  predecessor  as  Superintendent  of  the 
institution  above-named,  and  a  sketch  of  whom 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  came  to  Jacksonville 
with  his   parents    in   1866,  and    here   pursued  his 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


443 


I 


primary  studies  in  the  public  schools.  Later  he 
entered  Illinois  College,  and  in  1877  accepted  a 
clerkship  under  his  father,  then  Superintendent  of 
the  Institution  for  the  Blind,  which  he  retained 
until  the  hitter's  death,  which  occurred  Jan.  17, 
1888.  In  May  following  the  Trustees,  after  visit- 
ing various  other  States  and  their  institutions  for 
the  training  of  the  blind,  and  after  considering 
many  other  applications,  very  properly  chose  the 
present  incumbent  as  the  worthy  successor  of  his 
father. 

The  history  of  this  admirably  conducted  in- 
stitution comes  not  within  the  province  of  this 
work,  albeit  it  is  proper  to  say  that  it  now  contains 
164  pupils  with  five  literary  teachers,  six  music 
teachers,  and  about  thirty  other  officers  and  em- 
ployes, there  being  altogether  forty-four  persons 
on  the  pay-roll.  Mr.  Phillips  entered  college  with 
a  view  to  the  profession  of  law,  but,  subsequently 
finding  the  training  and  education  of  the  blind 
congenial  to  his  tastes,  he  decided  to  confine  him- 
self thereto,  and  it  is  now  altogether  certain  that 
the  trustees  did  a  wise  tiling  in  naming  him  to  a 
position  ordinarily  so  difficult  to  fill. 

On  the  12th  of  June,  1884,  Mr.  Phillips  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  C.,  the  accomplished 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Preston  Wood,  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  now  located  at  Spring- 
field. 15oth  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
is  also  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the 
I.  ().  O.  F.  and  the  K.  of  P.  He  is  a  liberal  and 
public-spirited  citizen,  and  not  only  fully  acquainted 
with  the  best  methods  of  conducting  the  institu- 
tion over  which  he  presides,  but  as  a  citizen  is 
highly  esteemed  in  the  community. 


ON.  OLIVER  COULTAS.  Many  portraits 
of  honored  residents  of  Morgan  County  add 
!^-'  value  to  these  pages,  and  among  them  none 
reflect  the  lustre  of  a  noble  name  more  than 
that  of  the  Hon.  Oliver  Coultas.  This  gentleman, 
an  ex-member  of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  to  which 
ho  was  elected  by  the  Democracy  of  his  district,  in 
1H7II,  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  wealthy  and 


prominent  men  of  Morgan  County.  His  posses- 
sions have  been  the  accumulation  of  a  lifetime  of 
industry,  and  he  has  been  blessed  by  Providence 
witli  that  sound  common  sense  and  good  judgment 
which  has  enabled  him  to  make  fortunate  invest- 
ments. At  the  same  time  he  has  pursued  a  straight- 
forward course  in  life,  and  lias  thereby  gained  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

Mr.  Coultas  is  the  owner  of  nearly  700  acres  of 
land,  the  larger  portion  of  which  is  improved  and 
devoted  to  stock-raising.  His  homestead  is  finely 
located  on  section  6,  township  14,  range  11,  where 
he  has  285  acres  in  a  state  of  thorough  cultivation, 
and  a  set  of  modern  buildings,  together  with  the 
machinery,  ar.d  other  appliances  necessary  in  the 
proper  carrying  on  of  a  well-regulated  estate.  East 
of  Jacksonville  he  lias  a  valuable  farm  of  130  acres, 
with  fine  buildings,  and  he  has  eighty  acres  in 
township  15,  range  1 1,  besides  180  acres  in  Scott 
County.  He  has  occupied  his  present  homestead 
over  thirty-five  years,  and  has  thus  become  one  of 
the  landmarks,  whose  name  will  be  remembered 
long  after  he  has  departed  hence.  In  the  early 
days  he  made  a  specialty  of  swine,  in  which  he  dealt 
largely  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years,  in  the  interests 
of  Mr.  Gale,  of  Galesburg.  Mr.  Gale  was  the  first 
man  who  shipped  live  pork  to  the  East  as  a  busi- 
ness, and  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Coultas  ac- 
cumulated quite  a  fortune.  Our  subject  also  ac- 
cumulated a  snug  sum  of  money,  and  wisely  in- 
vested it  in  real  estate,  just  in  time  to  save  himself 
from  loss  by  the  failure  of  his  employer. 

The  North  Riding,  of  Yorkshire,  England,  was  the 
native  place  of  our  subject,  and  his  birth  occurred 
April  12,  1827.  His  father,  William  Coultas,  was 
a  substantial  Yorkshire  farmer,  of  pure  English 
stock,  and  remained  a  resident  of  his  native  county 
until  quite  late  in  life.  The  mother  was,  in  her 
girlhood,  Miss  Maiy  Saunderson,  who  was  born  and 
reared  not  far  from  the  native  place  of  her  hus- 
band. They  became  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
and  after  their  son  Oliver  had  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  the  parents  and  five  of  their  children 
followed  him,  all  locating  in  this  county.  One  son, 
George,  however,  later  settled  in  Scott  County, 
and  at  his  home  the  mother  died,  after  having 
more  than  reached  her  threescore  years.  The  father 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


subsequently  made  his  home  with  a  daughter.  Mrs. 
Myron  Duger,  of  Kansas,  and  died  there  after  the 
the  close  of  the  war,  at  about  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  Both  parents  had  been  reared  in  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Church  of  England,  and  trained  their 
offspring  in  accordance  with  its  precepts.  Of  the 
six  sons  and  two  daughters  comprising  the  parental 
household  five  are  living. 

Mr.  Conltas,  our  subject,  came  to  the  United 
States  a  single  man,  but  in  due  time  met  his  fate 
in  the  person  of  Miss  Margaret  1  leaden,  whom  he 
married  in  this  county,  Feb.  16,  1854.  Mrs.  Conltas 
was  born  May  16,  1838,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Dr. 
Thomas  Headen,  who  is  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and 
of  Southern  parents.  He  was  married  in  his  native 
State,  whence  he  came  not  long  afterward  to  this 
county,  being  one  of  its  earliest  settlers.  He  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  fol- 
lowed it  until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  the  home  of  one  of  his  daughters 
in  Scott  County,  'when  lie  was  probably  seventy 
years  old.  His  wife  had  passed  away  some  years 
previously,  in  middle  life. 

Mrs.  Coultas  was  reared  to  womanhood  under  the 
parental  roof,  acquiring  a  common-school  educa- 
tion, and  a  knowledge  of  those  housewifety  arts 
upon  which  depend  to  so  great  nn  extent  the  com- 
fort and  happiness  of  a  home.  She  has  been  the 
able  assistant  of  her  husband  in  his  ambitions,  and 
has  contributed  her  full  share  toward  the  building 
up  of  their  home,  and  establishing  the  reputation 
of  the  family.  Eleven  children  came  to  bless  their 
union,  the  record  of  whom  is  as  follows:  S.  Ann 
became  the  wife  of  John  I.  Gordon,  and  they  live 
on  a  farm  in  Macon  County,  this  State;  Alice  G. 
is  the  wife  of  Alvis  Kumley,  and  they  live  on  a 
farm  near  .Alexander;  Maggie  S.  married  C.  M. 
Sevier.  of  this  county;  Samuel  I.  married  Miss 
Minnie  Lee,  and  they  are  residents  of  this  county; 
Mary  F.  is  the  wife  of  James  B.  Gordon,  and  they 
occupy  a  farm  in  Scott  County;  Oliver,  Jr.,  Lottie 
B.,  Henry  L.  and  William  K.  are  at  home  with  their 
parents;  two  children  died  in  infniicy. 

Our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  are  members 
in  good  standing  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  in 
the  councils  of  his  party  in  this  section  Mr.  Coultas 
is  recognized  as  a  leader,  and  a  man  whose  judg- 


ment is  seldom  at  fault.  During  two  years'  service 
in  the  Legislature  he  introduced  many  wise  meas- 
ures, and  took  a  special  interest  in  local  matters. 
The  district  then  included  Scott  and  Greene  coun- 
ties. 


J'fOHN  W.  BOWEN,  Superintendent  of  the 
i  Jacksonville  Manufacturing  Company,  occu- 
!  pies  a  leading  position  among  the  business 
'  men  of  the  city.  This  concern  was  estab- 
lished in  1886,  and  occupies  a  factory  and  office  at 
No.  728,  Railroad  Street.  Its  specialty  is  the  Self- 
acting  Swing,  and  other  inventions  patented  by 
Mr.  Bowen.  This  factory  finds  ready  sale  for  its 
products  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Ter- 
ritories. The  factory  gives  employment  during  the 
busy  seasons  to  a  large  force  of  men,  and  occupies 
a  building  75x88  feet  in  area,  and  two  stories  in 
height.  Mr.  Bowen  at  an  early  age  evinced  a  me- 
chanical genius,  which  he  has  been  enabled  to  turn 
to  profit,  and  when  a  boy  spent  his  leisure  hours 
experimenting  with  tools  and  machinery. 

A  native  of  the  Prairie  State  our  subject  was 
born  in  Pike  County,  April  28,  1850,  and  is  the 
son  of  Billingsley  and  Sarah  (Brackett)  Bowen,  the 
father  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  the  mother  of  Illinois. 
The  elder  Bowen  left  the  Buckeye  State  about 
1835,  and  settled  upon  an  uncultivated  tract  of 
land  in  Pike  County,  where  he  followed  the  pur- 
suits of  farm  life  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
Aug.  28,  1858,  when  his  son,  John  W.,  was  a  little 
lad  eight  years  of  age.  The  mother  continues  to 
make  her  home  in  Pike  County. 

Of  the  six  children  comprising  the  parental 
family  but  three  are  now  living,  namely:  John  W., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Jesse  W.,  and  Mary  E. 
Mrs.  May,  of  Springfield,  III.  John  spent  his  bo}-- 
hood  and  youth  under  the  home  roof,  and  soon 
after  attaining  his  majority  commenced  working  MS 
a  carpenter.  Later  he  developed  into  a  contractor 
and  builder,  finally  establishing  his  headquarters 
in  Jacksonville,  111.,  and  in  time  carried  on  the 
largest  business  of  any  single  contractor  in  the  city. 

The  lady  who  has  presided  in  the  most  creditable 
manner  over  the  home  and  domestic  affairs  of  our 
subject,  was  in  her  girlhood  Miss  Janctte  F.  Me- 


f 


4*- 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


445 


Kean,  and  became  his  wife  in  1871.  Mrs.  Bowen 
was  born  June  2.  1849,  in  Kentucky,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Squire  and  Mrs.  James  McKean,  of  Na- 
ples, 111.,  who  were  natives  of  Ohio.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bowen  there  have  been  born  nine  children, 
one  of  whom,  Nettie  A.,  died  when  an  infant  of  five 
months  and  five  days.  The  survivors  are:  Lil- 
lian B.,  Mary  A.,  John  E..  James  W.,  Gilbert  E., 
William  F.,  Ralph  E.  and  Reign  Prentice.  The 
family  residence  is  pleasantly  located  at  No.  503 
Enst  North  street.  Mr.  Bowen,  politically,  is  inde- 
dependent,  aiming  to  supjiort  the  men  whom  he 
considers  best  qualified  to  hold  office.  Socially,  he 
belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

_ <&<% *_ 


5ILLIAM  H.  CRUM.  The  surname  of  this 
gentleman  is  familiar  to  Morgan  County, 
as  belonging  to  a  leading  pioneer  family 
of  this  region.  He  and  his  brother  Samuel  are  ex- 
tensive breeders  of  stock,  having  some  of  the  finest 
blooded  horses,  cattle  and  hogs  to  be  found  in  the 
State  of  Illinois.  They  live  on  and  are  managing 
the  old  homestead,  where  they  were  born  and 
reared,  and  which  is  still  in  the  possession  of  their 
father,  John  W.  Crum,  an  honored  resident  of 
Jacksonville,  whither  he  has  retired  to  enjoy  his 
ample  fortune  free  from  the  cares  and  annoyances 
of  business. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  March  15, 
1855,  on  this  farm,  and  on  the  very  spot  where  the 
house  stands  in  which  he  now  lives.  (For  parental 
history  sec  sketch  of  his  father).  He  was  here 
reared,  and  has  never  had  a  home  elsewhere.  lie 
received  the  foundation  of  a  sound  education  In  the 
local  district  schools,  and  was  then  sent  to  the  Illi- 
nois Wesleyan  College,  at  Bloomington,  III.,  and 
subsequently  took  a  fine  course  of  study  at  the 
business  college  at  Jacksonville,  and,  as  he  was 
studious  and  always  stood  high  in  his  classes,  after 
leaving  school  he  was  well  equipped  mentally  for 
any  career  that  he  might  choose  to  follow.  He  de- 
cided to  adopt  the  calling  to  which  he  had  been 
bred,  as  he  had  a  natural  taste  for  it,  and  had 
received  a  good  practical  training,  and,  return- 
in"  home,  he  and  his  brother  Samuel  have  been 


engaged  together,  as  noted  in  the  opening  para- 
graph of  this  biography.  This  farm  is  especially  well 
adapted  to  stock-raising,  and  comprises  580  acres 
of  highly  cultivated  and  very  productive  land. 

The  Crum  brothers  have  already  gained  an  en- 
viable reputation  as  successful  horse  breeders,  and 
they  have  some  very  fine  blooded  animals.  They 
have  one  of  the  best  Percheron  Norman  horses  in 
the  State.  lie  was  imported  by  J.  W.  Ramsey,  of 
Springfield,  111.,  and  is  registered  in  the  stud  books 
of  France  as  No.  8773,  and  in  the  American  stud 
book  as  No.  8398,  his  name  being  Franchard.  He 
is  a  fine,  active  dapple  gray,  and  his  colts  are  con- 
sidered a  superb  lot.  The  Crum  brothers  also 
have  a  dark  bay  horse,  Orear,  of  the  Wilkes  stock, 
registered  in  the  American  stud  book  as  No.  7586. 
He  was  bred  near  Paris,  Ky..  by  James  Miller,  who 
bred  his  ancestors  for  three  generations.  He  is  a 
horse  of  great  promise,  and  although  his  speed  is 
not  developed,  he  being  young,  he  gives  every  in- 
dication that  lie  possesses  the  necessary  power, 
action  and  blood  to  trot  under  thirty.  Our  sub- 
ject and  his  brother  have  a  handsome  dark  brown 
roadster,  Joe  Sprague,  who  is  of  good  stock,  though 
not  registered.  They  also  pay  attention  to  raising 
hogs,  and  have  a  fine  herd  of  Polands  and  Berk- 
shires. 

Our  subject  has  a  quick,  keen  intellect,  that  has 
been  well  trained  by  a  liberal  education,  and  his 
standing  among  the  young  agriculturists,  natives 
of  this  county,  is  of  the  best.  In  his  business  deal- 
ings he  is  strictly  honorable  and  fair,  and  his  credit 
stands  high  in  financial  circles. 

This  sketch  would  be  incomplete  without  some 
brief  reference  to  the  parents  of  this  young  man. 
While  Morgan  County  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the 
pioneers,  John  Crum's  father  made  his  way  from 
the  old  home  in  Kentucky  to  this  region  in  search 
of  land,  as  he  had  a  large  family.  He  came  to 
this  State  three  times  before  selecting  a  suitable 
site  for  a  location,  riding  a  horse  named  Coose, 
who  was  a  family  favorite,  and  when  he  died  he 
was  buried  on  the  farm.  Mr.  Crum  finally  chose 
his  present  homestead  on  section  12  township 
10,  range  10.  He  was  very  much  prospered  in  his 
calling,  acting  well  the  part  of  a  pioneer,  and  as  we 
have  seen,  retired  to  private  life  in  the  city  of 


f 


446 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


Jacksonville,  giving;  up  the  care  of  his  extensive 
farm  to  his  sons.  He  has  been  twice  married. 
Feb.  14,  1850,  he  was  wedded  to  Mary  A.,  daughter 
of  Martin  and  Margaret  (Grimsby)  Coons,  a 
woman  of  high  character,  who  was  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  respect  and  affection  accorded  to 
her.  Their  marriage  was  blessed  to  them  by  the 
birth  of  the  following  children:  .Samuel  II.,  Ma- 
thias  M.,  William  II.,  James  A.,  an  infant  that 
died  young,  Charles  W.;  five  of  these'  are  still  liv- 
ing. They  were  bereaved  of  the  mother  by  death 
July  1,  1877.  May  29,  1879,  Mr.  Crum  was  again 
married,  Frances  D.,  daughter  of  William  Orear, 
who  came  here  in  1826,  becoming  his  wife.  She 
was  to  him  a  true  and  devoted  companion,  and  her 
death,  Aug.  29,  1888,  was  a  sad  loss. 


AMUEL  DANIELS.  As  a  representative 
of  the  pioneer  element  of  this  county,  Mr. 
Daniels  stands  pre-eminent,  one  of  the  old 
landmarks,  whose  name  will  often  be  re- 
called with  kindly  remembrance  long  after  he  has 
been  gathered  to  his  fathers.  lie  came  to  Central 
Illinois  not  long  after  the  Indian  had  departed,  and 
purchasing  a  tract  of  wild  land,  proceeded  to  the 
construction  of  a  homestead.  In  this  he  succeeded 
admirably,  accumulated  a  competence,  and  is  now 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors  at  a  pleasant  coun- 
try homestead,  finely  located  on  section  5.  town- 
ship 15,  range  11. 

Mr.  Daniels  was  at  one  time  the  owner  of  nearly 
400  acres  of  land,  the  whole  of  which  he  brought  to 
a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  upon  which  he 
effected  the  improvements  nat.urally  suggested  to 
the  progressive  and  enterprising  agriculturist.  He 
has  given  each  of  his  two  children  160  acres,  which 
in  the  case  of  the  decease  of  either,  becomes  the 
properly  of  the  widow.  This  arrangement  is  one 
not  often  entered  into,  and  is  a  good  index  to  the 
character  of  the  man.  A  glance  at  his  early  life 
and  antecedents  acquaints  us  with  the  fact  that  he 
is  the  scion  of  an  excellent  family,  the  son  of  Ye- 
rin  and  Tolly  (Eaton)  Daniels,  of  Massachusetts, 
who  at  the  time  of  his  birth,  Nov.  15,  1808,  were 
residents  of  Fitchbiirg.  The  mother  died  there 


when  about  seventy-three  years  old;  she  was  a  lady 
of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  and  one  posses- 
sing all  the  Christian  virtues.  Asa  wife  and  mother 
her  example  was  one  worthy  of  emulation. 

Verin  Daniels  was  by  trade  a  carpenter  and 
millwright,  and  like  his  estimable  wife,  spent  nearly 
all  his  life  in  Fitchburg.  In  1838,  however,  he  set 
out  for  the  great  West,  joining  his  children  in  this 
county,  but  only  lived  until  the  following  year, 
dying  in  1839,  at  the  home  of  his  sou,  Vcrin,  after 
having  nearly  attained  the  eightieth  year  of  his 
age.  Prior  to  coming  to  this  county,  he  had  so- 
journed for  a  time  at  Nashville,  Tenn.  Both  he 
and  his  estimable  wife  were  members  of  the  Old 
Puritan  Church,  of  Massachusetts,  in  the  faith  of 
which  they  died.  Politically,  Mr.  Daniels,  was  a 
Jackson  Democrat.  Two  of  his  brothers  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  After  entering  the  army 
they  were  lost  track  of,  and  never  afterward  heard 
from. 

Mr.  Daniels,  as  will  be  noted,  is  approaching  the 
eighty-first  year  of  his  age.  lie  was  the  youngest 
but  two  of  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, and  is  the  only  living  member  of  his  father's 
family.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  town,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  a  clothier  from  his  father,  which 
in  those  times  was  not  very  profitable,  he  receiving 
during  his  apprenticeship  only  about  $1.50  per 
week,  and  boarding  himself  out  of  that.  Later,  he 
became  master  of  the  cloth-making  art,  but  finally 
abandoned  it  for  the  more  congenial  occupation  of 
a  machinist,  and  for  some  time  was  employed  in 
running  the  Columbia  Cotton  Mills  at  Mason  'Vil- 
lage, now  Greenville,  N.  II.  Here  he  fulfilled  a 
five  year's  contract  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Ba- 
con &  Daniels.  The  mill  under  his  supervision  was 
conducted  strictly  on  the  prohibition  plan,  and  Mr. 
Daniels  steadfastly  refused  to  employ  anyone  who 
persisted  in  the  use  of  ardent  spirits.  The  conse- 
quence was  that  it  was  noted  as  being  the  best- 
managed  and  most  reliable  establishment,  not  only 
in  New  Hampshire,  but  in  all  New  England. 

During  his  connection  with  this  enterprise,  our 
subject  made  quite  a  little  sum  of  money,  and  finally 
determined  to  invest  it  in  the  great  West.  In  the 
meantime,  however,  he  provided  himself  with  a 
wife  and  helpmate,  being  married  in  Washington, 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


447 


N.  II.,  Aug.  17,  1837,  to  Miss  Mary  Saffonl.  Soon 
afterward,  setting  out  on  a  bridal  tour  to  their  new 
home,  they  landed  in  what  is  now  this  precinct, 
this  county,  Oct.  30.  1837,  and  Mr.  Daniels  at  once 
began  purchasing  land  and  bringing  the  same  to  a 
state  of  cultivation,  lie  was  prospered  from  the 
beginning,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  found 
himself  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  of  life,  and 
with  a  prospect  of  a  competence  for  his  old  age. 

Mrs.  Mary  (Safford)  Daniels  was  born  Feb.  5, 
1813,  in  Washington,  N.  H.,  where  she  was  reared 
and  married.  Her  parents  were  of  excellent  New 
England  stock,  and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  the 
old  Granite  State,  occupied  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
Miss  Mary  received  a  common-school  education, 
and  was  taught  by  a  careful  mother  those  house- 
wifely duties,  a  knowledge  of  which  is  so  essential 
in  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  a  home.  She  was 
ambitious,  and  wishing  to  earn  money  for  herself, 
finally  entered  the  mill  conducted  by  Mr.  Daniels, 
where  she  was  employed  about  three  years  before 
her  marriage.  After  coming  to  the  West,  she  was 
the  faithful  and  efficient  assistant  of  her  husband  in 
all  his  plans  and  undertakings.  She  became  the 
mother  of  two  children,  and  departed  this  life  at 
the  homestead,  Sept.  20,  1885.  Her  funeral  ser- 
vices were  conducted  by  the  minister  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  with  which  she  had  been  connected  in 
membership  many  years. 

George  B.  Daniels,  the  only  son  of  our  subject, 
upon  reaching  manhood  was  married  to  Miss  Car- 
rie M.  Abbott,  lie  became  the  father  of  two  chil- 
dren, and  died  March  5,  1884,  at  his  home  in  this 
precinct,  where  he  had  settled  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, lie  was  thrifty  and  well-to-do,  a  worthy 
member  of  the  community,  and  a  member  in  good 
standing  of  the  Congregational  Church.  His  widow 
still  retains  the  farm  property  left  her  by  her  hus- 
band, where  she  makes  her  home  and  manages  the 
place. 

Miss  Mary  L.  Daniels,  the  only  daughter  of  our 
subject,  became  the  wife  of  .lames  C.  Fairbanks, 
and  they  are  living  on  a  farm  near  Concord.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Fairbanks  are  prominent  in  the  social  cir- 
cles of  their  community,  are  prosperous  financially, 
and  have  a  very  pleasant  home.  Mr.  Daniels,  upon 
becoming  a  voting  citizen,  allied  himself  with  the 


old  Whig  party,  with  which  he  remained  until  its 
abandonment  by  the  organization  of  the  Repub- 
licans. To  the  latter  he  has  since  given  his  unqual- 
-fied  support,  voting  with  it  for  a  period  of  thirty- 
three  years.  He  is  a  Baptist  in  religion,  and  has 
for  a  long  time  held  the  office  of  Deacon  in  the 
church  at  Jacksonville  and  in  this  precinct. 


OHN  ROTTGER,  who  is  one  of  the  prosper- 
ous merchants  of  Jacksonville,  and  proprie- 
tor of  the  Furniture  and  Undertaking  estab- 

lishment on  South  Main  street,  is  a  native 
pf  Prussia,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1839.  He  is 
the  son  of  William  and  Wilhelmenia  (Taylor)  Rott- 
ger,  who  were  born  in  the  same  country.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  a  butcher  by  trade.  In 
the  year  1848  he  came  to  the  United  States,  leaving 
his  family  in  Germany  until  he  had  determined 
whether  to  make  this  country  his  home  or  not,  and 
if  so  to  make  full  provision  for  their  comfort  be- 
fore their  arrival.  He  made  his  way  to  this  county, 
and  in  1852  he  scut  for  his  wife  and  four  children, 
and  before  long  the  family  was  re-united.  He  con- 
tinued to  follow  his  trade  in  Jacksonville,  but  after- 
ward went  to  work  on  the  Mississippi  River,  and 
met  his  death  by  drowning  near  New  Orleans, 
about  the  year  1852. 

The  other  members  of  the  family  to  which  our 
subject  belongs  are:  Wilhelmenia,  now  Mrs. 
Knollenberg,  of  the  city  of  Jacksonville;  Eliza,  who 
is  the  wife  of  II.  II.  Knollenberg,  of  the  same  city; 
and  Frederick  W.,  whose  home  is  at  Mt.  Ster- 
ling, 111.,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming,  is  the 
owner  of  a  lumber  yard,  has  a  well  established  stock 
and  grain  business,  and  is  also  a  banker.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  who  has  reached  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-two  years,  makes  her  home 
with  her  eldest  daughter. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  commenced,  in  1857, 
to  learn  the  furniture  trade,  engaging  with  Mr. 
Cyrus  Sanderson,  with  whom  later  a  partnership 
was  formed,  which  continued  for  some  time.  Later 
he  was  joined  by  the  firm  of  Becker  &,  Degen,  and 
it  became  that  of  Becker,  Rottger  &  Degen.  In 
the  course  of  time  this  was  changed,  and  the  same 


448 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


business  is  now  carried  on  by  our  subject  alone. 
lie  is  doing  quite  nn  extensive  business,  and  in 
1879  was  compelled  to  put  up  his  present  store 
building;  it  stands  20x110  feet,  and  is  three  stories 
in  height.  The  material  employed  in  its  construc- 
tion is  the  best  brick,  with  stone  dressings.  He  has 
in  his  employ  two  skilled  workmen,  a  saleslady,  and 
his  daughter,  Mamie  E.,  who  is  his  bookkeeper. 

Mr.  Rottger  was  married  in  the  year  1860,  the 
hulyof  his  choice  being  Miss  Emma  L.  Entrikin,  of 
Murrayville,  III.  To  them  have  been  bom  three 
children,  whose  names  are  recorded  as  follows: 
JohnF.,  their  first-born,  whom,  however,  they  were 
only  privileged  to  have  with  them  for  about  five 
years,  when  he  was  removed  by  death;  Curtis  H., 
now  the  manager  of  the  telephone  exchange  of  this 
city,  and  a  gra  luatc  of  Jacksonville  Business  Col- 
lege; his  wife  was  Jessie  A.  Wilbur,  of  Jackson- 
ville; Mamie  E.,  who  received  the  best  education 
obtainable  in  the  city,  and  is  a  graduate  of  Wash- 
ington High  School.  Mrs.  Rottger  died  in  the 
year  1872,  on  January  8.  Mr  Rottger  was  again 
married,  Nov.  27,  1884,  the  lady  being  Annie  M. 
Carlile,  of  Pisgah,  111.,  who  has  presented  him  with 
five  children,  viz.:  Maude  II.,  John  F.,  Wilhel- 
menia,  I'la  15.  and  Jessie  C. 

Our  subject  is,  in  matters  connected  with  govern- 
mental questions,  guided  by  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  which  are  in  harmony  with  his 
own  position,  and  usually  he  votes  the  ticket  of 
that  party.  He  is  an  extensive  stockholder  in  the 
coal  shaft  of  the  city,  and  sustains  a  reputation  for 
business  integrity  and  enterprise,  of  which  his  em- 
barking in  this  venture,  with  the  hope  of  benefit- 
ting  the  district,  is  but  a  case  in  point.  In  the  fra- 
ternities of  the  city  he  is  well  known  and  heartily 
received,  being  a  member  of  the  United  Order  of 
Workingmen,  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  Masonic  orders. 


ILTON  M.  MEACHAM.  As  a  town  ad- 
vances and  its  various  interests  multiply, 
there  is  need  of  men  adapted  to  all  kinds 
of  pursuits — business,  professional  and  me- 
chanical, and  by  a  happy  dispensation  of  Providence 
som  •  men  are  adapted  to  one  calling  and  some  to  an- 


other. The  fact  that  Mr.  Meacham  successfully  rep- 
resents eight  of  the  leading  Fire  Insurance  compan- 
ies of  the  country  indicates  in  a  marked  manner  his 
adaptation  to  this  line  of  business.  He  has  been 
established  at  Waverly  since  1859,  where  he  has 
attained  to  a  good  position  both  in  social  and  busi- 
ness circles  and  is  numbered  among  its  representa- 
tive men. 

A  son  of  Illinois,  our  subject  was  born  in  San- 
gamon  County,  Sept.  7,  1839.  His  father,  Jona- 
than Meacham,  was  born  near  Hopkinsville,  Chris- 
tian County,  Ky..  Nov.  27,  1809.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Jeremiah  Meacham,  was  also  a  native 
of  the  Blue  Grass  State  and  died  there.  The  great 
grandfather,  who  was  of  Scotch  parentage,  served 
as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Mrs.  Susan  (Morris)  Meacham,  the  mother  of 
our  subject,  was  the  daughter  of  an  old  Virginia 
family  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  and  whose  grand- 
father likewise  carried  a  musket  in  behalf  of  the 
Colonists,  as  they  were  struggling  for  their  inde- 
pendence, and  was  under  Washington  at  Valley 
Forge.  William  Morris,  the  maternal  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  was  born,  reared  and  married  in 
Virginia,  and  carried  on  farming  there  until  1829. 
That  year  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  on  a  tract 
of  land  near  the  present  town  of  Berlin  in  Sanga- 
mon  County,  where  be  improved  a  farm  from  the 
wilderness  and  made  a  comfortable  homestead, 
where  his  death  took  place  in  1866.  His  wife  had 
died  about  1855.  They  reared  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  lived  to  ma- 
ture years. 

The  father  of  our  subject  came  to  this  State  in 
1829,  and  in  Sangamon  County,  met  and  married 
Miss  Susan  Morris,  who  was  born  in  Virginia.  The 
young  people  commenced  the  journey  of  life  to- 
gether on  a  new  farm,  near  which  afterward  grew 
up  the  town  of  Berlin,  and  lived  there  until  1859. 
Then  leaving  the  farm  after  a  residence  upon  it  of 
thirty  years,  they  took  up  their  abode  in  Waverly 
and  the  father  followed  carpentering  until  failing 
health  compelled  him  to  retire  from  active  labor. 
During  the  last  eight  years  of  his  life  he  served  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  departed  hence,  Dec.  5, 
1873.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  in  relig- 
ion a  Regular  Baptist,  with  which  church  he  was 


I 


-*> 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


449 


connected  for  twenty-one  years.  Tlie  wife  and 
mother  survived  her  husband  three  years,  dying  in 
1H76.  Their  family  consisted  of  four  sons  and 
three  daughters.  The  eldest,  Martha  A.,  became 
the  wife  of  Hiram  Wadell,  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
and  they  live  in  Montgomery  County.  Frances 
married  J.  L.  Sims,  and  died  in  .July,  1855;  Milton 
M.,  of  our  sketch,  was  the  third  child;  Clara  mar- 
ried 8.  S.  Agard  and  died  in  September,  1877; 
Milo  died  in  January,  1860;  William  D.,  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade,  is  a  resident  of  Waverly  and  James, 
the  youngest,  lives  in  Clarkson,  Ark. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  younger 
years  occupied  with  the  lighter  duties  around  the 
farm  and  acquiring  liis  education  at  the  district 
school.  His  life  passed  quietly  until  after  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  War,  and  on  the  19th  of  April, 
18fil,  he  joined  the  militia,  but  shortly  afterward 
entered  the  United  States  service  as  a  member  of 
Company  I,  14th  111.  Infantry  under  the  command 
of  John  M.  Palmer.  The  Regiment  skirmished 
through  Missouri  from  July  5,  that  3'ear,  until  Feb- 
ruary, 18C2,  then  started  for  Ft.  Donelson,  where 
they  arrived  in  the  night  in  time  to  participate  in 
the  struggle  which  followed.  They  next  met  the 
enemy  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  where  the  14th  Regi- 
ment formed  the  first  line  of  troops  across  the 
road  leading  to  a  point  near  the  old  Shiloh  Church 
and  remained  lighting  until  the  last  charge  before 
its  surrender. 

Our  subject  subsequently  participated  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth  and  Yieksburg  and  went  with  his 
regiment  as  far  south  as  Ft.  Beaufort,  La.  There 
they  crossed  the  river,  going  to  Cairo,  III.,  and 
from  there  through  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  to 
lluntsville.  Ala.  About  this  time  the  term  ex- 
pired for  which  he  had  enlisted,  and  he  was  mus- 
tered out  June  17,  1864.  He  had  been  in  all  the 
battles  and  skirmishes  in  which  his  comrades  partic- 
ipated, but  was  never  wounded  or  made  a  prisoner. 
Upon  retiring  from  the  service  Mr.  Meacham 
sought  his  old  haunts  in  this  county  and  engaged 
as  clerk  in  a  dry -goods  store  at  Waverly  until 
1M(>8.  He  then  embarked  in  the  grocery  trade  and 
was  thus  occupied  until  1872,  when  he  became  in- 
terested in  the  clothing  business  and  prosecuted 
this  until  1875.  In  June,  1876,  he  associated  him- 


self in  partnership  with  M.  V.  Mallory  and  turning 
his  attention  to  the  newspaper  business,  founded 
the  Waverly  Journal.  Of  this,  six  months  later, 
he  became  sole  proprietor  and  conducted  it  until 
January,  1885.  Then  selling  out,  he  withdrew 
from  the  newspaper  business  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  insurance  and  also  began  operating  as  Pen- 
sion Agent. 

The  27th  of  November,  1864,  witnessed  the  mar- 
riage of  our  subject  with  Miss  Maria  C.  Holiday, 
who  was  born  in  Waverly,  July  13,  1844.  This 
union  resulted  in  the  birth  of  four  children,  the 
eldest  of  whom,  a  son,  Jonathan,  died  in  1883,  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  years.  The  survivors  are 
Joseph  W.,  Elmer,  and  Tilla  C.  Mr.  Meacham 
cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  Stephen  A.  Dong- 
las  and  since  that  time  has  been  an  uncompromis- 
ing supporter  of  the  Democratic  principles.  He 
has  held  the  various  local  offices  and  socially  be- 
longs to  the  Subordinate  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
Encampment  Lodge,  in  both  of  which  he  has 
passed  all  the  Chairs.  In  religious  matters,  he  in- 
clines to  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Epicsopal 
Church. 

Mrs.  Meacham  is  the  daughter  of  William  M. 
and  Maria  (Bachelor)  Holiday,  who  were  early  set- 
tlers of  Central  Illinois  and  the  father  one  of  its 
most  eminent  physicians,  Dr.  Holiday  was  born 
in  Kentucky  in  1807,  and  was  a  son  of  the  Rev. 
Charles  Holiday,  a  native  of  Virginia.  The  latter 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  was  made  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Conference,  after  which 
he  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  married  and 
reared  a  large  family.  He  had  charge  of  various 
congregations  in  that  State,  living  there  until  1832. 
That  year  he  came  with  his  family  to  Illinois,  and 
died  near  Chesterfield,  in  Macoupin  County,  in 
1 849. 

William  M.  Holiday  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  with  a  brother  in  Tennessee,  and  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  Later,  he  removed  to  Whitehall,  111.,  where 
he  buried  his  second  wife.  Of  this  union  there 
had  been  born  one  child  only — Robert  N.  T.,  who 
is  now  deceased.  Dr.  Holiday  was  married  the 
third  time  in  1837,  to  Miss  Maria  Bachelor,  daugh- 
ter of  Nehemiah  and  Rachel  (Coe)  Bachelor.  She 


450 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


was  born  in  Lennox.  Harrison  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  30, 
1810,  and  in  1836  the  family  came  to  Illinois  ami 
settled  in  Griggsville,  Pike  County,  where  the  par- 
ents spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Bach- 
elor was  born  in  Worcester  County,  Mass.,  whence 
he  removed  in  his  youth  to  New  York  State.  lie 
was  reared  on  a  farm,  but  being  considerable  of  a 
genius,  learned  millwrighting  and  the  trade  of  a 
machinist,  which  he  followed  thereafter.  To  him 
and  his  good  wife  there  were  born  six  children,  the 
eldest  of  whom,  a  son,  John  C.,  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty  years.  David  died  near  Portland,  Oregon  ; 
Mary  A.  is  a  resident  of  Santa  Cm/,,  Cal.;  Maria, 
(Mrs.  Holiday)  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth; 
Laura  died  in  Pike  County,  this  State;  Emily  Jane 
is  a  resident  of  Murphysborough,  111. 

Dr.  Holiday  after  his  marriage  with  Miss  Bach- 
elor located  in  Greenfield.  111.,  and  three  years  later 
came  to  this  county,  establishing  himself  at'Appal- 
ona,  near  Waverly.  Two  years  later  he  removed 
into  the  latter  village,  and  died  on  the  22d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1859.  Of  his  last  marriage  there  were  born 
three  children:  Walter  C.  resides  near  Winchester 
in  Scott  County;  Maria  C.,  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
Rachel  is  the  wife  of  of  B.  F.  Keplinger,  of  Wav- 
erly. As  a  physician,  Dr.  Holiday  was  careful  and 
conscientious,  and  as  a  citizen,  was  held  in  high 
esteem  and  in  religious  matters,  was  a  member  in 
good  standing  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


'•ILLIAM  T.  SPIRES,  SB.,  was  born  in  Lin- 
coln County,  Ky.,  Dec.  26,  1822.  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  the  country.  His  father,  John  Spires,  is  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  and  was  born  in  1798.  lie  came 
to  Lincoln  County,  Ky.,  in  an  early  day.  Just  after 
he  became  of  age  he  married  Susan  Leach,  whose 
people  came  from  Virginia.  The  father  and  mother 
of  William  T.  Spires  trace  their  ancestry  back  to 
Ireland  and  Germany.  In  their  family  there  were 
ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  and  whose 
records  are  herewith  given:  Phebe  I.  married  Al- 
len Connolly,  and  is  deceased  ;  they  had  two  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  is  also  deceased.  Sarah  P.  mar- 
ried Allen  Connolly;  they  had  five  children  —  Sarah 


A.,  John  A..  Sylvester,  George  and  Ilarvy.  John 
R.  married  Sarah  Weller,  of  Macoupin  County, 
III. ;  they  are  farming  in  Sangamon  County,  111.,  and 
have  three  children — Jennie,  Mollie  and  Annie. 
James  married  Agnes  Se}-mour,  whom  he  left  a 
widow  with  three  children — George,  Mattie  and 
Albert.  Annie  married  Edward  Seymour,  a  farmer 
of  Morgan  County;  their  children  are:  Sylves- 
ter, Sarah,  Nettie,  James  and  Oliver  M.  Harvey 
married  Sarah  A.  Slice,  ami  they  reside  on  the  John 
Spires  homestead;  they  have  four  children — Lillie, 
Edward,  Marion  and  Otto.  Mary  married  William 
Olford,  of  Macoupin  Count}-,  and  they  have  three 
children — Lela,  Charles,  and  an  infant. 

William  T.  Spires,  of  whom  we  write,  married 
Margaret  Reed,  in  1844.  Mrs.  Spires'  parents  were 
pioneers,  having  emigrated  to  Morgan  County  in 
1830.  They  have  ten  children,  as  follows:  John 
M.,  William  T.,  Sarah  M.,  Martha  II.,  Mary  S., 
Margaret  J.,  Julia  C.,  Emma,  Marinda  and  Matilda. 
John  M.  married  Mary  A.  Niece,  of  Sangamon 
County;  he  is  a  locomotive  engineer,  living  at 
Peoria,  111.  William  T.  married  Maria  Deere; 
they  are  farming  in  Morgan  County,  and  are  the 
parents  of  two  children — Charles  and  Carrie. 
Sarah  Ann  married  Abraham  Seymour,  a  farmer  of 
this  county;  they  have  one  child,  Lillie,  wlio  mar- 
ried Benjamin  F.  Morrow,  of  Greene  County,  III. 
Martha  H.  married  .lames  P.  Storey,  who  is  a  far- 
mer and  school  teacher  of  this  county;  they  have 
three  children — Hattie,  Charles  and  Curtis.  Mary 
S.  married  Isah  Whitlock,  who  is  also  a  farmer 
and  teacher  of  Morgan  County ;  they  have  five 
children — Lulu,  Ewen,  Bert,  Bertha  and  Grover  C. 
Margaret  J.  married  Marion  dine,  of  Ohio,  and 
they  are  living  in  Harper  County,  Kan.,  with  their 
three  children — Silvia,  Zulu  and  Marvin.  Julia  C. 
married  S.  Douglas  Whitlock,  a  farmer  of  this 
county.  P^mina  married  John  C.  Smith,  a  men-limit 
of  Springfield,  III.,  and  they  have  three  children — 
Grace,  Marvin  and  Roy  D.  Marinda  married 
Z.  D.  Morrow,  a  jeweler  of  Springfield.  Matilda 
married  Charles  Wood,  a  farmer  of  Greene  County; 
they  have  two  children,  Forrest,  and  Roy. 

Like  all  pioneers  of  this  country  William  T. 
Spires  began  the  unequal  battle  of  life  without 
Other  resources  than  health  and  hope.  By  persist- 


I 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


451 


ent  and  intelligent  work  he  accomplished  his  de- 
sire, that  of  being  an  independent  farmer.  After  his 
marriage  he  purchased  the  homestead  upon  which 
they  now  live,  being  then  only  partially  improved, 
and  containing  130  acres  of  land  and  a  small  house. 
Now  he  owns  200  acres  of  land  that  is  in  the  best 
state  of  cultivation,  and  beside  erecting  splendid 
imildings  he  has  assisted  his  children  to  start  in 
life.  He  is  now  living  retired,  and  is  resting  from 
the  labors  of  a  well-spent  life,  while  his  son  man- 
ages the  farm. 

This  family  are  consistent  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church.  Mr.  Spires  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.  Politically,  he  has  been  a  sound  Demo- 
crat since  he  arrived  at  the  voting  age,  but  has 
held  no  office,  neither  does  he  take  any  particular 
interest  in  politics,  except  what  every  good  citizen 
should. 


>RED  B.  RITCHIE.  The  Waverly  Journal 
has  been  under  the  editorial  and  proprietary 
control  of  this  gentleman  since  the  1st  of 
January,  1885,  and  has  become  fully  established  as 
the  favorite  local  newspaper  of  this  section.  It  is 
specially  devoted  to  the  interests  of  Morgan 
County,  and  enjoys  a  circulation  which  is  steadily 
increasing.  Mr.  Ritchie  is  a  gentleman  in  the 
prime  of  life,  and  a  native  of  the  Prairie  State, 
having  been  born  in  Carrollton,  Greene  County, 
March  18,  1848.  His  parents  were  John  II.  and 
Mary  (Kirgan)  Ritchie,  natives  respectively  of 
New  York  City  and  Lexington,  Ky. 

John  Ritchie,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Edinburg,  Scotland,  where  he 
was  reared  to  man's  estate  and  apprenticed  to  the 
trade  of  a  stone-cutter.  He  was  also  married  there, 
and  some  time  afterward  emigrated  to  New  York 
City,  where  he  met  his  death  by  falling  from  a 
building.  He  left  two  sons — John  and  James. 
The  latter  settled  in  New  Hampshire,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  pursuits,  and  probably  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  The  other  son,  John,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  likewise  learned  the  trade  of 
of  a  stone-cutter,  which  he  followed  in  New  York 
City  and  Boston  until  coming  to  Illinois.  Here  he 
first  located  in  Pike  County  among  its  earliest 


pioneers.  Later  he  removed  to  Greene  County, 
and  next  to  Macoupin,  where  he  resided  un.til  the 
fall  of  1887.  He  then  changed  his  residence  to 
Moberly,  Mo.,  where  he  is  now  living  and  engaged 
in  the  hotel  business. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  first  married  in 
New  York  City  to  Miss  Margaret  Wilson,  who 
accompanied  him  to  the  West,  and  died  in  Pike 
County,  this  State,  leaving  three  children.  The 
eldest  of  these,  a  daughter,  Elizabeth,  became  the 
wife  of  Erastus  Eldred,  and  died  in  Macoupin 
County,  where  also  a  younger  sister  died,  named 
Emma.  Amanda  became  the  wife  of  Thomas  J. 
Arnold,  of  New  York  City,  and  is  deceased. 

The  elder  Ritchie  was  a  second  time  married  in 
Carrollton,  111.,  to  Miss  Mary  Kirgan,  who  was 
born  in  Kentuck}',  and  was  the  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Kirgan.  This  union  resulted  in  the  birth  of 
two  children — Fred  B.  and  Julia,  the  latter  of 
whom  is  now  living  with  her  father.  Fred  B.,  our 
subject,  pursued  his  studies  in  the  common  schools 
until  a  youth  of  sixteen  years,  then  he  entered  a 
printing-office  at  Virden,  where  he  learned  his 
trade.  Later  advancing,  he  was  emploj-ed  as  local 
editor  in  Greenfield  and  other  places  until  coming 
to  this  county.  In  Greenfield  he  was  married, 
Sept.  19,  1872,  to  Miss  Sarah,  daughter  of  Hiram 
and  Vianner  (McLaughlin)  Holiday.  Mrs.  Ritchie 
was  born  in  Greenfield,  111.,  in  1848,  acquired  a 
common-school  education,  and  remained  a  member 
of  the  parental  household  until  her  marriage.  She 
is  now  the  mother  of  one  child,  John,  who  was  born 
July  9,  1873. 

Mr.  Ritchie,  poetically,  is  a  sound  Democrat, 
and  an  earnest  worker  for  his  party,  frequently 
serving  as  a  delegate  to  the  count}'  and  district 
conventions.  He  occupies  with  his  family  a  pleas- 
ant home  in  the  west  part  of  town.  Mrs.  Ritchie  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 


UGUSTINE    A.    CURT1SS.     The   young 
man   glancing    fifty    years  ahead   into  the 
future  esteems  it  a  long  period  of  time  in 
the  life  of   an   individual,  but  at  the  end 
of  this  time,  in  looking  back,  it  invariably  appears 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


I 


brief.  The  scenes  and  incidents  which  have  been 
crowded  into  a  half  century,  often  appear  more 
like  the  dream  of  a  night,  and  the  labors  of  men 
have  achieved  that  which  at  one  time  appeared  im- 
possible. Mr.  Curtiss  has  seen  much  of  life,  and 
has  noted  with  keen  interest  the  great  changes 
which  have  transpired,  especially  in  the  Great 
West,  and  lie  has  been  one  of  those  men  whose 
energy,  enterprise,  and  perseverance  have  assisted 
in  the  growth  and  development  of  Morgan  County, 
which  has  attaine'd  to  a  leading  position  in  the 
great  State  of  Illinois.  He  represents  a  fine  prop- 
erty, and  is  numbered  among  the  leading  men  of 
his  county. 

( )f  New  England  birth  and  parentage,  our  sub- 
ject first  drew  the  breath  of  life  in  Salisbury,  Litch- 
field  Co.,  Conn.,  April  3,  1817.  His  parents  were 
Homer  aud  Cherry  (Everett)  Curtiss,  whoafter  their 
marriage  resided  in  Salisbury  three  years,  then  re 
moved  to  Warren,  in  that  State,  where  their  son,  Au- 
gustine A.,  was  reared  to  man's  estate  on  a  farm, 
and  received  his  education  in  a  common  school, 
supplemented  by  a  term  in  the  academy  at  Warren, 
Conn.  They  finally  decided  to  seek  their  fortunes 
in  the  young  State  of  Illinois,  and  made  their  way 
to  this  county,  settling  near  the  embryo  town  of 
Waverly,  where  the  father  secured  a  tract  of  land, 
and  where  our  subject  assisted  in  opening  up  a 
farm. 

Young  Curtiss  remained  a  member  of  the  par- 
ental household  until  a  young  man  of  twenty-five 
years,  then,  desirous  of  establishing  a  fireside  of  his 
own,  he  was  married,  in  1842,  to  Miss  Laura  Ly- 
Hian.  This  lady  died  less  than  two  years  later, 
leaving  one  child,  a  daughter,  Laura,  named  after 
her  mother.  This  daughter,  upon  reaching  woman- 
hood, was  married  to  William  W.  Brown,  and  died 
leaving  one  child,  which  afterward  followed  its 
mother  to  the  better  land.  Mrs.  Curtiss  was  a 
native  of  Vermont,  and  when  coming  to  Illinois 
with  her  parents  settled  near  Farmingdale,  in  San- 
gamon  county,  where  she  lived  until  her  marriage. 

Our  subject,  in  .luly,  1848,  contracted  a  second 
matrimonial  alliance  with  Miss  llnldahL.,  daughter 
of.loseph  A.  Tanner,  who  was  the  first  man  to  settle 
upon  the  present  site  of  Waverly.  Mr.  Curtiss 
made  farming  the  business  of  his  lifetime,  and  has 


been  remarkably  successful  both  as  an  agriculturist 
and  a  business  man,  investing  his  capital  wisely  and 
having  the  faculty  of  developing  his  land  to  the 
best  advantage.  lie  at  one  time  was  the  owner  of 
over  400  acres,  but  disposed  of  a  portion  of  this, 
and  has  now  300  acres  in  the  home  farm,  besides 
100  acres  of  timber,  and  an  interest  in  a  large  farm 
in  Mn  coup  in  County. 

During  the  latter  years  of  his  farming  operations 
Mr.  Curtiss  made  a  specialty  of  stock-raising,  from 
which  he  realized  quite  a  little  fortune.  His  land 
is  now  operated  by  other  parties.  He  has  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  building  up  of  the  town  of 
Waverly,  was  instrumental  in  establishing  the  bank 
in  which  lie  has  a  controlling  interest,  and  he  is 
also  one  of  the  stock-holders  of  the  Waverly  Crea- 
mery. He  has  been  the  uniform  encourager  of 
those  projects  calculated  to  elevate  the  people, 
morally  and  social^',  and  with  his  estimable  wife  is 
a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  He  is  a  uniform  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  has  discharged  the  duties  of  the 
various  local  ottices,  and  has  always  signalized  him- 
self as  a  liberal  and  public  spirited  citizen — one  of 
those  useful  to  his  community,  and  numbered  among 
its'  most  honored  men. 


WILLIAM  A.  HUTCHISON,  who  is  promi- 
nent among  the  business  interests  of  Wa- 
verly, is,  with  his  partners,  Messrs.  Flem- 
ing &  Sons,  conducting  a  prosperous  trade  in  hard- 
ware and  drugs,  and  has  been  established  here  since 
1859.  His  family  is  numbered  among  the  pioneers 
of  1830,  at  which  time  James  Hutchison,  the  father, 
with  his  wife  and  one  child,  William  A.,  settled  on 
a  tract  of  land  near  Waverly,  when  there  was  very 
little  indication  of  a  town. 

The  ancestors  of  our  subject  went  by  the  name 
of  Hudson,  and  were  first  represented  in  this  coun- 
try by  five  brothers,  who  emigrated  from  England 
and  settled  in  Virginia  and  adjoining  States.  One 
of  their  descendants,  Joseph  Hudson,  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  was  born  near  Richmond, 
Va.,  but  at  an  early  day  removed  to  Kentucky,  and 
laid  out  the  town  of  Hudsonville,  in  Breckenridge 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


453 


County.  It  is  not  known  positively  just  how  the 
name  came  to  be  changed,  hut  was  evidently  done 
after  the  birth  of  grandfather  Hudson,  who  in  time 
answered  to  the  name  of  Hutchison,  to  which  his 
descendants  afterward  clung.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  and  died  at  the  advanced 
age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years. 

John  Hutchison,  a  son  of  the  above,  and  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Brecken- 
ridge  County,  Ky.,  where  he  followed  fanning,  and 
married  Miss  Susan  Heinemann.  of  German  ances- 
try. They  lived  in  Kentucky  until  1830,  then  ac- 
companied their  son  James,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  this  county.  The 
grandfather  after  a  time  started  to  visit  his  old 
home  in  the  Blue  Grass  State,  and  died  on  the  way 
there,  in  Jasper  County,  III.,  at  the  age  of  about 
seventy  years.  His  wife  died  in  Waverly,  this 
county,  when  sixty  years  old.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  five  children. 

James  Hutchison  was  born  in  Breckenridge 
County,  Ky.,  in  1808,  and  was  married,  in  Indiana, 
to  Miss  Elethia  Campbell.  This  lady  was  born  in 
North  Carolina,  and  in  1830  they  came  to  Illinois, 
and  settled  upon  a  claim  of  Government  land  near 
Waverly.  This  the  father  afterward  sold,  and  en- 
tered eighty  acres  near  by,  which  he  improved  and 
lived  upon  a  number  of  years.  About  1837  "he 
moved  into  the  village,  and  built  a  carding  mill  and 
grist  mill.  He  possessed  considerable  mechanical 
genius,  had  learned  the  tailor's  trade,  and  was  also 
a  millwright.  He  operated  these  mills  until  1851, 
in  which  year  the  cholera  epidemic  visited  this 
region,  and  he  fell  a  victim  to  the  terrible  disease. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  an  earnest  Chris- 
tian man,  and  for  many  years  officiated  as  a  local 
preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
was  kind  and  benevolent,  both  in  his  public  and 
private  life,  gave  liberally  to  those  in  need,  and 
was  successful  in  business,  accumulating  a  comfort- 
able property.  His  first  wife,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  died  about  1840,  leaving  seven  children, 
five  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years,  and  of  whom 
William  A.,  our  subject,  was  the  eldest.  His 
brother  John  is  a  resident  of  Waverly ;  Joseph 
makes  his  home  in  Augusta,  Ark. ;  Margaret  became 
the  wife  of  Dr.  McVey,  and  died  in  Macoupiu 


County,  this  State;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  C.  F. 
Meacham,  of  Waverly. 

The  second  wife  of  James  Hutchison  was  Miss 
Margaret  Westfall,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
three  children:  David,  a  resident  of  Jacksonville; 
Samuel  and  Melinda,  of  Waverly.  William  A.,  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Little  Orleans,  Southern  Indi- 
ana, on  the  White  River,  Aug.  2,  1828,  and  was 
two  years  old  when  the  family  came  to  this  county. 
Here  he  has  since  lived,  and  has  thus  witnessed  the 
changes  which  have  passed  over  the  face  of  the 
country,  and  the  transformation  of  the  raw  prairie 
to  cultivated  farms  and  prosperous  villages.  He 
was  taught  to  make  himself  useful  at  an  early  age, 
and  assisted  his  father  in  the  mills  until  leaving 
home  to  become  a  clerk  in  Waverly,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time 
he  associated  himself  in  partnership  with  William 
Rhodes,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  Rhodes  & 
Hutchison  they  carried  on  a  general  store  until  tht 
death  of  the  father.  The  firm  then  disposed  of 
their  stock  of  merchandise,  and  confined  their  at- 
tention to  the  mills.  One  of  these  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  but  was  rebuilt,  and  eighteen  months  later  the 
other  was  burned,  causing  additional  heavy  loss, 
and  leaving  Mr.  Hutchison  without  property  and 
in  debt. 

Making  the  best  of  circumstances  Mr.  Hutchison, 
now  without  capital,  resumed  the  occupation  of  a 
clerk,  and  in  due  time  rebuilt  his  mill,  operated  it 
for  a  time,  then  sold  out,  and  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  store  where  he  had  been  clerking.  With  this 
he  has  since  been  connected.  Prosperity  has  at- 
tended him  during  these  later  years,  and  he  is  now 
in  the  enjoyment  of  a  lucrative  patronage.  He  is 
at  present  associated  with  Messrs.  Robert  Fleming 
<fe  Sons,  the  firm  name  being  Hutchison,  Fleming  & 
&  Sons. 

Mr.  Hutchison  was  married,  in  1852,  to  Miss 
Julia  Church,  who  was  born  in  Greene  Count}', 
this  State,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Lev!  and  Esther 
(Kellogg)  Church.  This  union  resulted  in  the  birth 
of  four  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and 
one  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  The  survivors  are 
Edwin  and  Hattie.  Mr.  Hutchison,  politically, 
gives  his  uniform  support  to  the  Republican  party, 
and  with  the  exception  of  serving  as  City  Treas- 


1 


454 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


urer  has  had  but  very  little  to  do  with  public 
affairs.  In  religious  matters  he  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  he  gives  a 
liberal  support,  and  is  considered  one  of  its  chief 
pillars.  Socially,  he  is  identified  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  the  I.  O.  ().  F.  He  is  regarded  as  a 
man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  and  his  credit  is  al- 
ways A  1.  At  one  time  he  dealt  considerably  in 
grain,  and  was  associated  with  other  leading  citi- 
zens in  the  building  of  the  elevator  at  Waverly. 


Ir^OHERT  D.  SMITH,  Mayor  of  Waverly,  is 
IWf  occupying  a  position  for  which  he  is  emi- 
•J\  Ml\  nently  fitted  as  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of 
^p!  this  county,  and  identified  with  its  most  im- 
portant interests.  He  came  to  this  part  of  the  county 
when  a  boy  and  for  many  years  thereafter  was 
mostly  engaged  in  farming  pursuits  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  time  employed  hi  securing  an  excel- 
lent, education.  He  completed  his  studies  at  Ill- 
inois College,  but  was  prevented  from  being  grad- 
uated by  the  failure  of  his  eyesight  which  compelled 
him  to  leave  his  class  during  the  last  term.  Later 
and  after  his  marriage  he  operated  and  improved  a 
fine  farm,  dealt  largely  in  grain  and  stock  and  ac- 
cumulated a  handsome  property.  In  the  meantime 
however,  he  became  interested  in  the  groceiy  trade 
in  which  he  invested  some  capital,  and  in  1883  pur- 
chased his  present  busiiress— groceries  and  provis- 
ions— and  removed  to  town.  He,  however,  carried 
on  his  farm  until  1887,  when  he  sold  his  personal 
belongings,  rented  his  farm,  and  now  confines  his 
attention  to  trade. 

The  birth-place  of  our  subject  was  near  Chapin 
in  Scott  County,  this  State,  and  the  date  thereof, 
Nov.  1  1,  1846.  He  is  the  son  of  Wilson  and  Jane 
C.  (Willard)  Smith,  the  father,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  the  mother  of  Nashville,  Tenn.  The 
paternal  grandfather.  Andrew  Smith,  was  also  born 
in  the  Keystone  State,  where  he  lived  until  reach- 
ing man's  estate,  and  until  after  his  marriage  and 
the  birth  of  three  children.  He  then  about  1811, 
determined  upon  a  removal  to  Indiana  which  at 
that  time  was  considered  the  far  West.  He  settled 
upon  a  tract  of  land  among  the  Indians  in  the  wil- 


derness  of  Switzerland  County,  where  lie  erected 
his  log  cabin,  improved  a  farm  and  lived  to  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-six  years.  His  wife  lived  to 
l>e  eighty  years  old.  They  reared  a  family  of  six 
j  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of 
whom  grew  up  and  were  married,  except  the  eld- 
est son  who  remained  single  all  his  life. 

Among  the  above  mentioned  children  was  Wil- 
son Smith,  the  father  of  our  subject,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  Jan.  16,  1808,  and  was  about 
three  years  old  when  his  parents  emigrated  to 
Switzerland  County,  I nd.  He  lived  at  home  until 
a  youth  of  seventeen  years,  then  engaged  on  a  flat- 
boat,  running  from  Vevay,  Ind.,  to  Cincinnati  on 
the  Ohio  River.  In  due  time  he  attained  to  the 
position  of  pilot  on  the  Lower  Mississippi  and  was 
thus  occupied  several  years,  being  at  Natchez  when 
that  city  was  shaken  up  b}-  the  earthquake. 

Mr.  Smith  first  came  to  Illinois  in  the  latter  part 
of  1833,  spending  the  winter  in  Scott  County,  but 
in  the  spring  returned  to  the  river;  subsequently  he 
met  with  great  loss  in  the  sinking  of  his  boat  in 
the  Lower  Mississippi.  He  then  abandoned  the 
river  and  secured  a  tract  of  land  near  the  present 
site  of  Chapin,  and  in  connection  with  its  improve- 
ment and  cultivation -followed  the  trade  of  carpen- 
ter, putting  up  a  number  of  houses  which  are  still 
in  use. 

The  next  important  event  in  the  life  of  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject  was  his  marriage,  which  occur- 
red in  1843,  with  Miss  Jane  C.  Willard.  This  lady 
was  born  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  in  September,  1822, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Martha  ((iood- 
pasture)  Willard,  who  removed  from  Tennessee  to 
this  county  in  1830,  Mr.  Willard  entering  a  half 
section  of  as  fine  land  as  was  to  be  found  in  this 
county.  In  connection  with  its  care  and  cultivation 
he  otliciated  as  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
two  years.  He  was  the  father  of  a  family  of  ten 
children,  namely:  Madison,  Jefferson,  Alexander, 
Jasper,  Newton  C.,  Jane,  Margaret,  Martha,  Mari- 
on and  Prilla. 

The  father  of  our  subject  after  his  marriage  fol- 
lowed his  trade  about  one  year  and  afterward  gave 
his  entire  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
1852  he  purchased  a  farm  near  Chapin,  and  being 


•«*• 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


455 


¥ 


prospered  in  his  labors  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  grad- 
ually added  to  his  possessions  until  he  became  the 
owner  of  400  acres.  Under  his  careful  manage- 
ment this  became  very  valuable,  and  he  embellished 
it  with  as  flue  a  set  of  frame  buildings  as  could  be 
found  in  the  whole  county.  lie  lived  to  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  his  labors  until  he  had  attained  to  a  ripe 
old  age,  and  departed  hence  in  November,  1881. 
The  mother  is  still  living,  is  in  good  health  and 
occupies  the  old  homestead. 

The  sentiments  of  morality  and  piety  were  re- 
markably strong  in  the  makeup  of  Wilson  Smith, 
who  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  a  strict  adherent  of  its  doctrines. 
He  possessed  some  peculiar  qualities  of  character, 
never  sang  or  whistled,  and  never  used  an  oath  or 
a  slang  phrase.  He  made  the  Bible  the  rule  of  his 
life,  studying  it  carefully  and  intently,  and  with 
his  devoted  wife  was  a  faithful  worker  in  the  Mns- 
ter's  vineyard.  Originally  a  Democrat,  he  in  1864, 
supported  the  Republican  ticket,  and  although  hold- 
ing some  of  the  local  offices,  mixed  very  little  in 
politics  otherwise  than  to  give  his  support  to  the 
men  and  the  principles  which  he  believed  would  be 
for  the  best  good  of  the  people. 

Of  the  five  children  born  to  the  parents  of  our 
subject,  one  died  in  infancy.  Robert  I).,  our  sub- 
ject, was  the  first  born;  Clara  is  the  wife  of  Robert 
O.  Hardcastle,  of  (Sreene  County,  this  State;  Laura 
married  Albert  Tanner,  and  the}'  reside  in  Gage 
County.  Neb.;  Lenora  is  the  wife  of  Krank  P. 
McKinney,  of  Chapin  III. 

Mr.  Smith  has  in  his  possession  a  razor  hone 
owned  by  one  of  his  grandsires  some  200  years  ago 
and  made  in  Ireland  by  cutting  a  hickory  stick 
which  was  petrified  by  a  process  not  now  known, 
but  which  forms  one  of  the  finest  articles  for  the 
purpose  ever  made.  This  relic,  it  is  to  be  hoped 
will  be  preserved  for  generations  to  come,  and  it 
is  something  which  moneycould  scarcely  purchase. 

Our  subject  on  the  l(5th  of  February,  1875,  \v:is 
married  at  Ml.  Sterling,  Brown  County,  (his  State, 
to  Miss  Irene,  daughter  of  Leven  and  Mary  C. 
(Putnam)  Marshall,  a  native  of  that  county.  The 
newly  wedded  pair  settled  on  a  farm  of  1G(I  acres, 
located  near  Wavcrly.  and  forty  acres  of  it  was 
presented  to  the  groom  by  his  father.  It  la}'  over 


the  line  in  Sangamon  County  and  upon  this  our 
subject  labored  and  was  successful,  erecting  good 
buildings  and  bringing  the  soil  to  a  fine  state  of 
cultivation.  He  in  due  time  added  eighty  acres  to 
his  possessions  and  for  many  years  raised  large 
quantities  of  grain  and  swine.  Besides  his  build- 
ings he  put  up  neat  and  substantial  fences,  and  laid 
a  large  amount  of  tile.  The  farm  was  considered 
a  model  one,  second  to  none  in  this  part  of  the 
State. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  the  parents  of  one  child 
only,  a  son,  Wilson  II.  M.,  who  was  born  April  28, 
1881.  Mr.  Smith  like  his  honored  father  belongs 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  while  his  esti- 
mable wife  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Politically,  our  subject  affiliates  with  the  Democ- 
racy, and  besides  his  present  office,  has  held  man}' 
other  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  is 
a  man  of  strict  integrity,  gives  close  attention  to 
his  business  and  has  unquestionably  made  a  success 
of  life.  He  is  President  of  the  Waverly  Building 
and  Loan  Association  ;  holds  the  same  office  in  con- 
nection with  the  Waverly  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  is 
Superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  School  of  his 
Church. 


i~i  SAAC  HILL  was  born  in  Hamilton  County, 
111.,  April  15,  1827,  and  is  one  of  those  men, 
\  who,  though  unacquainted  with  the  knowledge 
that  books  impart,  possess  a  fund  of  that  scarce 
commodity,  hard  common  sense.  Richard  Hill, 
Isaac's  father,  was  born  in  Virginia  on  March  12ih. 
in  the  last  year  of  the  last  century.  He  removed 
to  Kentucky  when  but  a  lad,  and  after  living  there 
a  few  years,  he  came  to  Hamilton  County,  this 
State,  arriving  there  in  1815,  before  Illinois  as 
sumed  the  dignity  of  a  sovereign  State  of  this 
Union.  He  died  while  in  the  prime  of  life,  in 
1837.  He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Ann 
Webb,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Her  people  came  to 
Hamilton  County,  this  State,  at  an  early  day.  She 
was  of  German  descent,  and  traced  her  ancestry 
to  the  Green  Isle.  They  had  two  children — John 
W.  and  Isaac.  John  W.  married  Margaret  Beatty, 
of  the  village  of  Franklin,  111.;  he  died  July  29, 


I 


456 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


i 


1876.  leaving  the  following  children:  Richard, 
James  B.  George  W.  Isaac  N.,  John  W.,  Nancy  J., 
Robert,  Margaret,  and  Andrew  J. 

Isaac,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  written,  is  the 
father  of  thirteen  children,  nine  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, as  follows:  John  R.,  Margaret  J.,  Sarah  E., 
Martha  A.,  George  M.,  Charles  R.,  Minnie  B.,  Til- 
den  C.,  and  Grace  L.  The  deceased  are  Mary  Ann, 
Nancy,  William  L.,  and  Isaac  N.  John  R.  married 
Martha  A.  Wright,  is  now  a  farmer  of  Christian 
County,  this  State,  and  is  the  father  of  four  chil- 
dren— Lulu  E.,  Harry  O.,  Charles  W.,  and  Mabel; 
Margaret  married  James  Ellwright,  of  Morgan 
County,  who  is  farming  in  Cass  County,  Mo.;  they 
have  four  children — Roy,  Leslie,  Grace  and  Olin. 
Sarah  E.  married  II.  D.  Staples,  who  is  a  carpenter 
now  living  in  Clinton,  Henry  Co.,  Mo.;  they 
have  three  children — Winnie,  James,  and  Harrison. 
Martha  A.  married  L.  O.  Bcrryman,  who  is  a  far- 
mer of  this  county;  they  have  one  child,  Goldie. 
The  rest  of  the  family  are  unmarried,  and  are  liv- 
ing at  home  with  their  parents. 

Isaac  Hill  has  a  military  record  of  which  his 
children  need  never  be  ashamed.  When  the  Mexi- 
can War  Broke  out  he  enlisted,  June  6,  1846,  under 
Capt.  W.  J.  Wyatt.  He  participated  in  the  hard- 
fought  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  and  served  with  dis- 
tinction to  the  end  of  the  war,  when  he  was  dis- 
charged at  Camengo,  Mexico,  June  17,  1847.  The 
Government  gave  to  each  Mexican  soldier  a  land- 
warrant,  which  entitled  him  to  160  acres  of  land. 
This  he  received,  and  it  aided  him  to  make  a  start 
in  the  world.  His  first  purchase  in  this  county 
was  that  of  127  acres  of  land,  which  by  industry 
and  economy  he  has  increased  to  204  acres,  in  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  and  upon  which  are 
erected  the  necessary  buildings  for  successfully 
carrying  on  his  well-regulated  farm.  He  is  assisted 
by  his  boys,  who  have  entered  into  their  father's 
spirit,  and  will  all  develop  into  good  citizens,  and 
prosperous  farmers,  lie  is  engaged  in  diversified 
farming,  which  is  the  only  safe  plan. 

The  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Mr.  Hill  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  twenty  consecutive  years,  which  is  an  evidence 
of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  those  who 
know  him  best.  lie  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 


Masonic  fraternity,  and  is  a  Democrat.  Mrs.  Hill 
is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Spires)  Dough- 
erty, natives  of  Kentucky  and  North  Carolina  res- 
pectively, and  who  emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1830 
with  their  two  children,  Mary  J.,  and  Charles.  Sarah 
A.,  and  Polly  A.  were  born  in  Morgan  County,  III., 
and  all  are  living. 


ANSOM  F.  EVERETT.  The  sons  of  New 
England  have  contributed  in  no  small  meas- 
ure to  the  growth  and  development  of  Cen- 
al  Illinois,  which  has  found  in  them  some 
of  its  most  efficient  and  reliable  men,  both  as  agri- 
culturists and  members  of  the  business  community. 
A  resident  of  thirty  years  standing,  Mr.  Everett, 
although  making  no  great  stir  in  the  world,  has 
pursued  the  even  tenor  of  his  way  honestly  and 
uprightly,  and  as  such  is  amply  entitled  to  repre- 
sentation in  a  work  designed  to  record  the  lives 
and  deeds  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  county.  lie 
owns  a  snug  farm  of  120  acres  on  section  27,  town- 
ship 13,  range  8,  Waverty  Precinct,  where  he  hns 
constructed  a  comfortable  home  and  obtained  a 
competence  for  his  declining  years.  He  at  one  time 
owned  240  acres  of  land,  but  in  order  to  relieve 
himself  of  much  care  and  responsibility,  disposed  of 
the  greater  part  of  it. 

In  Sharon,  Litchfield  Co.,  Conn.,  our  subject  was 
born  July  26,  1822,  and  was  the  second  in  a  family 
of  nine  children,  one  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years.  The  others  lived  to  maturity,  and 
five  arc  now  living.  The  father  Gamaliel  Everett, 
was  likewise  a  native  of  Sharon,  and  the  mother, 
Mrs.  Nancy  (Woodward)  Everett,  was  born  in 
Gal  way,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.  The  paternal 
grandparents  of  our  subject  were  Isali  and  Eli/.ti- 
beth  (Chafee)  Everett,  who  spent  their  last  years 
in  Connecticut.  The  old  Everett  homestead  in 
Sharon  has  been  the  property  of  some  of  the  family 
for  no  less  than  150  years. 

Isah  W.  Everett,  the  eldest  brother  of  our  sub- 
ject, died  at  the  old  homestead  in  Sharon,  Conn., 
in'  1883.  Ransom  F.,  our  subject,  was  next  in 
order  of  birth;  Susan  E.  married  John  C.  Lovell, 
and  started  for  Illinois,  in  1850,  but  died  on  the 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


457 


i 


journey,  and  was  buried  at  Grass  Lake,  Mich.; 
Abel  continues  a  resident  of  liis  native  State; 
Newton  F.  lives  in  Broomc  County,  N.  Y.;  Charles 
B.  remains  at  the  old  homestead;  Julia  L.  became 
the  wife  of  Styles  M,  Beeclier,  and  lives  in  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y. ;  Jessie  married  George  Holcomb, 
and  died  in  Connecticut. 

Our  subject  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  quietly 
at  the  old  farm,  attending  the  common  school 
mostly  during  the  winter  season,  and  assisting  his 
father  during  the  seasons  of  sowing  and  reaping. 
Life  in  New  England  was  vastly  different  to  that 
which  he  spent  in  the  West  a  few  years  afterward. 
On  the  13th  of  March,  1851.  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Ellen  II.  Curtiss,  and  the  young- 
people  settled  down  near  the  old  homestead  where 
they  lived,  until  1860.  For  some  time  rumors 
iiad  reached  them  of  the  rich  soil  of  the  Prairie 
State,  and  they  determined  to  leave  the  New  Eng- 
land hills,  and  come  hither.  Upon  his  arrival  in 
this  county  our  subject  purchased  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  Waverly  Precinct,  to  which  he  added  from 
time  to  time,  and  upon  which  he  has  spent  the  best 
efforts  of  his  life.  Year  after  year  has  seen  the 
homestead  improved  with  buildings  or  trees,  and 
the  various  other  comforts  and  conveniences  natu- 
rally suggested  to  the  thrifty  fanner  and  the  man 
careful  of  the  happiness  of  his  family,  so  that, 
.  although  not  making  any  pretensions  to  elegance 
or  style,  they  enjoy  life  perhaps  better  than  many 
who  follow  the  fashions  and  shine  in  society. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Everett  became  the  parents  of  two 
children — Erastus  C.  and  Adeline  L.  Erastus  mar- 
ried Miss  Alice  Everett,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren— Ellen  M.,  Hattie  G.,  and  Newton  F.  Mr. 
Everett  is  a  sound  Republican,  politically,  and  Mrs. 
Everett  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 


•4- 


i/;ILEY  SMITH  for  thirty  years  has  lived 
at  the  farm  upon  which  he  is  now  located 
on  section  13,  township  16,  range  11.  He 
has  159  acres  which  composes  his  homestead,  and 
also  owns  142  acres  in  Scott  County,  all  of  which 
is  well  improved.  Mr.  Smith  does  a  general  farm- 
ing business,  and  is  one  of  those  men  who  have  been 


principally  the  architects  of  their  own  fortune.  lie 
has  always  worked  hard  for  the  achievement  of  his 
present  possessions,  and  in  a  word,  has  earned  every- 
thing he  has. 

Mr.  Smith  came  to  this  State  with  his  father  in 
1835,  and  is  a  native  of  Hickman  County,  Tenn., 
having  been  born  on  Kane  Creek,  Oct.  30,  1829. 
His  father,  was  also  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  was 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits  in  his  native  State, 
where  he  was  afterward  married  to  Elizabeth  Moss, 
who  was  born  and  reared  there  also.  After  mar- 
riage, he  pursued  farming  until  four  children  were 
born,  when  they  started  for  Illinois  with  an  ox-team, 
and  arrived  there  safely  in  the  year  indicated. 
When  Peter  Smith  came  to  Morgan  County,  it  was 
a  wilderness  of  prairie,  and  there  were  few  people 
living  here.  His  early  life  in  this  county  was  passed 
in  much  the  same  manner  as  the  lives  of  other  pio- 
neers were,  full  of  hardship,  but  he  lived  until  he  saw 
his  adopted  county  rise  to  the  eminence  of  being 
one  of  the  best  in  the  great  State  of  Illinois.  Those 
who  are  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  these  early  suf- 
ferings, should  remember  that  the  men  who  en  me 
here  and  prepared  the  way  for  their  children,  deserve 
greater  respect  than  an  army  that  conquers  by  the 
sword.  Peter  Smith  died  on  his  original  farm, 
May  18,  1876.  He  was  then  seventy-three  years  of 
age,  and  his  wife  preceded  him  to  the  shadowy- 
realm,  in  May,  1875.  She  was  nearl}'  sixty-seven 
years  old.  This  respected  couple  were  members  of 
the  old  school  Baptist  Church,  and  were  well-liked 
by  their  associates.  They  made  a  good  record,  of 
which  their  posterity  ought  to  feel  proud. 

Wiley  Smitli  is  the  second  son  and  child  of  a 
family  of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living, 
married  and  have  families.  He  was  reared  to  man- 
hood in  this  county,  and  was  married  here  to  Miss 
Jane  Standley,  who  was  born  in  the  township  where 
he  now  resides,  on  Dec.  1 5, 1 840.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Noble  and  Nancy  (Smart)  Standley,  both  of 
whom  died  here  some  years  ago  at  an  advanced 
age.  They  came  from  Tennessee,  where  they  were 
married,  and  after  the  birth  of  two  children  emi- 
grated to  Illinois  in  the  year  1829,  where  they 
lived  until  their  death.  They  suffered  the  hard- 
ships common  to  all  pioneers,  and  coming  here 
when  the  country  was  new,  they  had  an  opportu- 


458 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 


I 


nity  of  choosing  a  good  farm  which  they  improved. 
They  purchased  their  land  from  the  Government 
at  $1.25  per  acre.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Standley  were 
members  of  the  old  school  Baptist  Church,  belong- 
ing to  that  organization  for  many  years. 

Mrs.  Smith  was  one  of  eleven  children,  seven 
sons  and  four  daughters.  Three  sons  are  de- 
ceased, one  of  whom,  David,  was  accidently  killed 
by  a  runaway  team.  Me  was  married  and  left  a 
family.  Another  one,  Thomas,  was  killed  during 
the  war  in  Missouri,  by  the  rebels.  He  left  a  fam- 
ily also.  Another  one  died  while  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
Smith  is  the  mother  of  six  children,  the  following 
three  being  deceased:  Mary  died  April  12,  1879, 
when  past  seventeen  years  of  age;  Charles  H.  died 
Feb.  18,  1877,  at  the  age  of  four  years,  while  death 
claimed  an  infant.  The  following  are  living  at 
home:  Hester,  Rosa,  Clarinda,  and  Edgar  N. 

In  the  affairs  of  life,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have 
achieved  a  success,  and  their  reputation  is  that  of 
the  best.  They  attend  the  Baptist  Church,  and 
politically,  Mr.  Smith  believes  that  the  Democratic 
party  is  the  best. 


^.ILLIAM  o.  LUMSDEN.    This  sturdy  old 

'/'  veteran,  who  is  approaching  the  eighty- 
third  year  of  his  age,  is  one  of  the  eailiest 
settlers  of  his  neighborhood,  and  has  for  many 
years  been  comfortably  established  at  a  well-regu- 
ted  farm  on  section  17.  township  13,  range  10.  He 
came  to  Central  Illinois  during  the  days  of  its  pio- 
neership,  and  for  many  years  thereafter  labored 
early  and  late  in  transforming  a  portion  of  the  wild 
prairie  into  cultivated  fields  and  a  permanent  home- 
stead. With  the  assistance  of  his  devoted  wife  he 
realised  in  a  goodly  measure  the  ambitions  of  his 
early  manhood,  obtaining  a  competency  for  his  de- 
clining years,  and  gathering  around  him  troops  of 
friends,  of  whose  esteem  and  confidence  he  has  been 
assured  in  many  ways.  During  the  period  of  his 
active  life  he  was  quite  prominent  in  local  affairs, 
and  contributed  his  full  share  in  developing  the 
county  and  encouraging  the  enterprises  calculated 
for  the  general  good. 

Louisa  County,  Va..  was  Uie  native  place  of  our 


subject  and  his  birth  occurred  Sept.  23,  1806.  His 
parents  were  William  and  Ann  Lumsden,  both  na- 
tives of  the  Old  Dominion,  while  his  paternal 
grandfather  was  a  native  of  Scotland;  the  mother 
traced  her  ancestry  to  England.  The  family  lived 
in  Virginia  until  1818,  then  removed  to  Kentucky 
and  located  in  Todd  County,  where  the  parents 
spent  their  last  days  upon  the  farm  which  they 
built  up  from  the  wilderness, and  where  their  chil- 
dren were  reared  to  manhood  and  womanhood. 

When  about  seventeen  years  old  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  left  the  farm  and  began  learning  the  tanner's 
trade,  which  he  followed  a  number  of  years.  The 
education  he  received  was  acquired  in  the  primi- 
tive log  school-house,  first  in  Virginia  and  then  in 
Kentucky,  the  advantages  of  that  day  being  far 
inferior  to  those  enjoyed  by  the  present  generation. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-five  years  he  was  married,  in 
Kentucky,  Sept.  1,  1831,  to  Miss  Lucy  Keeling. 
This  lady  was  born  in  Halifax  County,  Va.,  Oct. 
11,  1803,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Edmund  and 
Nancy  (Francis)  Keeling,  who  were  also  natives  of 
the  Old  Dominion.  The  Keeling  family  traced  its 
descent  to  Scotland,  while  the  Francis  family  was 
of  Oerman  descent. 

In  1834  Mr.  Lumsden  set  out  with  his  wife  and 
one  child,  in  a  covered  wagon  with  live  horses  and 
accompanied  by  Elijah  Ilarlan,  for  Illinois.  Mr. 
Ilarlan  stopped  in  Macoupin  County,  but  Mr. 
Lumsden,  after  a  twenty-days  journey,  halted  in 
the  embryo  village  of  Jacksonville.  In  those  days 
there  were  neither  railroads  or  hotels,  and  the  emi- 
grants stopped  wherever  night  overtook  them, 
cooking  and  crimping  by  the  wayside,  and  sleeping 
in  their  wagons.  Soon  after  his  arrival  Mr.  Lums- 
den rented  a  tract  of  land,  upon  which  he  farmed 
two  years,  then  purchased  laud  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  west  of  the  present  site  of  Murray  ville. 
A  year  later  he  sold  out,  and  then  rented  land  three 
years  from  Uncle  John  Hughes. 

In  due  time  our  subject  made  permanent  settle- 
ment on  the  farm  which  he  now  owns  and  occu- 
pies, and  which  embraces  2204  acres  of  choice  land. 
Only  thirty  acres  had  been  broken  at  the  time  of 
his  settlement  here,  and  there  was  a  frame  house  of 
one  room,  besides  an  old  log  hut.  The  family 
moved  into  the  house  before  it  had  been  plastered. 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


461 


and  used  the  log  structure  for  a  kitchen,  and  the 
mother  also  kept  her  loom  there,  for  the  housewives 
of  those  days  were  obliged  to  spin  and  weave,  and 
manufacture  most  all  the  cloth  for  the  family  use. 
Mrs.  Lumsden  also  wove  scores  of  yards  for  her 
neighbors  and  the  people  around,  in  order  to  assist 
her  husband  in  making  both  ends  meet. 

With  the  hardships  of  those  days  there  were 
mingled  many  pleasures  notwithstanding,  and  in  due 
time  there  gathered  around  the  hearthstone  of  our 
subject  and  his  estimable  wife  the  faces  of  a  number 
of  bright  children,  the  record  of  whom  is  as  follows : 
Susan  E.  became  the  wife  of  John  Hracewell,  of 
Wayne  County,  Iowa;  James  W.  is  now  living  with 
his  father;  Martha  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Widdtip, 
also  of  Iowa:  Frances  M.  lives  in  this  county;  John 
T.  is  a  resident  of  Champaign  County;  Mary  J. 
is  the  wife  of  Edward  Wyatt,  of  Murrayville;  Ed- 
ward T.  lives  in  Monticello,  111.;  Nancy  F.  is  the 
wife  of  Howarth  Ayre,  and  they  liveinBhick  Pool, 
England,  where  Mr.  Ayre  has  been  employed  as  a 
carpenter  for  half  a  century. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lumsden  have  been  for  many  years 
members  in  good  standing  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
pal  Church,  in  which  our  subject  has  oflieiated  as 
Steward,  and  contributed  to  its  support.  He 
joined  the  Republican  party  at  its  formation,  and 
has  served  as  Constable,  Township  Trustee  and 
School  Director.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Old  Set- 
tlers Society  of  Morgan  County,  and  is  one  of 
those  men  whose  name  will  be  held  in  kindly  re- 
membrance long  after  he  has  gone  the  way  of  all 
the  earth. 


ffiOHN  R.  MEGGINSON.  On  another  page 
will  be  found  a  portrait  of  this  well-known 
resident  of  Morgan  County.  lie  is  the 
(fig*!//  owner  of  a  whole  section  of  land,  mostly  im- 
proved, and  possesses  one  of  the  finest  homesteads 
in  this  county,  which  is  embellished  with  a  hand- 
some anil  commodious  residence,  neat  and  tasteful 
outbuildings,  and  all  the  other  appliances  of  a  wcll- 


regulated  estate.  His  first  purchase  of  land  in  this 
county  was  in  March,  1851,  when  he  secured,  in 
township  14,  200  acres,  which  comprises  the  neu- 
clus  of  his  present  property.  As  a  citizen,  Mr. 
Megginson  stands  second  to  none  in  this  .county, 
being  enterprising,  industrious  and  wide-awake, 
and  has  met  with  the  usual  success  attendant  upon 
close  attention  to  business.  lie  has  been  a  man  of 
considerable  travel  and  large  observation,  and  has 
thus  become  well-informed  upon  those  matters  gen- 
erally of  interest  to  the  intelligent  individual.  To 
such  men  as  he,  is  Morgan  County  indebted  for  her 
position  and  standing  among  the  intelligent  com- 
munities of  Central  Illinois. 

The  first  nine  years  of  the  life  of  our  subject 
were  spent  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  in 
Yorkshire,  England,  where  his  birth  took  place 
May  8,  1823.  His  father,  Ralph  Megginson,  was 
also  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Richardson,  who  was  born  and  reared  not  far 
from  the  childhood  home  of  her  husband.  After 
"their  marriage  they  emigrated  to  America  in  the 
fall  of  1832,  and  coining  to  Illinois  located  about 
four  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Jacksonville,  which 
was  then  in  its  infancy.  The  father  took  up  a  tract 
of  land,  and  operated  successfully  as  a  tiller  of  the 
soil  until  advancing  age  admonished  him  to  retire. 
He  passed  away  on  the  'Jth  of  February,  1888,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty -eight  years.  The 
mother  had  preceded  her  husband  to  the  silent  land 
May  1 1,  18(59,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven. 

Five  sons  and  three  daughters  comprised  the 
household  of  the  parents  of  our  subject,  of  whom 
John  R.  was  the  eldest.  He  was  nine  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  grew  to 
man's  estate  in  this  county,  remaining  a  member 
of  his  father's  household  until  twenty-three  years 
old.  Then  with  the  natural  desire  of  youth  for 
change,  he  set  out  to  see  something  of  the  world. 
In  1846,  starting  out  with  a  team  from  Indepen- 
dence, Mo.,  he  drove  the  whole  distance  from  there 
to  Santa  Fe,  and  thence  to  Chihuahua,  Mexico, 
which  city  was  then  under  martial  law.  In  con- 
sequence, he  and  his  comrades  were  deprived  of 
their  liberty  until  the  capture  of  the  city  by  Col. 
Doniphan,  in  the  spring  of  1817.  Upon  his  re- 
lease, he  returned  to  Missouri,  remaining  in  Jack- 


i 


462 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


son  County  until  the  fall    of    the   year,   when    he 
joined  his  parents  in  this  county. 

Starting  out  again  in  April,  1848,  Mr.  Megginson 
sought  the  great  Northwest,  in  company  with  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Hooker,  and  they  traveled  un- 
til reaching  Oregon.  There  our  subject  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  and  sojourned  six  or  seven 
months.  In  May,  1849,  we  find  him  mining  in  the 
northern  part  of  California,  where  he  also  spent  six 
or  seven  months,  then  started  for  Illinois,  via  the 
Isthmus,  arriving  home  in  March,  1850.  The  voy- 
age was  made  on  a  sailing  vessel.  Our  subject 
now  worked  on  a  farm  a  year,  and  at  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  was  married. 

In  the  summer  of  1883,  our  subject,  in  company 
with  his  wife,  revisited  California,  where  Mrs.  Meg- 
ginson remained  while  he  sought  his  old  haunts  in 
Oregon  and  spent  about  three  months  on  the  Pa- 
cific Slope.  He  has  traveled  in  about  twenty-nine 
different  States  and  Territories,  has  met  all  kinds 
and  conditions  of  people,  and  being  a  man  who  has 
kept  his  eyes  open  to  what  was  going  on  around' 
him,  lias  consequently  become  very  well  informed. 
He  can  tell  many  an  interesting  tale,  not  only  of 
pioneer  life  in  Illinois,  but  of  life  on  the  Pacific 
Slope  and  in  the  great  Northwest,  and  is  one  with 
whom  many  an  hour  might  be  spent  pleasantly  and 
profitably. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Fanny  II. 
Hodgkinson  was  celebrated  at  the  home  of  the 
bride's  uncle,  in  Scott  County,  this  State,  Jan.  10, 
1851.  Mrs.  Megginson  was  born  in  Derbyshire, 
England,  Jan.  1,  1831,  and  was  the  eldest  of  the  six 
children  of  George  and  Fanny  (Dale)  Hodgkinson, 
who  were  also  natives  of  that  country.  They  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  during  the  early  settle- 
ment of  Illinois,  locating  in  Scott  County,  where 
the  father  died  in  December,  1814.  and  the  mother 
six  weeks  later.  Of  her  union  with  our  subject 
there  have  been  born  seven  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, namely:  George  A.,  Richardson  D.,  Ralph  W., 
Elizabeth  J.,  Joseph  P.  1).,  Robert  V.,  Mary  L., 
Reuben  C.,  Linnie  T.,  Simpson  S.  and  Georgia  H. 
Joseph  P.  D.  died  Nov.  2,  1884,  when  a  promising 
young  man  of  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Our  sub- 
ject, politically,  is  Democratic  in  his  views,  and 
socially,  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  being 


identified  with  Blue  Lodge  No.  3,  at  Jacksonville, 
also  Chapter  and  Commanderj7  No.  31 .  Mrs.  Meg- 
ginson, a  very  estimable  lady,  is  a  member  in  good 
standing  of  the  Christian  Church. 


I 


R.  ARTHUR  M.  CLINE.  The  medical 
profession  of  Murrayville  and  vicinity  is 
worthily  represented  by  the  subject  of  this 
notice,  who  has  a  well-appointed  office  on 
Main  street  and  is  entering  upon  a  career  which 
promises  to  be  highly  successful.  He  is  a  gentle- 
man comparatively  young  in  years,  having  been 
born  Dec.  20,  1858,  in  Washington  County,  Ohio. 
Our  subject  was  reared  to  manhood  on  a  farm 
in  the  pure  atmosphere  of  the  Buckeye  State,  pur- 
suing his  early  studies  in  the  district  school,  and 
remained  a  resident  of  his  native  county  until  a 
youth  of  eighteen  years.  So  faithful  had  been  his 
application  to  his  books  that  he  now  began  teaching 
school  and  followed  this  profession  in  two  districts 
for  seven  terms,  meeting  with  Haltering  success. 
He  had  in  the  meantime  determined  upon  the  pro- 
fession of  medicine  and  during  the  last  year  of  his 
labors  as  a  pedagogue,  employed  his  leisure  hours 
in  the  reading  of  medicine  under  the  instruction  of 
his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  E.  Sloan,  of  Williamstowii, 
W.  Va. 

In  September,  1879,  our  subject  entered  the 
Eclectic  Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati,  where 
he  spent  two  college  years  and  was  graduated  June 
7,  1881.  Soon  afterward  he  set  out  for  the  West, 
and  in  July  of  that  year  established  himself  in 
Murrayville,  where  he  has  since  followed  his  pro- 
fession with  excellent  success,  building  up  an  ex- 
tended patronage.  Indeed  he  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  physicians  of  this  county,  and  holds 
membership  in  the  State  Eclectic  Medical  Society, 
having  its  headquarters  at  Springfield. 

Politically,  Dr.  Clinc  is  a  Democrat,  and  hasoflici- 
ated  as  a  member  of  the  Town  Council  of  Mtirrny- 
ville  but  in  local  matters  gives  his  support  to  the  men 
whom  he  considers  best  qualified  to  serve  the  in- 
terests of  the  people.  His  pleasant  home  is  presided 
over  by  an  amiable  lady,  formerly  Miss  Lizzie 
Reaugh,  to  whom  he  was  married,  Jnn,  25,  1883 


f 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


=4* 

463    1 


I 


Mrs.  Cline  was  born  in  this  county,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  O.  P.  and  Julia  (Anderson)  Reaugh, 
the  former  of  whom  settled  here  in  the  pioneer 
days  and  is  now  deceased.  The  household  circle 
comprises  two  bright  children:  Stella  R.,  born  Dec. 
21,  1887,  and  Edna  E.,  born  April  15,  1889. 

Dr.  Cline,  socially,  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
being  Noble  Grand  of  the  Lodge  at  Murray  ville, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen,  in 
which  he  is  the  Examining  Physician.  He  is  Sec- 
retary of  Murrayville  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  Precinct 
President  of  Morgan  County  Sunday-school  Asso- 
ciation. He  and  his  family  are  members  of  Murray- 
ville Presbyterian  Church.  His  parents,  Reuben 
and  Diana  (Cady)  Cline,  were  natives  of  Ohio, 
and  one  of  his  paternal  ancestors,  Thomas  Mills, 
served  as  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  in  which  war  he 
received  numerous  honorable  wounds,  and  was 
present  at  the  fight  at  Ft.  DuQuesne,  a  conflict 
which  is  memorable  in  history  and  familiar  to  those 
who  keep  themselves  posted  in  regard  to  the  rec- 
ords of  that  time. 


MOS  HENDERSON,  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
may  usually  be  found  at  his  office,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Square,  in  Jacksonville, 
fulfiriiug  the  duties  of  the  position  to 
which  he  was  elected  by  the  Republicans  of  the 
county  in  1884.  He  has  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  in  this  locality,  and  Jacksonville  in  its 
early  days,  while  it  was  an  unpretentious  village, 
was  his  birthplace.  Here  he  was  cradled  forty- 
eight  years  ago,  having  begun  life  Nov.  20,  1840. 
Smiley  II.  and  Mary  E.  (Henderson)  Henderson, 
the  parents  of  our  subject,  were  natives  of  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  the  father  born  Jan.  5,  1801.  He 
came  to  this  part  of  Morgan  County  in  April. 
1826.  He  had  .been  reared  a  farmer's  boy,  hut, 
upon  his  removal  to  the  Prairie  State,  changed  his 
occupation  somewhat,  and  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising until  1853.  He  was  the  first  merchant 
of  Jacksonville,  and  put  up  the  three-story  brick 
building  which  may  still  be  seen  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  public  square.  This  was  probably 
the  first  brick  store  in  the  place,  and  was  patron- 


ized  by  people  within  a  radius  of  sixty  miles.  The 
elder  Henderson  was  successful  in  his  business 
transactions,  and  upon  retiring,  in  1 853,  was  mas- 
ter of  a  competence.  He  lived  at  his  ease  over 
thirty  years,  passing  away  on  the  10th  of  April, 
1886,  at  his  home  in  Jacksonville. 

The  father  of  our  subject  in  the  early  days  pur- 
chased ten  acres  of  land,  which  was  afterward  in- 
cluded in  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city  and  duly 
laid  off  into  lots,  which  sold  at  a  good  figure.  Origin- 
ally he  had  been  a  Whig  in  politics,  and  after  the 
abandonment  of  the  old  party  affiliated  with  the 
Republicans.  The  old  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  the  most  thor- 
oughly realized  his  ideas  of  religious  duty.  The 
parents  were  married  in  Jacksonville  in  1827,  then- 
family  consisted  of  twelve  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living,  viz:  Betsey,  Mrs.  Hamilton;  Minerva, 
Mrs.  Lee;  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Howard;  and  Amos,  all 
of  Jacksonville;  Charity,  Mrs.  McConnell,  of 
Omaha,  Neb.,  and  Smiley,  Jr.,  in  Los  Angeles, 
Cal.  The  mother,  a  member  of  the  same  church  as 
her  husband,  departed  this  life  in  October,  1862. 

Amos  Henderson  spent  his  boyhood  days  in 
school,  and  later  attended  the  Herean  College,  of 
this  city  until  1860.  The  second  year  of  the  war, 
1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier  in  Company 
D,  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  but,  after  serving 
eighteen  months,  was  obliged  to  accept  his  dis- 
charge on  account  of  disability.  In  the  engage- 
ment at  Holly  Springs,  Miss.,  Dec,  20,  1863,  he 
was  captured  by  the  rebels,  but  was  released  in 
June  following.  At  once  returning  to  Jackson- 
ville, he  re-enlisted  in  Company  H,  133d  Illinois 
Infantry,  with  the  100-days  men,  and  served  five 
months. 

Upon  retiring  from  the  army.  Mr.  Henderson,, 
returning  to  Jacksonville,  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising, and,  during  the  period  of  four  years 
thus  occupied,  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  trade. 
For  the  next  four  or  five  years  he  was  engaged  as 
bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of  Howard  &  Thompson. 
He  then  became  interested  in  insurance,  at  which 
he  continued  until  being  elected  to  his  present 
office. 

The  marriage  of  Amos  Henderson  and  Miss 
Ermine  Miller,  of  Jacksonville,  was  celebrated  at 


I 


464 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


the  home  of  the  bride,  Oct.  12,  1866.  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson was  born  in  October,  1843,  in  Morgan 
County,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary. 
Miller.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Kentucky, 
and  are  now  deceased.  Herbert,  the  eldest  son  of 
Mr.  Henderson,  is  engaged  in  the  printing  business 
in  Jacksonville.  The  Squire  belongs  to  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  the  G.  A.  H.  His  pleasant  and 
comfortable  home  occupies  No.  339  East  North 
street. 


MASSEY,  is  a  well-known  breeder  of 
English  Shire, — all  purpose  and  roadster 
(8?  horses.  He  is  located  on  a  pleasant  farm 
in  section  36,  township  15,  range  11, known 
as  Diamond  Grove  Stock  Farm,  which  is  three  miles 
from  Jacksonville.  This  place  is  well  supplied 
with  good  buildings,  and  everything  around  it  de- 
notes a  successful  farmer.  Mr.  M.  has  quite  a 
number  of  imported  and  home  bred  stallions, 
among  them  are  two  of  the  finest  English  Shires  in 
the  State. 

Mr.  Massey  has  made  an  enviable  record  for 
himself  as  a  breeder  of  this  class  of  horses,  a  busi- 
ness in  which  he  has  been  engaged  since  1882. 
He  has  always  been  a  resident  of  this  township 
and  county  and  is  well  and  favorably  known  as  an 
honest  straight- forward  business  man.  He  keeps 
his  stallions  under  perfect  control,  so  that  he  can 
drive  them  single,  double,  or  tandem.  He 'has 
shown  his  stock  at  many  fairs  and  public  exhibit- 
ions and  has  carried  away  a  large  number  of  premi- 
ums. Mr.  Massey  is  a  native  of  the  township  in 
which  he  lives,  having  been  born  on  the  old  Massey 
homestead,  Oct.  17,  1849.  He  came  of  a  good 
family  of  old  settlers.  His  father,  II.  II.  Massey, 
Sr.,  died  here  at  his  home,  June  26,  1879,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight  years.  He  located  in  this  county 
in  1827,  coming  from  New  York  State  with  his 
father,  Silas  Massey.  The  latter  died  at  the  home 
now  occupied  by  his  grandson,  the  subject  of  this 
notice.  Silas  Massey  and  his  sons,  H.  H.,  Sr.,  and 
S.  S.  were  farmers  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y., 
until  they  came  West  in  1826.  They  first  went  to 
St.  Charles,  Mo.,  and  the  following  year  located  in 
Morgan  County.  The  history  of  Silas  and  H.  II., 


1 


Sr.,  his  son  is  that  of  true  pioneers,  having  come 
here  before  the  winter  of  the  deep  snow.  Silas 
lived  until  he  was  eighty-eight  years  and  nine 
months  old,  nnd  died  respected  by  all.  II.  II. 
Massey,  Sr.,  was  also  a  man  much  beloved,  and 
known  as  a  moral,  honest,  hard-working  man.  He 
was  married  in  1834,  in  Morgan  County,  to  Miss 
Margaret  OHieer,  who  settled  with  her  father  in 
Morgan  County  in  an  early  day,  coming  from  Ten- 
nessee. She  died  July  2,  1889. 

H.  H.  Massey,  Jr.,  of  whom  we  write,  had  the 
advantage  of  the  advice  of  a  good  father  and 
mother  until  he  arrived  to  man's  estate  in  1874. 
He  was  married  in  Chicago,  to  Miss  Jennie  R. 
Hunt.  She  was  born  in  DuPage  County,  111.,  near 
Aurora.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Sarah 
Hunt.  Mr.  Hunt  died  in  Chicago.  He  was  then 
retired  from  business,  and  died  very  suddenly. 
His  wife  is  yet  living  with  her  son  on  a  farm  in 
DuPage  County,  111.  She  was  born  in  Canada, 
while  Mr.  Hunt  was  a  native  of  England.  They  were 
married  in  Canada,  and  lived  there  for  some  years 
after  their  marriage,  engaged  in  the  drug  trade. 
In  1839  they  came  to  Illinois  and  located  on  a 
farm  near  Aurora.  Mrs.  Massey  received  a  good 
education,  and  is  an  intelligent  lady.  She  is  the 
mother  of  six  children;  Lydia  being  dead.  The 
following  are  living:  Stella  M.,  Charles  II.,  Minnie 
E.,  Agnes  I.  and  Mary  A.  Mr.  Massey  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 


SCAR  A.  DKLEUW,  Attorney  and  Counselor 
at  law,  holds  a  good  position  among  his  legal 
brethren  in  Jacksonville  and  vicinity.  A 
native  of  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  he  was  born  Dec.  8, 
1847,  and  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Leopola  W.  and  Johanna 
M.  (Lubick)  DeLeuw,  natives  of  Prussia.  The 
parents  emigrated  to  America  shortly  after  their 
marriage,  settling  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where  the 
father  practiced  as  a  physician  and  surgeon.  lie 
was  a  well-educated  man,  having  been  a  student  at 
the  Universities  of  Bonn  and  Herlin. 

Dr.  DeLeuw  continued  in  practice  at  Milwaukee 
until  about  1854,  then  removing  to  Madison 
County,  III.,  sojourned  there  for  a  time,  but  later 
changed  his  residence  to  Alton,  where  he  resided 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


465 


with  his  family  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War.  They  then  removed  to  Carlinville,  Macoupin 
County,  and  thence  in  18G5,  to  Jacksonville.  Here 
the  father  established  a  drug  business  in  con- 
nection witli  his  practice,  but  in  1870,  selling  out 
both  practice  and  store,  took  up  his  residence  in 
the  city  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  followed  his 
profession  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1887. 
The  mother  had  died  in  Carlinville  in  1863. 

The  parental  family  included  seven  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living,  named  respectively,  Oscar  A., 
Ilattie  L.,  Josephine,  Huldah,  Guido  and  Charles. 
Edmund  J.,  the  eldest  born,  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-one  years.  He  also  was  a  practicing  physic- 
ian, and  at  one  time  hospital  steward  in  the  Gov- 
ernment service  on  the  Mississippi  River,  in  the 
133d  Illinois  Infantry.  He  also  carried  on  a  drug 
store  at  Jacksonville.  He  remained  in  the  service 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  died  in  1878.  Guido, 
a  resident  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  is  agent  for  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  Railroad.  Charles  is  a  merchant  and 
resides  at  Rochester,  Minn. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Madison  County,  the  High  School 
at  Alton,  and  the  lihickburn  Theological  Seminary 
at  Carlinville.  He  was  a  lad  of  fourteen  years  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  and  in  the  year 
of  1863  enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier  in  Company  A, 
122  Illinois  Infantry,  being  on  detached  duty. 
Later  he  was  transferred  to  the  121st  United  States 
Infantry, and  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  he  was  mustered  out  and  re- 
ceived his  honorable  discharge  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
Oct.  5,  1865.  He  met  the  enemy  in  the  smoke  of 
battle  at  Tupelo,  in  Mississippi;  was  present  at  the 
storming  of  Spanish  Fort  and  the  city  of  Mobile, 
and  traveled  over  a  goodly  portion  of  the  State  of 
Kentucky,  lighting  guerrillas  and  bushwhackers. 
With  the  exception  of  a  slight  wound  over  the  eye 
with  a  piece  of  shell,  he  escaped  uninjured. 

In  the  year  of  1866  Mr.  DcLcuw  entered  the  law 
school  at  Harvard,  Mass.,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1868.  The  year  following  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  and  established  himself  at  Jack- 
sonville, of  which  he  has  since  been  a  resident. 
Here  he  was  elected  City  Attorney  in  1871,  serving 


one  year.  He  was  married  in  August,  1872,  at  the 
home  of  the  bride,  in  Winchester,  to  Miss  Bessie  M. 
Tribbey,  a  native  of  this  county,  and  the  daughter 
of  Dr.  George  S.  and  Eleanor  (Stratton)  Tribbey, 
who  were  natives  of  Kentucky  ,and  are  now  deceased. 
Mrs.  DeLenw  was  born  Sept.  11,  1850,  and  by  her 
union  with  our  subject  became  the  mother  of  six 
children,  who  are  named  respectively,  Oscar, 
Johanna  M.,  Eleanor  S.,  William  L.,  Georgiana  S. 
and  Elizabeth  T.  They  form  a  bright  and  intelli- 
gent group,  and  are  all  at  home  with  their  parents. 
The  family  residence  is  pleasantly  located  at  No. 
817  Routt  Street.  Mr.  DeLcuw  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  occupies  a  good  position  among  his 
legal  brethren  in  Morgan  County. 

-  ...•i9.itIii.V~ 

&     *  TIT4     (!) 


LEXANDER  WILDAY,  a  leading  pioneer 
of  this  county,  is  comfortably  established 
on  section  3,  township  15,  range  12.  He 
is  a  native  of  Pike  County,  Ohio,  and 
was  born  July  11,  1825,  to  Thomas  and  Eleanor 
Wilday,  who  were  both  natives  of  Delaware.  They 
lived  in  that  State  until  the  death  of  the  father, 
which  occurred  when  the  subject  of  this  notice  was 
a  young  man  of  twenty  years. 

In  1846,  accompanied  by  his  widowed  mother 
and  three  other  children,  Mr.  Wilday  emigrated  to 
Logan  County,  this  State,  where  he  settled  and 
lived  two  years.  In  1818  he  changed  his  residence 
to  this  county,  locating  upon  the  land  comprising 
his  present  homestead.  The  mother  purchased  400 
acres,  which  were  subsequently  transferred  to  our 
subject  and  his  brother  Jerial.  The  family  per- 
formed a  great  deal  of  hard  labor  in  those  early 
days,  and  our  subject,  in  December,  1850,  estab- 
lished domestic  ties  of  his  own  by  his  marriage 
with  Miss  Talitlia  Drinkwater.  This  lady  was  born 
in  Cass  Count}',  this  State,  and  was  the  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Sarah  Driukwatcr,  who  were  early 
settlers  of  that  county.  Of  this  union  there  were 
born  four  children,  only  two  of  whom  are  now 
living:  Sarah  E.,  the  wife  of  W.  II.  Gciger,  of 
Tama  County,  Iowa,  and  Martha  J.,  Mrs.  Thomas 
Naylor.  of  this  county. 

Our   subject   studied    his  first   lessons  in  a  log 


466 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


cabin  in  his  native  county,  the  floor  of  which  was 
of  puncheon,  the  benches  and  desks  of  slabs  and 
Uie  window-  panes  of  greased  paper.  During  the 
years  which  have  intervened  since  then  he  has 
been  an  interested  witness  of  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  Great  West,  particularly  of  Illi- 
nois, and  lias  contributed,  as  he  was  able,  to  the 
general  result.  In  religious  matters  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Primitive  Baptist  Church,  while  his 
estimable  wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  has  served  as  School  Director  prob- 
ably fifteen  years,  and  in  politics  uniformly  votes 
the  Democratic  ticket.  He  has  been  successful  in 
accumulating  a  fair  share  of  this  world's  goods, 
and  is  numbered  among  the  upright  men  of  his 
com  m  unity  who  enjoy,  in  a  large  measure,  the 
esteem  of  their  fellow-citizens. 


was 


f  AMES  KERSHAW,  a  retired  farmer  of  sec- 
tion 28,  township  16,  range  11,  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  county  since  coming  to  the 
United  States  in  the  early  part  of  1839.  He 
born  at  Holden,  Lancashire,  England.  Oct. 
29,  1814,  and  came  of  pure  English  stock.  His 
father,  Robert  Kershaw,  also  of  English  birth  and 
parentage,  was  a  cotton  spinner,  and  was  married 
in  his  native  town  of  Holden  to  Miss  Bettie  Chad- 
wick.  They  became  the  parents  of  four  children 
—  James,  Albert.  Robert,  Jr.,  and  Thomas,  and,  on 
the  27th  of  January,  1839,  set  out  with  their  little 
family  for  America.  They  made  the  voyage  on  the 
sailing-vessel  ''Lucia,"  and  landed  in  New  Orleans 
on  the  26th  of  March  following. 

From  the  Crescent  City  a  part  of  the  Kershaw 
family  came  up  the  Mississippi  to  the  Illinois 
River,  and  thence  to  Beardstown,  landing  there  on 
the  7th  of  April.  Upon  this  boat  was  transported 
the  first  railroad  engine  ever  brought  to  Illinois, 
landing  at  Meredosia.  It  was  to  do  duty  on  the 
road  running  through  the  embryo  city  of  Jackson- 
ville on  flat  bars  laid  on  sleepers.  A  part  of  the 
family  had  been  left  in  New  Orleans  on  account  of 
a  scarcity  of  funds,  only  James  and  his  father  com- 
ing tn  Illinois  at  that  time.  Their  first  business  was 
to  seek  employment,  and  they  began  working  on 


the  new  railroad  with  such  good  results  that  they 
sent  for  the  mother  and  the  three  other  sons  to 
join  them,  which  they  did  on  the  4th  of  July  fol- 
lowing. 

The  elder  Kershaw  in  due  time  purchased  a 
tract  of  land,  including  that  which  his  son  now 
occupies,  and  here  he  and  his  excellent  wife  spent 
the  r  mainder  of  their  days,  living  to  be  past 
threescore  years  and  ten.  They  are  remembered 
as  worthy  and  honest  people,  and  were  respected 
by  all  their  neighbors.  Their  children  are  all  liv- 
ing, married,  and  have  families  of  their  own. 
James,  our  subject,  found  his  bride  in  this  county 
— Miss  Martha  Hursey,  a  native  of  his  own  shire 
in  England,  and  born  Jan.  5,  1822.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  James  and  Sarah  (Nelley) 
Hursey,  the  father  born  Jan.  17,  1798,  and  by 
occupation  a  gardener  and  preacher  combined. 
The  mother  was  a  cotton  spinner.  The  family  emi- 
grated from  England  to  America  early  in  1838,  sail- 
ing from  Liverpool  and  landing  in  New  Orleans, 
and  thence  coming  to  Beardstown  by  boat  and 
overland  to  this  county.  Mr.  Hursey  afterward 
continued  farming  and  preaching  until  his  death, 
Aug.  5,  1877,  which  occurred  when  he  was  seventy 
nine  and  a  half  years  old.  His  wife  died  June 
25,  1870,  at  the  'age  of  eighty-two  years,  having 
been  born  Feb.  10,  1788.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.  Mrs.  Kershaw 
is  the  only  surviving  child. 

Twelve  children  came  to  bless  the  union  of  our 
subject  and  his  wife,  six  of  whom  are  deceased, 
namely  :  Luther,  Betty,  Mary  A.,  Jane,  Becky,  and 
an  infant  unnamed.  The  survivors  are  Joseph, 
Robert,  Hannah,  Ellen,  Nettie,  and  John.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kershaw  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  at  Concord,  and  our  subject, 
political!}-,  is  a  sound  Republican. 


fj  ESSE  LAKE.  Among  the  early  pioneers  of 
this  county  Mr.  Lake  deserves  honorable 
mention.  He  represents  property  to  the 
amount  of  240  acres  of  choice  land,  eligibly 
located  on  section  32,  township  16,  range  12,  which 
has  been  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation  by 


\ 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


467 


I 


perseverance  and  industry.  He  has  substantial 
farm  buildings,  a  goodly  assortment  of  live  stock, 
and  the  machinery  necessary  for  the  successful 
prosecution  of  .agriculture. 

A  native  of  Kentucky  Mr.  Lake  was  born  in 
Hancock  County,  July  15,  1825,  and  is  the  son  of 
Lord  H.  and  Jane  (Branham)  Lake,  the  father  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  mother  of  Virginia. 
His  paternal  ancestors  were  of  German  and  French 
origin,  while  the  mother  traced  her  lineage  to  Fjti- 
gland  and  Ireland.  John  Branham,  a  maternal 
great-Uncle  of  our  subject,  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  going  into  the  army  when 
a  lad  of  fourteen  years. 

In  1845,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty  years,  Mr. 
Lake  emigrated  with  his  parents  from  Kentucky  to 
Illinois  and  settled  in  Cass  County,  where  the  father 
died  shortly  afterward.  Jesse  remained  with  his 
mother  until  ready  to  establish  a  home  of  his  own, 
and  was  married  in  Cass  County.  April  9,  1848,  to 
Miss  Harriet,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Patsy  (Brown) 
Phelps.  Of  this  union  there  were  born  six  children, 
only  two  of  whom  are  living — Isaac  and  Jesse,  Jr. 
The  deceased  were  Harrison,  Henry,  Martha  and 
Lindsay. 

Mr.  Lake  came  to  Morgan  County  in  1867,  and 
settled  upon  his  present  farm  where  he  has  since 
lived.  lie  has  effected  most  of  the  improvements 
upon  it,  and  like  his  brother  pioneers  labored  early 
and  late  during  his  younger  years  in  order  to  es- 
tablish himself  upon  a  solid  foundation,  financially. 
In  the  meantime  lie  has  seen  the  country  grow  up 
around  him,  and  the  wild  prairie  give  place  to  cul- 
tivated fields  and  pleasant  homesteads.  At  the  time 
of  his  coming  here  deer  were  quite  plentiful,  and  in 
the  winter  the  trees  were  loaded  with  prairie 
chickens.  He  has  been  essentially  the  architect  of 
his  own  fortunes,  having  received  no  assistance 
from  other  men  except  their  friendship  and  good 
will,  which  he  has  gained  by  his  upright  life  and 
steady  adherence  to  the  principles  of  honesty  and 
integrity. 

Mr.  Lake  is  not  a  member  of  any  church  organi- 
zation but  be/icves  in  religious  institutions  and  es- 
pecially in  the  advocacy  of  temperance.  He  usually 
supports  the  Democratic  party,  except  in  local 
elections,  when  he  believes  in  choosing  the  men 


who  will  best  serve  the  interests  of  the  people. 
Botli  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are  still  in  their 
prime  and  able  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  labors. 
The}'  have  gathered  around  them  many  friends,  and 
their  home  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  places  of  resort 
in  the  township.  The  education  of  Mr.  Lake  con- 
sisted of  three  months'  attendance  at  the  district 
ecliool,  but  he  will  be  readily  recognized  as  an  in- 
telligent man,  and  one  well  posted  upon  the  current 
events  of  the  day. 


f 


HARLES  HENRY,  D.  D.  S.  This  gentle- 
man has  the  distinguished  honor  of  being 
the  first  graduate  of  his  profession  to  prac- 
tice in  this  city.  He  commenced  in  the  year 
1865,  and  has  since  enjoyed  a  very  large  patronage, 
which  speaks  for  him  the  confidence  of  the  citizens 
in  his  ability.  lie  is  a  native  of  East  Woodstock, 
Conn.,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1835  to  Erastus 
and  Eliza  Henry,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the 
Empire  State.  His  father  was  a  manufacturer  of 
farming  implements,  and  followed  his  trade  in  Con- 
necticut until  the  time  of  his  death.  The  father 
died  in  1860,  his  wife  surviving  him  some  six  years. 

The  subject  of  this  writing  is  one  of  five  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents.  They  were  careful  to 
give  him  what  advantages  were  possible  in  the  di- 
rection of  education.  Until  he  was  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  remained  at  home,  but  then  left  to  go  to 
Savannah,  Ga.  Prior  to  this  journey  he  had  stud- 
ied dentistry  with  his  brother  Erastus  in  Connecti- 
cut, and  upon  the  latter  Opening  an  office  in  Savan- 
nah he  accompanied  him  and  continued  in  the  busi- 
ness. He  remained  in  Georgia  about  seven  years,  all 
that  time  following  his  chosen  profession.  In  1863  he 
went  to  Iowa  and  settled  at  Cedar  Falls,  and  re- 
mained for  about  two  years;  then  he  came  to  this 
place,  opened  his  ollice  and  dental  parlors  and  be- 
gan a  business  that  has  been  in  every  way  most 
satisfactory  to  him. 

In  the  year  1863  Dr.  Henry  entered  the  mar- 
riage state,  taking  as  the  companion  of  his  life  Miss 
Martha  M.  Cole,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Cole,  of 
Cedar  Falls,  Iowa.  This  happy  union  has  been 
consummated  by  the  birth  of  four  children,  whose 


468 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


names  are  recorded  as  follows:  Charles  C.  George 
E.,  Mamie  15.  and  Harry  E.  Mrs.  Henry  was  born 
in  Ilunterdon  County,  N.  J.,  March  28,  1845,  and 
received  her  education  in  the  Cedar  Falls  High 
School,  and  is  in  every  way  most  admirably  fitted 
to  occupy  a  high  position  in  society  without  in  any 
wise  detracting  from  those  domestic  virtues  which 
have  made  her  the  inspiration  of  her  home. 

Dr.  Henry  is  one  of  the  representative  citizens 
of  Jacksonville.  He  occupies  the  position  of  Di- 
rector of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  is  quite  a 
financier.  The  Masonic  fraternity  names  him  as 
one  of  its  worthy  and  esteemed  members.  He  is 
also  affiliated  with  the  State  Dental  Society.  In 
matters  political  lie  is  heartily  in  accord  with  the 
platform  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  is  numbered 
among  the  active  working  members  of  the  same,  of 
which  he  has  continued  an  adherent  since  his  com- 
ing to  mature  years.  lie  is  a  respected  member  of 
the  City  Council,  and  as  such  endeavors  to  serve 
faithfully  those  who  placed  him  in  that  position. 

After  studying  with  his  brother  for  several  years 
and  also  practicing  dentistry  for  a  considerable 
period  upon  his  own  account,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  entered  the  College  of  Dental  Surgery  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  after  taking  the  regular  course 
of  instruction  he  was  graduated  in  the  year  1860, 
receiving  a  diploma  that  intimated  that  he  was  en- 
titled to  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S.,  with  every  privi- 
lege to  practice  as  such.  He  has  put  this  privilege 
to  the  best  use,  as  many  of  his  patrons  can  fully 
testify,  and  has  earned  and  received  not  simply  the 
regard  and  confuience,  but  the  hearty  thanks  and 
gratitude  of  those  who  have  had  occasion  to  trust 
themselves  in  his  hands  and  employ  his  skill  in  their 
behalf. 


THOMAS  H.  FOZZARD.  General  farming 
and  stock-raising  has  been  the  occupation 
of  this  gentleman  for  some  years  past.  He 
is  one  of  the  younger  men  of  his  township,  but  has 
already  gained  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  its  most 
successful  agriculturists.  He  is  pleasantly  located 
on  section  36,  township  16,  range  11,  where  he  has 
a  well-tilled  farm  of  136  acres,  of  which  Mie  has 
been  in  possession  since  the  spring  of  1884.  He 


removed  thither  from  Cass  County,  this  State, 
where  he  was  born  Jan.  21,  1851,  and  where 
he  spent  the  younger  years  of  his  life.  He  is 
the  son  of  English  parents,  his  father,  Thomas 
Fozzard,  having  been  by  birth  a  Yorkshire  man, 
and  of  pure  English  stock.  The  latter  was  a  weaver 
by  trade,  which  he  followed  a  few  years  after  com- 
ing to  the  United  States,  and  after  settling  in  Ill- 
inois, rode  on  horseback  eight  miles  to  and  from  his 
place  of  business  at  Virginia.  In  these  journeyings  • 
he  frequently  had  the  company  of  others  who  were 
s'milarly  situated. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  married  in  his 
native  shire  to  Miss  Mary  Harcsley,  who  was  born 
there  of  English  parents,  and  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  her  marriage.  After  the  birth 
of  two  children  Thomas  Fozzard  and  his  wife  set 
sail  for  the  United  States,  and  coining  to  Cass 
County,  this  State,  purchased  a  tract  of  laud,  eight 
miles  from  Virginia,  where  they  built  up  a  good 
home,  and  where  the  mother  died  when  about 
fifty-two  years  old.  The  father  survived  his  wife 
many  years,  dying  July  5,  1880,  at  the  age  of 
sevenly^six.  They  were  honest,  hard-working  peo- 
ple, who  paid  their  just  debts  and  lived  at  peace 
with  their  neighbors. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  but 
two  of  eight  sons  and  one  daughter  born  to  his 
parents.  He  was  one  of  a  pair  of  twins,  and  he 
spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  like  most  of  the  sons 
of  farmers  of  that  day — -amid  the  wild  scenes 
of  pioneer  life — their  pleasures  being  simple  and 
few,  and  their  time  usually  employed  at  some  use- 
ful occupation.  Upon  reaching  man's  estate  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Heard.  This  lady 
was  born  in  Virginia  March  19,  1846,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Hatis)  Heard,  the 
former  of  whom  died  in  Cass  County,  about  March 
9,  1881.  The  wife  and  mother  is  living,  and  is 
now  sixty-five  years  old.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church. 

Mrs.  Fozzard  was  among  the  elder  members  of  a 
large  family  of  children,  and  was  a  mere  child  when 
they  left  the  Old  Dominion  and  came  to  Illinois. 
Her  life  was  spent  quietly  under  the  home  roof, 
where  she  was  trained  to  all  useful  household 
duties,  nothing  of  any  great  importance  transpiring 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES, 


until  the  preparations  for  her  marriage.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fozzard  have  no  children,  but  a  cousin  of  Mrs. 
Fozzard,  Miss  Molly  Heard,  is  making  her  home 
with  them.  They  belong  to  the  Methodist  Church 
at  Ebenezer,  in  which  our  subject  officiates  as  Class- 
Leader.  In  politics,  he  uniformly  supports  the 
principles  of  the  Democractic  party. 


)  EN  JAM  IN  E.  KYRE  is  a  general  farmer 
and  stock-raiser,  and  is  located  on  section 
28,  township  15,  range  11.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  Ilolstein  cattle,  of  which  he  has 
a  very  fine  herd.  His  farm  is  particularly  adapted 
to  the  purposes  of  stock-raising,  it  being  well 
watered  and  otherwise  well  fitted  for  this  purpose. 
He  owns  215  acres  in  another  part  of  the  township, 
which  is  the  old  homestead  where  his  father  origin- 
ally settled  in  1843,  and  here  it  was  that  Benjamin 
first  saw  the  light  of  day  on  July  12th,  1844.  His 
boyhood  days  were  spent  here,  and  here  he  was 
was  educated.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Ann 
(Elliott)  Eyre,  who  were  natives  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  whose  parents  were  also  English. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  John  Eyre  commenced 
working  at  his  trade,  that  of  a  forger  of  iron,  and 
was  thus  engaged  in  his  native  shire  when  he  and 
his  family  turned  their  faces  toward  the  New 
World  and  in  search  of  better  times.  He  is  the 
only  member  of  his  father's  family  that  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  was  the  last  of  the  family. 
Four  of  his  children  were  born  in  England:  Alfred 
died  in  England,  and  Elizabeth  breathed  her  last 
on  the  Atlantic  Ocean  as  they  were  coming  to  this 
country,  and  was  buried  at  sea.  When  John  Eyre 
came  to  Morgan  County  with  his  wife  and  two 
children  he  purchased  120  acres  of  land  at  $13  per 
acre,  and  then  commenced  to  make  a  home,  and 
success  crowned  his  efforts.  Their  original  home- 
stead was  the  scene  of  their  labors  until  the  death 
of  Mr.  Eyre,  in  1876,  at  the  good  old  age  of  sev- 
enty-eight. He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and  was  a  Class- 
Leader.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican,  and 
took  great  interest  in  politics.  The  mother  of 
Benjamin  died  in  1872,  at  theZage  of  sixty-eight. 


469 


She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
left  behind  her  an  excellent  record. 

Benjamin  Eyre  is  the  only  child  of  his  father's 
family  born  in  this  country.  He  has  a  brother 
and  sister  living,  viz.:  Joseph  E.,  a  resident  of 
Sacramento,  Cal.,  who  went  there  in  1859,  and  is 
engaged  in  mining.  His  sister,  Mary  A.,  is  the 
wife  of  Clinton  S.  Campbell,  They  are  now  living 
in  Hancock  County,  111.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  developed  to  manhood  in  this  county,  and 
after  becoming  of  age  he  was  married,  at  Winches- 
ter, 111.,  Feb.  15,  1868,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Frame, 
who  is  a  native  of  Scott  County,  111.,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  and  Racliael  (Kelly)  Frame,  now  both 
deceased,  having  died  near  Winchester  on  their 
farm.  They  were  early  settlers  of  this  county,  and 
were  very  successful  in  life.  At  the  time  of  their 
death  they  had  a  family  of  seven  children,  one  son 
and  six  daughters.  Mrs.  Eyre  was  the  third  daugh- 
ter and  child  of  the  family,  and  in  Scott  County 
she  was  reared  to  maturity.  She  is  the  mother  of 
six  children,  all  of  whom  are  at  home:  M.Anna, 
Minnie  F.,  John  Walter,  Orpha  E.,  Frank  N.,  and 
Lc-Roy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eyre  are  active  and  influential 
members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  of 
which  organization  Mr.  Eyre  is  Steward,  and  polit- 
ically, he  believes  that  the  Republican  party  is 
right,  and  never  omits  an  opportunity  of  voting 
for  the  candidates  of  that  party.  He  is  a  man  well 
thought  of  in  his  community,  and  is  a  valuable 
citizen. 


RS.  NANCY  J.  CLARK  owns  and  suc- 
cessfully operates  a  farm  of  sixty-three 
-B  acres.  Her  father,  William  Eades,  was 
born  in  Morrison  County,  Ky.,  and  her 
grandfather,  Robert  Eades,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
State  of  Kentucky.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1812.  He  died  in  his  native  State  at  the 
age  of  eighty-eight  years. 

William  Eades,  father  of  Mrs.  Clark,  was  a  farmer 
of  Taylor  County,  Ky.,  where  he  owned  160  acres 
of  land.  lie  died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight 
years.  His  wife  was  named  Caroline  Bailey,  also  a 


If 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


names  are  recorded  as  follows:  Charles  C.  George 
E..  Mamie  1$.  and  Harry  E.  Mrs.  Henry  was  born 
in  Ilunterdon  County,  N.  J.,  March  28,  1845,  and 
received  her  education  in  the  Cedar  Falls  High 
School,  and  is  in  every  way  most  admirably  fitted 
to  occupy  a  high  position  in  society  without  in  any 
wise  detracting  from  those  domestic  virtues  which 
have  made  her  the  inspiration  of  her  home. 

Dr.  Henry  is  one  of  the  representative  citizens 
of  Jacksonville.  He  occupies  the  position  of  Di- 
rector of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  is  quite  a 
financier.  The  Masonic  fraternity  names  him  as 
one  of  its  worthy  and  esteemed  members.  He  is 
also  affiliated  with  the  State  Dental  Society.  In 
matters  political  he  is  heartily  in  accord  with  the 
platform  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  is  numbered 
among  the  active  working  members  of  the  same,  of 
which  he  has  continued  an  adherent  since  his  com- 
ing to  mature  years.  He  is  a  respected  member  of 
the  City  Council,  and  as  such  endeavors  to  serve 
faithfully  those  who  placed  him  in  that  position. 

After  studying  with  his  brother  for  several  years 
and  also  practicing  dentistry  for  a  considerable 
period  upon  his  own  account,  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  entered  the  College  of  Dental  Surgery  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  after  taking  the  regular  course 
of  instruction  he  was  graduated  in  the  year  1860, 
receiving  a  diploma  that  intimated  that  he  was  en- 
titled to  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S.,  with  every  privi- 
lege to  practice  as  such.  He  has  put  this  privilege 
to  the  best  use,  as  many  of  his  patrons  can  fully 
testify,  and  has  earned  and  received  not  simply  the 
resrard  and  confidence,  but  the  hearty  thanks  and 
gratitude  of  those  who  have  had  occasion  to  trust 
themselves  in  his  hands  and  employ  his  skill  in  their 
behalf. 


THOMAS  B.  FOZ/ARD.  General  farming 
and  stock-raising  has  been  the  occupation 
of  this  gentleman  for  some  years  past.  He 
is  one  of  the  younger  men  of  his  township,  but  has 
already  gained  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  its  most 
successful  agriculturists.  He  is  pleasantly  located 
on  section  36,  township  16,  range  11,  where  he  has 
a  well-tilled  farm  of  136  acres,  of  which  [he  has 
been  in  possession  since  the  spring  of  1884.  He 


removed  thither  from  Cass  County,  this  State, 
where  he  was  born  Jan.  21,  1851,  and  where 
he  spent  the  younger  years  of  his  life.  He  is 
the  son  of  English  parents,  his  father,  Thomas 
Fozzard,  having  been  by  birth  a  Yorkshire  man, 
and  of  pure  English  stock.  The  latter  was  a  weaver 
by  trade,  which  he  followed  a  few  years  after  com- 
ing to  the  United  States,  and  after  settling  in  Ill- 
inois, rode  on  horseback  eight  miles  to  and  from  his 
place  of  business  at  Virginia.  In  these  journeyings  • 
he  frequently  had  the  company  of  others  who  were 
s'niilarly  situated. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  married  in  his 
native  shire  to  Miss  Mary  Baresley,  who  was  born 
there  of  English  parents,  and  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  her  marriage.  After  the  birth 
of  two  children  Thomas  Fozzard  and  his  wife  set 
sail  for  the  United  States,  and  coming  to  Cass 
County,  this  State,  purchased  a  tract  of  land,  eight 
miles  from  Virginia,  where  they  built  up  a  good 
home,  and  where  the  mother  died  when  about 
fifty-two  years  old.  The  father  survived  his  wife 
many  years,  dying  July  5,  1880,  at  the  age  of 
seven ly^six.  They  were  honest,  hard-working  peo- 
ple, who  paid  their  just  debts  and  lived  at  peace 
with  their  neighbors. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  but 
two  of  eight  sons  and  one  daughter  born  to  his 
parents.  He  was  one  of  a  pair  of  twins,  and  lie 
spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  like  most  of  the  sons 
of  farmers  of  that  day — amid  the  wild  scenes 
of  pioneer  life — their  pleasures  being  simple  and 
few,  and  their  time  usually  employed  at  some  use- 
ful occupation.  Upon  reaching  man's  estate  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Beard.  This  lady 
was  born  in  Virginia  March  19,  1846,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Batis)  Beard,  the 
former  of  whom  died  in  Cass  County,  about  March 
9,  1881.  The  wife  and  mother  is  living,  and  is 
now  sixty-five  years  old.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church. 

Mrs.  Fozzard  was  among  the  elder  members  of  a 
large  family  of  children,  and  was  a  mere  child  when 
they  left  the  Old  Dominion  and  came  to  Illinois. 
Her  life  was  spent  quietly  under  the  home  roof, 
where  she  was  trained  to  all  useful  household 
duties,  nothing  of  any  great  importance  transpiring 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


469 


until  the  preparations  for  her  marriage.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fozzard  have  no  children,  but  a  cousin  of  Mrs. 
Fozzard,  Miss  Molly  Beard,  is  making  her  home 
with  them.  They  belong  to  the  Methodist  Church 
at  Ebenezer,  in  which  our  subject  otliciates  as  Class- 
Leader.  In  politics,  he  uniformly  supports  the 
principles  of  the  Democractie  party. 


BENJAMIN  E.  EYRE  is  a  general  farmer 
ij^  and  stock-raiser,  and  is  located  on  section 
28,  township  15,  range  11.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  Holsteiii  cattle,  of  which  he  has 
a  very  fine  herd.  His  farm  is  particularly  adapted 
to  the  purposes  of  stock-raising,  it  being  well 
watered  and  otherwise  well  fitted  for  this  purpose. 
He  owns  215  acres  in  another  part  of  the  township,- 
which  is  the  old  homestead  where  his  father  origin- 
ally settled  in  1843,  and  here  it  was  that  Benjamin 
first  saw  the  light  of  day  on  July  12th,  1844.  His 
boyhood  days  were  spent  here,  and  here  he  was 
was  educated.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Ann 
(Elliott)  Eyre,  who  were  natives  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  and  whose  parents  were  also  English. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  John  Eyre  commenced 
working  at  his  trade,  that  of  a  forger  of  iron,  and 
was  thus  engaged  in  his  native  shire  when  he  and 
his  family  turned  their  faces  toward  the  New 
World  and  in  search  of  better  times.  He  is  the 
only  member  of  his  father's  family  that  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  was  the  last  of  the  family. 
Four  of  his  children  were  born  in  England:  Alfred 
died  in  England,  and  Elizabeth  breathed  her  last 
on  the  Atlantic  Ocean  as  they  were  coming  to  this 
country,  and  was  buried  at  sea.  When  John  Evre 
came  to  Morgan  County  with  his  wife  and  two 
children  he  purchased  120  acres  of  land  at  $13  per 
acre,  and  then  commenced  to  make  a  home,  and 
success  crowned  his  efforts.  Their  original  home- 
stead was  the  scene  of  their  labors  until  the  death 
of  Mr.  Eyre,  in  187G,  at  the  good  old  age  of  sev- 
enty-eight. He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and  was  a  Class- 
Leader.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican,  and 
took  great  interest  in  politics.  The  mother  of 
Benjamin  died  in  1872,  at  the^age  of  sixty-eight. 


She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
left  behind  her  an  excellent  record. 

Benjamin  Eyre  is  the  only  child  of  his  father's 
family  born  in  this  country.  He  has  a  brother 
and  sister  living,  viz.:  Joseph  E.,  a  resident  of 
Sacramento,  Cal.,  who  went  there  in  1859,  and  is 
engaged  in  mining.  His  sister,  Mary  A.,  is  the 
wife  of  Clinton  S.  Campbell,  They  are  now  living 
in  Hancock  County,  111.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  developed  to  manhood  in  this  county,  and 
after  becoming  of  age  he  was  married,  at  Winches- 
ter, 111.,  Feb.  15,  1868,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Frame, 
who  is  a  native  of  Scott  County,  111.,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  and  Rachael  (Kelly)  Frame,  now  both 
deceased,  having  died  near  Winchester  on  their 
farm.  They  were  early  settlers  of  this  county,  and 
were  very  successful  in  life.  At  the  time  of  their 
death  they  had  a  family  of  seven  children,  one  son 
and  six  daughters.  Mrs.  Eyre  was  the  third  daugh- 
ter and  child  of  the  family,  and  in  Scott  County 
she  was  reared  to  maturity.  She  is  the  mother  of 
six  children,  all  of  whom  are  at  home:  M.  Anna, 
Minnie  F.,  John  Walter,  Orpha  E.,  Frank  N.,  and 
Le-Roy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eyre  are  active  and  influential 
members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  of 
which  organization  Mr.  Eyre  is  Steward,  and  polit- 
ically, lie  believes  that  the  Republican  party  is 
right,  and  never  omits  an  opportunity  of  voting 
for  the  candidates  of  that  party.  He  is  a  man  well 
thought  of  in  his  community,  and  is  a  valuable 
citizen. 


RS.  NANCY  J.  CLARK  owns  and  suc- 
cessfully operates  a  farm  of  sixty-three 
acres.  Her  father,  William  Eades,  was 
born  in  Morrison  County,  Ky.,  and  her 
grandfather,  Robert  Eades,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
State  of  Kentucky.  lie  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1812.  He  died  in  his  native  State  at  the 
age  of  eighty-eight  years. 

William  Eades,  father  of  Mrs.  Clark,  was  a  farmer 
of  Taylor  County,  Ky.,  where  he  owned  160  acres 
of  land.  He  died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight 
years.  His  wife  was  named  Caroline  Bailey,  also  a 


*•— 

470 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


native  of  Morrison  County,  Ivy.  The  latter,  after 
her  husband's  death,  resided  in  Scott  County,  and 
later  removed  to  Gentry  County,  Mo.,  where  she 
owned  an  eighty-acre  farm.  She  was  sixty-four 
years  old  when  she  died,  and  was  the  mother  of 
six  children — Nancy  J.,  Sarah  A.,  Martha  W., 
Uiichaet  C.,  William  T.,  and  Mary  E.  (deceased.) 

Nancy  J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
Taylor  County,  Ky.,  near  Morrisville.  She  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  and  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  years  she  came  to  Morgan  County,  111., 
whore  she  remained  until  her  marriage  in  1856. 
She  was  first  married  in  Morgan  County,  Dec.  3, 
KS56,  to  Mr.  Joseph  Peters,  whose  father,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  came  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day 
and  located  in  this  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  lie  served  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  died 
in  Scott  County.  Joseph  Peters  enlisted  in  Sep- 
tember, 1 862,  in  the  129th  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
was  mustered  in  at  Pontiac,  from  where  his  regi- 
ment was  sent  South.  He  participated  in  the  bat- 
tle at  Uesaca.  lie  was  shot  in  the  head  and  in- 
stantly killed,  May  15,  1864. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  operated  the  farm 
until  her  second  marriage,  which  occurred  June  3, 
1875,  to  Albert  Robinson,  who  was  born  in  Galla- 
tin  County,  111.,  in  1818,  and  was  the  son  of  Will- 
iam Robinson,  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  Albert 
Robinson  died  July  22,  1880,  again  leaving  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  a  widow.  She  was  married 
the  third  time,  to  Mr.  F.  A.  Clark,  April  8,  1885. 
lie  was  a  native  of  Scott  County,  and  was  born  in 
1834.  His  father,  George  W.Clark,  was  born  in 
Mechlenburg  County,  Va.,  June  19,  1797.  He  was 
a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  and  served  until  its 
close.  In  1829  he  came  to  Scott  County  and  lo- 
cated near  Winchester,  on  160  acres  of  land,  where 
lie  resided  until  1834.  He  removed  from  here  to 
Manchester,  where  he  engaged  in  fanning  until 
1852,  when  he  again  returned  to  Winchester,  and 
was  there  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  six  terms. 
Since  then  he  has  lived  retired,  with  his  son,  F.  A. 
Clark. 

F.  A.  Clark  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Scott 
County,  and  here  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith. 
He  followed  this  occupation  at  Winchester  until 
his  enlistment  in  the  army,  which  occurred  Sept.  8, 


1862.  He  joined  Company  D,  of  the  129th  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  on  Sept.  13  was  mustered  into  the 
service  at  Pontiac  as  a  private  soldier,  but  was  im- 
mediately detailed  on  detached  service  in  the  (Quar- 
termaster's department.  In  June,  1865,  he  received 
his  honorable  discharge  from  the  army,  at  Chicago, 
and  again  returned  to  his  old  occupation  of  a  black- 
smith, supplementing  this  business  with  dealing  in 
agricultural  implements — an  occupation  in  which 
he  continued  until  1886.  In  1854  he  was  first 
married  to  Miss  Malinda  J.  Williams,  at  Winches- 
ter. She  died  in  1883,  leaving  six  children — 
Ella  I).,  Emily  J.,  Francis  A.,  Edward  S.,  Bert  W. 
and  Maggie  M. 

By  Mrs.  Clark's  first  marriage  she  had  two  chil- 
dren— Harriet  and  John  N.  By  her  second  mar- 
riage she  became  the  mother  of  one  child — William 
H.  Robinson,  who  is  living  at  home.  Mrs.  Clark  is 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  was  one  of 
the  charter  members  of  that  organization  at  her 
place. 

Mr.  Clark,  political^,  is  an  enthusiastic  Repub- 
lican, as  is  his  aged  father,  and  as  a  neighbor  he 
possesses  those  characteristics  which  command  re- 
spect. He  and  his  wife  are  living  on  one  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  community,  and  are  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising.  They  also  take 
pride  in  breeding  fancy  poultry.  The  farm  is  dot- 
ted with  groves  and  fine  orchards,  which  contain 
apple  and  pear  trees  in  abundance,  and  on  the 
whole  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  ought  to  be  happy  in 
the  ownership  of  so  fine  a  home. 


[/AMES  MOODY,  a  well-knovvn  resident  of 
this  county,  and  who  is  now  deceased,  es- 

|  tablished  one  of  the  best  homesteads  within 
its  limits,  and  which  is  located  in  Township 
15,  range  12,  on  section  13,  Scott  County.  He 
first  purchased  eighty  acres  in  1866,  was  prospered 
in  his  labors  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  added  to  his 
possessions  until  lie  had  203  acres,  all  of  which  lie 
brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  Upon  it 
he  likewise  erected  substantial  modern  buildings, 
set  out  fruit  and  shade  trees,  together  with  a  fine 
apple  orchard,  and  gathered  around  his  family  all 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


=4 

471     i  . 


the  comforts  of  life.  After  making  for  himself  the 
record  of  an  honest  man  and  a  good  citizen,  he  de- 
parted hence,  July  3,  1887. 

Mrs.  Frances  E.  Moody,  the  widow  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  at  "Ham  Farm"  Pilton  Parish,  Som- 
ersetshire, England,  June  2,  1829,  and  when  an 
infant  of  three  months  was  taken  by  her  parents  to 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  South  Africa,  where  she 
lived  until  183G;  then,  a  child  of  seven  years,  she 
returned  to  England  witli  her  mother  (her  father 
having  died  at  Cape  of  Good  Hope),  and  remem- 
bers many  of. the  incidents  connected  with  the  cor- 
onation of  Queen  Victoria,  which  ensued  the  fol- 
lowing year.  She  attended  the  common  school, 
and  when  a  young  lady  of  twenty-two  years  estab- 
lished herself  in  partnership  with  her  sister  in  a 
millinery  and  fancy-goods  store  at  Yovel  in  Som- 
ersetshire, England,  in  which  they  were  greatly 
prospered,  and  gave  employment  to  ten  persons. 
She  was  married,  Sept.  29,  1857,  at  St.  John's 
Church  in  Shepton  Mallet,  Somersetshire. 

Mr.  Moody  was  born  at  ''Murry  farm"  Oct.  18, 
1830,  in  Huntspill  Parish,  Somersetshire,  England, 
where  he  was  reared  to  manhood  on  a  farm.  In 
1850  he  came  to  America,  and  making  his  way  to 
Illinois  engaged  in  farming  in  Morgan  County, 
until  1857.  He  then  returned  to  England,  where 
he  was  married,  and  in  November  following,  set 
sail  with  his  wife  for  America.  They  embarked  at 
Bristol  011  a  sailing  vessel,  the  "Osprey,"  which 
landed  them  in  New  York  City  after  a  voyage  of 
five  weeks  and  one  day.  Until  1859  they  lived  on 
a  farm  near  Jacksonville,  then  removed  to  Chari- 
ton  County,  Mo.,  where  Mr.  Moody  prosecuted 
farming  until  1862.  That  year  they  came  to  Scott 
County  on  account  of  the  war,  and  Mr.  Moody 
rented  a  part  of  the  land  which  comprises  the  pres- 
ent farm,  and  which  he  purchased  two  years  latc'r. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moody  there  were  born  four 
children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  a  daughter,  Martha 
E.,  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Richardson,  a  farmer  of 
M.-ieoupin  County;  William  R.  remains  at  the 
homestead  as  its  manager;  Clara  J.  is  the  wife  of 
H.  Perrett,  an  engineer  by  profession,  and  they 
are  located  in  Excelsior  Springs,  Mo. ;  Frances 
Emma  remains  witli  her  mother.  Mr.  Moody,  in 
religious  matters  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 


Church  at  Jacksonville,  and  politically  was  a  sound 
Democrat.  Further  than  officiating  as  School  Di- 
rector, and  on  various  juries,  he  did  not  mingle 
with  public  affairs. 

The  surroundings  of  Mrs.  Moody  are  attractive 
in  the  extreme,  the  residence  being  especially  beau- 
tiful, and  set  in  the  midst  of  well-kept  grounds. 
The  location  is  among  the  finest  in  the  township, 
and  its  natural  attractions  have  been  largely  added 
to  by  Mrs.  Moody,  who  is  a  lady  of  more  than 
ordinary  intelligence  and  cultivated  tastes,  with  a 
love  for  the  finer  things  of  life  and  everything 
tending  to  elevate  humanity.  She  was  especially 
happy  in  her  married  life,  and  holds  the  memory 
of  her  husband  as  among  her  most  sacred  posses- 
sions. She  retains  many  pleasant  recollections  of 
her  childhood  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  her 
later  life  in  England,  and  having  rare  conversa- 
tional powers,  is  enabled  to  relate  many  an  inter- 
esting tale  in  connection  therewith.  Her  home  is 
the  frequent  resort  of  the  refined  and  cultivated 
people  of  Scott  County,  among  whom  she  numbers 
many  warm  friends. 


PRANK  A.  HUBBERT.  In  the  career  of 
this  worthy  resident  of  Scott  County,  is 
illustrated  that  of  the  selfmade  man,  who 
commenced  life  without  other  resources  than  those 
which  lay  within  him,  and  by  a  course  of  industry 
and  prudence  has  secured  a  goodly  portion  of  the 
world's  belongings,  together  with  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  fellowmen.  He  owns  and  occu- 
pies one  of  the  best-regulated  farms  of  township 
15,  range  12,  located  on  section  20.  Here  he  has 
115  acres  of  land  with  a  good  residence,  a  good 
barn  and  the  other  buildings  necessary  for  his  com- 
fort and  convenience.  He  ranks  among  the  lead- 
ing German  citizens  of  his  community,  and  is  a 
man  whose  word  is  considered  as  good  as  his  bond. 
The  early  home  of  our  subject  was  in  what  was 
then  the  Kingdom  of  AVestphalia,  and  he  was  born 
April  7,  1829,  in  the  village  of  Ilolten.  In  com- 
mon with  the  youth  of  his  native  country,  he  re- 
ceived a  thorough  practical  education,  and  when 
leaving  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  began 


472 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


an  apprenticeship  at  the  blacksmith  trade,  and 
served  three  years.  Later  he  worked  as  a  journey- 
man, and  in  1849  was  drafted  into  the  German 
army,  and  was  employed  largely  around  fortifica- 
tions, and  the  building  of  bridges.  When  occasion 
required,  he  shouldered  the  weapons  of  war,  and 
fought  the  Danes,  engaging  in  several  regular  bat- 
tles in  Holstein,  Jutland  and  other  Provinces.  Af- 
ter serving  three  years,  he  resumed  blacksmithing 
in  his  native  Province,  where  he  lived  until  1854. 
Then  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  not  being 
satisfied  with  the  outlook,  he  determined  to  emi- 
grate to  America.  He  secured  passage  on  a  sail- 
ing-vessel, the  "New  Orleans,"  at  Bremen,  and 
after  a  voyage  of  115  days,  during  which  they  en- 
countered severe  storms,  landed  in  New  Oilcans, 
and  engaged  two  months  at  blacksmithing. 

Our  subject  next  made  his  way  to  this  county, 
and  in  Jacksonville  put  up  a  shop  which  he  con- 
ducted one  year.  He  then  removed  to  New  Ber- 
lin, and  next  to  Exeter,  where  he  remained,  how- 
ever, only  four  months.  We  next  find  him  at 
Murray ville,  where  he  put  up  a  shop  and  remained 
four  years.  His  health  now  failing,  he  concluded 
to  change  his  occupation  and  purchased  seventy- 
five  acres  of  land  which  is  included  in  his  present 
homestead.  Later  he  added  to  it  until  he  had  115 
acres.  The  cultivation  and  improvement  of  this 
involved  a  great  amount  of  labor,  but  he  has  now 
all  but  five  acres  in  fertile  condition.  lie  built 
fences,  put  up  a  house  and  barn,  and  gradually 
added  the  other  improvements  naturally  suggested 
to  the  enterprising  and  progressive  farmer.  His 
land  is  watered  by  Mauvaistcrre  Creek.  In  addi- 
tion to  general  agriculture,  he  raises  grain  and 
stock,  making  a  specialty  of  fine  cattle  and  Poland- 
China  swine.  He  employs  two  teams  of  horses  on 
the  farm,  which  is  now  the  source  of  a  comfortable 
income.  The  secret  of  his  success  has  been  good 
management  at  farm  work,  and  following  up  the 
rule  of  living  within  his  income. 

Mr.  Hubbert  was  married  in  Jacksonville,  Jan. 
8,  I860,  to  Miss  Mary  Stumborg,  who  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  and  they  are  now  the  parents 
of  six  children,  of  whom,  however,  but  three  are 
living.  Johanna,  Clara,  and  Henry.  The  deceased 
i  are  Mary,  Louis,  and  Annie.  Johanna  is  the  wife 
I  


of  George  H.  Vannier,  a  fanner  of  Nebraska,  near 
Milford,  Sewarrl  County;  the  other  two  are  at  home 
with  their  parents.  Mr.  Hubbert,  politically,  is 
an  uncompromising  Democrat,  and  for  years  has 
been  a  School  Director  in  his  district,  also  Road 
Supervisor,  and  has  served  on  the  Grand  Jury. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  Henry  Hubbert, 
also  a  native  of  Westphalia  and  a  general  merchant. 
He  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  native  land,  and  died 
in  1853.  He  belonged  to  the  Catholic  Church. 
The  mother's  maiden  name  was  Anna  Lewi;,  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  Province  as  her  husband,  and  who 
also  died  there.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  viz.:  Sophia,  Eliza,  Clara,  Anna;  John 
(deceased),  Bernard,  Frank,  our  subject,  and  Henry. 


M-IOMAS  MCALLISTER,  a  prominent  Irish- 
American  citizen  of  Morgan  County,  is  a 
native  of  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  was 
born  Nov.  1,  1828.  lie  was  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Annie  (Garden)  McAllister,  both  natives  of  the 
North  of  Ireland.  His  father  was  of  Scotch  origin, 
while  his  mother  was  of  Irish  descent.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  country,  where  he  learned 
thoroughly  to  be  a  farmer.  He  here  received  a 
fair  education,  and  having  been  a  constant  reader 
all  his  life,  he  has  become  what  may  be  called  a 
fairly  posted,  well  educated  man.  He  emigrated 
to  America  in  the  summer  of  1848,  taking  passage 
at  Belfast,  from  which  place  he  proceeded  to  Liver- 
pool, and  from  there  sailed  for  America  in  the  ship 
"I'riel,"  and  after  a  voyage  of  nine  weeks  and 
three  days,  landed  in  New  Orleans,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  weeks,  being  afflicted  with  a  bad 
case  of  small-pox,  which  disease  was  contracted  on 
the  vessel.  For  many  days  his  life  was  despaired 
of  but  he  finally  recovered  his  health. 

Mr.  McAllister's  first  impressions  of  America,  as 
viewed  from  a  sick  bed,  where  he  la}'  afflicted  with 
one  of  the  most  loathsome  diseases  known,  were  not 
likely  to  inspire  him  with  hope,  and  favorable  opin- 
ions of  his  adopted  land.  But  he  was  not  built  of  the 
stuff  that  is  easily  turned  aside  by  discouragement. 
After  his  recovery,  he  boarded  a  steamboat  at  New 
Orleans  and  came  to  Beardstown,  111.,  where  he 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


473 


secured  a  position  of  attending  a  warehouse,  a 
place  lie  retained  for  three  years.  He  was  after- 
ward engaged  for  a  short  time  in  driving  a  team 
for  a  merchant  at  Chandlersville,  111.  He  was  also 
in  the  employ  of  another  merchant  for  about  one 
year  in  the  same  town. 

On  Jan.  5,  1854,  Mr.  McAllister  was  married  to 
Miss  Hannah  Needliam,  by  whom  he  has  eleven 
children.  Seven  of  these  are  living,  as  follows: 
Robert,  is  a  resident  of  Cass  County,  111.  Ann 
married  Joseph  Horom,  of  Logan  County,  111.; 
Mary  is  the  wife  of  T.  Masterson,  of  Cass  Count}', 
111.;  Alice  is  now  Mrs.  Sibert  and  resides  in  this 
county;  Joseph,  Thomas  B.  and  Emma  are  living 
at  home.  For  a  long  time  Mr.  McAllister  rented 
a  place,  but  as  his  financial  condition  improved,  he 
bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of  land  near  Hickory 
school-house,  in  Cass  County,  111.,  and  settled 
thereon.  He  lived  there  several  years,  when  he 
sold  out  and  bought  a  quarter  section  where  he  now 
lives.  Later  lie  purchased  160  acres  more,  which 
in  all  makes  him  a  farm  of  a  half  section.  This 
place  is  under  excellent  cultivation,  and  being  of 
the  average  Meredosia  bottom  land,  it  is  neccessa- 
rily  very  fertile.  His  half  section  of  land  has  cost 
him  121,300. 

By  good  management,  strict  attention  to  busi- 
ness and  probity  of  character,  Mr.  McAllister  has 
surmounted  all  the  obstacles  that  a  poor  man  lias 
to  encounter  in  a  comparatively  new  country,  and 
has  risen  to  the  top.  He  is  a  representative  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  and  is  considered  an  authority 
in  these  vocations.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  has  served  as  School  Director  in  Cass  County 
for  many  years.  He  is  identified  with  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church,  as  is  also  his  wife. 
They  take  great  comfort  in  their  church  relations, 
and  are  never  happier  than  when  doing  some  act  of 
charity.  Mr.  McAllister  has  a  very  extended  ac- 
uuaintance  in  this  county,  and  is  favorably  known 
as  being  a  man  of  sound  judgment.  He  is  proud 
of  the  fact  that  the  first  President  for  whom  he 
voted  was  Franklin  Pierce. 

Mrs.  McAllister  is  a  native  of  England,  and  was 
born  April  27,  1834.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Machel  (deceased)  Needh.im.  When  but  a 
small  girl  she  came  with  her  parents  to  America, 


and  settled  in  Jacksonville  in  an  early  day,  where 
her  father  attained  prominence  as  a  well-to-do 
farmer.  Her  father  now  lives  in  Cass  County,  III. 
In  closing  this  brief  sketch  it  should  be  stated  that 
there  is  probably  not  a  more  popular  couple  living 
in  Morgan  County  than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McAllister, 
and  they  are  so  by  reason  of  merit. 


E.  GOODHEAD,  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Weekly  Transcript,  at  Frank- 
lin, was  born  in  the  Territory  of  Dakota, 
Mfiy  5,  1856.  His  father,  Joseph  Goodhead,  was  a 
native  of  Vienna,  Austria,  and  a  man  of  finished 
education.  He  went  through  a  preparatory  course, 
and  was  designed  for  the  priesthood,  but  abandoned 
that  idea.  He  was  the  master  of  eight  languages, 
and  could  speak  and  write  them  fluently.  He  came 
to  America  in  1848,  and  lived  in  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
for  a  short  time,  and  from  there  removed  to  Cedar 
Rapids,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  twenty  acres  of 
land  which  is  now  in  the  business  portion  of  that 
city.  He  was  married  in  Milwaukee  in  1851,  to 
Elizabeth  Auersould,  a  native  of  Bohemia. 

Mrs.  Goodhead's  parents  resided  in  Milwaukee, 
where  her  father  died.  Her  mother  is  still  living  in 
that  city.  Joseph  Goodhead,  the  father  of  George, 
was  the  father  of  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  living — Annie,  Clara,  Fannie,  Fred,  Estella, 
Lillie,  and  George  E.  Annie  is  unmarried,  and  is 
living  in  Westport,  Jackson  Co.,  Mo.;  Clara  mar- 
ried Otto  Lytle,  who  is  a  conductor  on  the  cable 
line  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  they  have  two  children. 
Fannie  married  P.  H.  Cooper,  an  engineer  at  Griggs- 
ville,  111.;  they  have  one  child.  Fred  is  unmar- 
ried, and  lives  in  Westport;  he  is  an  employe  on 
the  cable  line  in  Kansas  City.  Estella,  and  Lillie 
are  single,  and  their  residence  is  in  Wesport;  they 
are  engaged  in  clerking  in  a  dry-goods  house  in 
Kansas  City. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  married  Mamie  LaRue, 
who  is  of  French  descent.  Her  parents  reside  at 
Perry,  111.,  where  her  father  Thomas  R.  La  Rue,  is 
engaged  in  the  blacksmithing  business.  Her  mother 
was  Margaret  Williams,  of  Kentucky.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  LaRue  are  the  parents  of  five  children:  Gil- 


'  '    474 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


lie,  Lizzie,  Arretta,  John,  and  the  wife  of  Mr.  Good- 
head. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodhead  have  two  children  liv- 
ing: George  Emmet,  and  Retta.  The  subject  of 
this  article  commenced  his  career  a  poor  boy.  He 
went  to  school  for  six  years,  after  which  he  was  en- 
gaged for  three  years  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store. 
He  then  began  to  work  in  a  printing  office  at  Griggs- 
ville,  but  remained  there  but  a  short  time,  remov- 
ing to  Milton,  111.,  where  he  labored  five  winters. 
He  then  started  business  on  his  own  account  at 
Perry,  111.,  in  1880.  At  the  end  of  two  years  and 
a  half,  all  of  his  effects  were  destroyed  by  fire  leav- 
ing him  with  the  munificent  capital  of  thirty-five 
cents.  His  pluck  and  stubborn  persistence  came  to 
his  aid,  and  at  the  end  of  ten  days  he  was  in  pos- 
session of  an  entire  new  outfit,  ready  for  business 
which  he  successfully  prosecuted  for  two  years  and 
a  half,  when  in  June  1880  he  removed  to  Franklin, 
opened  an  office,  and  has  remained  here  since.  lie 
is  in  possession  of  a  nice  home,  and  a  good  patron- 
age. He  does  a  general  printing  business,  and  is 
doing  well.  He  prints  585  copies  of  the  Weekly 
Transcript,  besides  a  large  amount  of  job  work. 
Mr.  Goodhead  is  a  Democrat  of  independent  pro- 
clivities. 


HOMAS  THOMPSON,  a  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Alexander,  is  living  with  his  fam- 
ily in  one  of  its  most  comfortable,  and  cosy 
homes.  He  is  of  pure  Scottisli  ancestry.  1 1  is  father, 
also  named  Thomas,  removed  from  Scotland,  our 
subject's  birthplace,  to  Ireland  with  his  family, 
when  our  subject  was  a  mere  child.  His  mother, 
Catherine  Thompson,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
after  her  return  to  her  native  country,  she  did  not 
survive  many  years,  both  she  and  the  father 
dying,  leaving  the  little  Thomas  to  the  care  of  his 
elder  sisters,  Eliza  and  Anna,  who  brought  him  to 
the  United  States  when  he  was  seven  years  old. 
They  landed  in  this  country  the  fall  of  the  year 
that  Polk  was  elected  to  the  Presidency,  and  for 
several  years  made  their  home  in  Philadelphia.  Our 
subject  was  reared  and  educated  in  that  cit3r,  and 
was  set  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  weaver,  and  later  to 
ain  a  knowledge  of  the  art  of  printing.  About 


1852,  in  the  prime  of  early  manhood,  and  well- 
equipped  to  make  his  way  successfully  in  the  world, 
he  ambitiously  resolved  to  try  life  in  the  Great 
West.  Polk  County,  Mo.,  was  his  destination,  and 
there  one  of  the  most  important  events  of  his  life 
took  place,  for  in  that  State  he  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth J.,  daughter  of  William  and  Martha  Edwards, 
the  ceremony  that  made  them  one,  being  performed 
in  June,  1854.  They  began  their  happy  wedded 
life  in  Polk  County,  and  continued  to  reside  there 
until  May,  1864,  when  they  recrossed  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  and  came  to  Franklin,  this  county.  In 
the  month  of  December,  18CG,  they  removed  to 
Alexander,  and  still  make  their  home  there. 

Mrs.  Thompson  is  derived  from  Southern  an- 
cestry. Her  paternal  grandfather,  John  Edwards, 
was  a  native  of  South  Carolina.  In  early  manhood 
he  went  to  Nelson  County,  Ind.,  and  there  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Theophilus  Bass.  They  lived 
in  the  Hoosier  State  until  quite  a  large  family  was 
growing  up  around  them,  and  then  they  removed 
to  Mulenburg  County,  Ky.,  where  Mr.  Edwards  be- 
came a  large  plantation  owner,  having  large  tracts 
of  land,  and  a  great  many  slaves,  and  raising  a 
great  deal  of  cotton.  He  and  his  wife  passed  their 
last  days  in  their  Kentucky  home.  Mrs.  Thompson 
remembers  well  the  many  noted  spots  on  Boone's 
reservation  connected  with  the  name  of  the  great 
frontiersman,  and  her  mother  lias  often  told  her  of 
the  trials  that  the  early  pioneers  of  Kentucky  had 
to  endure  far  from  the  centres  of  civilization,  where 
there  were  no  mills  for  bolted  Hour,  and  other  things 
that  are  DOW  almost  considered  necessaries  were  then 
unprocurable  luxuries. 

Of  the  eight  children  horn  to  our  subject  and  his 
estimable  wife,  three  are  still  living,  namely:  John 
M.,  William,  Eugenia,  the  latter  the  wife  of  John 
B.  Corrington,  (of  whom  see  sketch  on  another  page 
of  this  volume.)  Four  of  the  other  children  died  in 
infancy.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  spnred 
neither  pains  or  monej-  in  educating  their  sons  and 
daughters;  Eugenia  and  Emma  were  both  graduated 
from  the  Methodist  College  at  Jacksonville.  Their 
wedded  life  has  been  overshadowed  by  the  death  of 
their  daughter  Emma,  which  occurred  March  1-2. 
1880.  She  was  thrown  from  a  horse  that  she  rude 
to  and  from  school,  and  received  injuries  from 


T 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


475     '  > 


which  she  suffered  nearly  a  year  before  her  weary 
spirit  was  released,  and  she  entered  the  life  im- 
mortal, for  which  she  was  so  well  fitted.  She  was 
accomplished  and  talented,  a  fine  musician,  and  had 
received  a  superior  education.  For  four  "years  she 
had  been  teaching  school  very  successfully. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  are  people  of  sterling 
worth,  sincere  Christians,  and  valued  members,  re- 
spectively, of  the  Episcopal  and  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Churches. 


FREDERICK  WISE  is  a  veteran  of  two  wars, 
and  was  born  in  Middletown,  Snyder 
County,  Pa.,  May  20,  1826.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  very  young,  after  which  Mr. 
Wise  was  reared  by  a  man  named  George  Rents- 
chler.  When  he  was  ten  years  old  he  came  to  this 
State,  reaching  here  in  the  fall  of  1837.  He  made 
the  entire  journey  driving  a  one-horse  wagon.  He 
located  in  Morgan  County,  still  continuing  work 
for  his  guardian  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old. 
Up  to  this  lime  he  had  no  educational  advantages 
so  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  went  to  Jacksonville  to 
attend  school,  after  which  he  made  an  attempt  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  tailor,  but  abandoned  that  and 
engaged  in  a  printing  office  for  a  short  time,  but 
found  this  occupation  too  sedentary.  He  then  re- 
sumed work  011  a  farm  until  1843,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Pennsylvania,  and  remained  there  about, 
one  year  working  at  cabinet  work.  In  the  spring 
of  1844  he  came  back  to  Morgan  County,  and  went 
to  work  on  a  farm,  a  business  for  which  he  was 
specially  adapted.  In  the  meantime,  he  attended 
school  until  the  Mexican  War  broke  out,  in  1847. 
lie  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  from  Illinois,  and  was 
transferred  to  St.  Louis,  thence  to  Mexico  via  the 
Mississippi,  Gulf  and  Rio  Grande  to  Monterey 
where  he  was  mustered  in  Company  G,  16th  Regu- 
lar United  States  Infantry.  He  joined  the  army 
at  Monterey  where  his  regiment  remained  for  some 
time  doing  guard  duty.  From  here  the  regiment 
\v;is  sent  to  New  Orleans,  thence  to  Newport,  Ky., 
where  it  was  mustered  out  in  June,  1848.  He  saw 
no  active  service.  The  war  being  over  Mr.  Wise 
engaged  in  various  pursuits.  After  one  year  of 


working  in  this  manner  he  engaged  in  the  carpen- 
ter business,  which  lie  followed  for  six  years,  and 
being  a  natural  mechanic  he  made  a  success  at  his 
last  venture,  particularly  as  a  contractor  and  builder. 
In  1856  he  built  a  store  in  Concord,  Morgan 
County,  and  then  went  into  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  which  he  was  engaged  for  two  years.  The 
financial  disasters  of  1857  came  very  near  taking 
him  down  financially,  but  he  rallied,  and  then  went 
into  the  confectionery  business  at  the  same  place. 
In  1862,  and  on  the  10th  day  of  August,  Mr. 
Wise  enlisted  in  the  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
was  mustered  in  at  Jacksonville.  On  the  20th  of 
the  same  month  his  regiment  went  South.  He  en- 
listed as  a  Sergeant,  but  Gov.  Yates  tendered  him 
a  captain's  commission,  which  he  promptly  declined, 
saying  that  he  enlisted  as  a  sergeant,  and  wanted 
no  higher  office.  His  regiment  was  engaged  in 
doing  guard  duty  at  various  places  until  the  battle 
of  Holly  Springs,  Miss.,  which  occurred  Dee.  20, 

1862,  where   he  and  most  of  the    regiment   were 
taken   prisoners    by  Van  Dorn.     They   were  after- 
ward   paroled  and  sent  to  Memphis,   from  which 
place  they  went  to  St.  Louis,  remaining  there  seven 
months  before  they  were  exchanged.     The  regi- 
ment then  joined   the   main  army  at  New  Madrid, 
Mo.,  and  assisted   in   building  a  fort,  which  occu- 
pied two  weeks.     While  here  Mr.  Wise   predicted 
that  Vicksburg  would  surrender  on  July  4,  which 
prediction   was  verified.     This  was  in  the  year  of 

1863.  From  New   Madrid   the   regiment  went  to 
Clayton,  Ky.,  and  from  that  pjace  was  ordered  to 
skirmish  in   the  surrounding  country,  and    filially 
the   regiment   came  to  Union   City.     At    Clayton 
Mr.  Wise  was  taken  ill  with  rheumatism  and  other 
diseases,   which   caused  him  to   seek  the  hospital, 
where  he   remained    until   January,  1864,  and  not 
being  able  to  walk  he  was  given  a  furlough  to  visit 
home.     During  his  furlough  he  reported    at  Jack- 
sonville, and   from   there  was  sent  to  the  general 
hospital  at  Quincy,  111.,  where  in  the  fall  of  1864 
lie    was   honorably    discharged    after  serving    his 
country  well  for  two  years  and  three  months. 

After  the  war  was  over  he  started  a  confection- 
ery store  in  Concord,  not  being  able  to  do  manual 
labor.  In  this  business  he  was  moderately  suc- 
cessful. A  few  years  later  he  rented  a  little  farm, 


476 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


and  in  1877  he  purchased  the  place  on  which  he 
now  lives.  The  farm  at  the  time  of  the  purchase 
had  most  of  the  present  improvements.  Mr.  Wise 
has  succeeded  in  cultivating  a  greater  portion  of 
the  place,  and  among  other  good  things  on  the 
farm,  he  has  a  fine  orchard  and  a  good  vineyard. 
The  place  comprises  160  acres.  He  raises  grain 
and  stock,  and  does  a  general  farming  business, 
and  is  considered  one  of  the  solid  farmers  of  his 
precinct.  The  St.  Louis  branch  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  runs  through  his 
farm. 

Mr.  Wise  married  in  1856  Miss  Mary  A.  Hailey, 
a  native  of  Tennessee.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
James  and  Sarah  Hailey,  old  settlers  of  Morgan 
County.  She  died  March  10,  1867,  leaving  five 
children:  William  H.,  Mary  A.,  Sadie,  Katie  A. 
and  Martha  (now  deceased).  William  H.  is  mar- 
ried as  is  also  Mary  A.  Sadie  and  Katie  are  at 
home,  the  latter  is  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools. 
The  family  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Mr.  Wise  takes  great  pride  in  gardening  and 
fruit  raising.  His  garden  is  kept  in  a  nice  man- 
ner, and  excels  all  others  in  appearance.  His 
small  fruits  and  grapes  are  particularly  fine.  Mr. 
Wise  is  a  man  of  good  sound  judgment,  and  is 
truly  a  self-made  man,  and  he  exhibits  pardonable 
pride  in  the  fact  that  lie  served  his  country  in  two 
wars.  The  hardships  which  he  endured  while  in 
the  army  are  now  apparent  in  his  halting  step  and 
snow-white  hair.  The  country  owes  to  such  as  he 
a  great  debt.  Mr.  Wise  politically  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. 


RS.  MILLIA  FUNK,  one  of  the  very  old- 
est settlers  of  Scott  County,  and  one  of 
that  class  of  people,  the  pioneer  mother, 
that  deserves  the  highest  praise,  was  born 
in  Roane  County,  Tenn.,  on  the  1  1th  of  March 
1811. 

Her  father,  Michael  Hassler  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania as  was  also  her  grandfather,  whose  name 
was  likewise  Michael.  The  Hasslers  were  of  Ger- 
man descent  and  a  prominent  family.  Mrs.  Funk's 
father  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  when  at  the  age  of 


twenty-five,  years  be  emigrated  to  Tennessee  where 
he  was  one  of  the  early  settlers.  He  learned  the 
business  of  a  millwright,  and  in  consequence  erected 
mills  and  operated  them.  He  was  also  largely  inter- 
ested in  cotton-gins  and  presses,  and  owned  300 
acres  of  land.  He  died  in  Tennessee  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three  years,  leaving  a  widow  whose 
maiden  name  was  Agnes  Scarborough,  who  was  a 
native  of  Tennessee  and  of  Scotch  descent.  She 
was  eighty  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  death,  and 
was  the  mother  of  twelve  children:  Polly,  William, 
Jane,  Millia,  Mahala,  Dicey.  Nancy,  Simeon,  Lyd- 
ia,  Michael,  Amanda  and  Caroline. 

Mrs.  Funk  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  a 
common  school  education.  Early  in  life  she  learned 
to  weave  and  spin,  which  in  those  days  were  con- 
sidered accomplishments.  She  was  married  in  Ten- 
nessee on  Nov.  30,  1830,  to  Jacob  Funk,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  having  been  born  in  the  beau- 
tiful Slienandoah  Valley,  in  Sept.  1808.  His  fa- 
ther, Samuel  Funk  was  born  in  Germany,  but  when 
a  young  man  came  to  America  and  located  in  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  engaged  in  farming,  afterwards  lo- 
cating in  Tennessee,  where  he  remained  until  1831 
when  he  removed  to  Scott  County  and  engaged  in 
rope-making.  He  died  in  1836,  aged  seventy  years. 
His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Cordclle,  a 
native  of  Virginia.  She  died  in  Scott  County. 

Mr.  Funk,  the  husband  of  the  one  whose  name 
appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch,  came  to  Scott 
County  in  the  fall  of  1830,  and  rented  land  for 
three  years  on  Plum  Creek,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Lynnville  remaining  there  fouryears.  In  about 
1839  he  purchased  200  acres  of  improved  land, 
whicli  he  sold  in  1864,  and  bought  the  place  upon 
which  his  widow  now  lives,  where  he  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising.  Ilis  farm  was 
a  model  of  perfect  cultivation  and  well  improved. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Funk  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children:  Butler,  William,  Marion,  Amanda,  I'uris, 
Sarah  A.,  Letitia,  Nimrod,  Luke,  Simeon,  John,  and 
Ellen.  William  was  in  the  21st  Illinois  Infantry 
under  Grant,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Stone 
River.  He  was  captured  and  sent  to  Anderson- 
ville  Prison  where  he  died.  Nimrod  was  in  Com- 
pany F.  145th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  served  three 
months.  Marion  is  farming  in  Sangamon  County, 


f 

r 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


477 


111.;  Amanda  married  William  Smith;  Luke  mar- 
ried Amanda  Todd,  and  is  farming  on  the  old  home- 
stead. Simeon  is  a  farmer  of  Scott  County ;  John 
is  attending  college  at  Upper  Alton ;  Ellen  married 
D.  Mills,  a  farmer  in  Exeter. 

Mrs.  Funk  has  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church  for  fifty  years,  and  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  same  church  organization  of  which  her  hus- 
band was  a  deacon  for  thirty  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Funk  had  together  grown  up  with  this  country 
and  witnessed  its  wonderful  development.  Mr. 
Funk  was  considered  a  model  man  and  farmer,  and 
when  he  died  his  neighborhood  lost  a  good  man. 
His  death  took  place  March  27,  1886. 


I  FORGE  R.  FOX,  who  is  a  native  of  Morgan 
County,  111.,  is  a  representative  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  of  Bethel  Precinct,  and  is  also 
a  practical  engineer.  _  He  owns  and  operates  a 
first-class  traction  engine  and  threshing  machine. 
He  operated  one  among  the  first  steam  threshers  in 
this  section.  In  the  winter  season  he  makes  the 
engine  stationary,  and  grinds  feed  for  his  stock 
and  that  of  his  neighbors.  He  was  born  July  12, 
1845,  and  was  a  son  of  John  II.  and  Maria  (Ream) 
Fox,  the  father  being  a  native  of  England,  and  the 
mother  of  Germany. 

John  II.  Fox  came  to  America  while  yet  a  young 
man.  nnd  for  a  time  lived  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
lie  believed  that  the  cities  were  over  crowded  and 
that  the  Government  had  an  abundance  of  land  so 
that  it  could  give  everybody  a  farm  for  a  nominal 
price,  and  so  thinking,  he  came  to  Morgan  County, 
accompanied  by  his  father  and  mother,  where 
plenty  of  land  was  found  and  very  cheap.  These 
people  were  what  may  truly  be  called  pioneers  of 
Morgan  County.  The  grandfather  of  George  R. 
Fox  was  the  original  settler  on  the  farm  now  occu- 
cupied  by  his  grandson.  John  II.  Fox  and  wife 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  ten  of  whom 
are  living:  George  R.;  John  II.,  who  is  now  resid- 
ing in  Kansas;  The  Rev.  Richard  E.,  of  the  Metho- 
dist Protestant  Church ;  Martha  was  the  wife,  of 
Thomas  Whorten,  and  is  now  deceased;  Adda  is 
now  the  widow  of  Edgar  Culver,  and  resides  in 


Kingman,  Kan.;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Steven- 
son, and  lives  in  Bozeman,  Mont.;  Stella  is  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  John  Green,  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church;  Amanda  is  now  Mrs. 
Herbert  Green,  of  Gibson,  Ford  Co.,  III.;  Thomas, 
James  Z.  and  Jabez  M.  are  residents  of  Morgan 
County.  The  Fox  family  is  an  old  and  respectable 
one,  and  highly  thought  of. 

John  H.  Fox,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  very 
prominent  in  his  party.  He  died  in  February, 
1863,  and  his  wife  followed  in  July  of  the  same 
year.  During  the  war,  in  1863,  he  visited  Holly 
Springs,  Miss.,  prior  to  its  capture,  and  was  there 
visiting  his  son,  John  H.,  aged  sixteen,  who  was 
Drum-Major  of  the  101st  Illinois  Regiment.  He 
was  lying  sick  in  the  hospital.  Mr.  Fox  camped  with 
the  regiment  and  was  captured  with  them,  but  was 
soon  after  paroled,  and  then  started  on  his  road 
home,  dying  at  his  sister's,  Mrs.  Martha  French, 
within  a  mile  of  his  own  home.  He  was  an  earnest 
member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  and 
had  served  in  many  important  offices  in  the  or- 
ganization, and  in  Sunday-school  work  he  was  es- 
pecially zealous.  He  was  one  of  those  solid,  sub- 
stantial men,  whose  imprint  is  plainly  seen  in  his 
posterity.  The  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  church  in 
Bethel,  and  was  a  man  widely  known  through  this 
part  of  the  country.  There  is  probably  not  a  pio- 
neer in  Western  Illinois  who  has  not  heard  of  him, 
and  favorably  too. 

At  the  time  of  the  death  of  the  parents  the  eldest 
child  was  George  R.,  and  he  was  about  eighteen 
years  of  age.  There  were  eleven  children,  and 
what  is  quite  remarkable,  they  lived  together  in 
perfect  harmony  at  the  old  homestead  until  they 
all  married  off  except  two  brothers — Thomas  E. 
and  Jabez  M. — who  are  still  single.  The  brothers 
and  sisters  lived  in  love  and  harmony  together  all 
these  years,  and  assisted  in  educating  one  another, 
and  it  is  no  flattery  to  say  that  they  are  a  family  of 
much  more  than  ordinary  attainments. 

The  brothers  and  sisters  cheerfully  accord  the 
highest  praise  to  the  wife  of  George  R.,  who  came 
at  the  early  age  of  seventeen,  to  take  charge  of  the 
old  home,  which  by  her  charms  and  graces  she  has 

•» 


478 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


assisted  in  making  pleasant  and  in  a  measure  filled 
the  part  of  a  mother  to  the  younger  children.  The 
family  are  all  natural  musicians,  even  to  the  grand- 
father and  father,  who  were  the  first  teachers  of 
music  in  this  county.  Their  extraordinary  love 
for  music  is  probably  one  of  the  causes  which  con- 
tributed in  a  large  measure  toward  holding  the 
children  together  after  the  death  of  their  parents. 
George  It's,  second  son  is  regarded  as  somewhat  of 
a  musical  prodigy. 

George  R.  Fox  was  reared  to  manhood  sur- 
rounded by  the  scenes  of  pioneer  life,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  early  district  schools  that  years 
ago  existed  in  Illinois.  He  had  the  advantage  of 
being  trained  by  conscientious  parents,  who  did 
nothing  except  for  the  good  of  their  children. 
They  were  of  that  self-denying  class  of  people  of 
whom  but  few  are  seen  in  these  latter  days.  But 
the  school  advantages  of  the  pioneer  days  are  not 
to  be  compared  with  those  of  modern  times.  Then 
books  were  scarce  and  costly,  now  they  are  plenty 
and  cheap;  then  the  houses  in  which  children 
were  taught  were  of  the  most  primitive  kind 
and  devoid  of  comfort,  now  the  school  build- 
ings are  models  of  elegance  and  comfort;  then 
ignorance  and  the  rod  ruled,  now  intelligence  and 
love.  So  it  can  be  easily  seen  that  the  child  of 
to-day  is  fortunate  in  the  manner  of  his  securing 
an  education.  Mr.  Fox  is  an  omniverous  reader, 
and  conseqently  keeps  well  posted  upon  current 
events.  His  parents  having  died  while  he  was  yet 
young,  and  being  .the  oldest  of  the  family  left,  the 
most  of  the  care  of  the  younger  children  devolved 
upon  him. 

Mr.  Fox  married  Miss  Maggie  Biggers,  a  native 
of  Washington  County,  Ky.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  Richard  and  Nannie  (Adams)  Biggers.  They  re- 
moved to  Scott  County  when  Mrs.  Fox  was  only 
twelve  years  old.  and  settled  in  Winchester,  111., 
subsequently  moving  to  Chapin.  The  mother  died 
in  May.  1873.  Her  father  is  now  living  in  Chapin. 
She  is  the  mother  of  four  children,  three  of  whom 
are  living:  Freddie  B.,  Richard  E.,  and  Walter  R. 
Edgar  is  deceased.  Mr.  Fox  owns  104  acres  of 
well-improved  land,  and  the  buildings  thereon  are 
all  new,  having  been  built  in  1886,  and  are  said  to 
be  the  finest  in  Bethel  Precinct.  Politically,  Mr. 


Fox  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as  School 
Director  for  a  number  of  years.  Himself  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Joy 
Prairie.  Fie  is  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school  at  Chapin,  connected  with  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  and  takes  a  great  interest  in  its 
success.  He  has  been  Superintendent  of  that  Sun- 
day-school for  a  period  of  fourteen  years,  and  his 
efficient  work  has  done  much  to  hold  it  together  and 
make  it  one  of  the  best  Sabbath-schools  in  the 
county. 

—  J  -  ---  5— 


EILERS,  one  of  the  younger  far- 
mersof  Morgan  County,  is  a  self-reliant  and 
energetic  man  who  was  obliged  to  assume 
the  responsibilities  of  life  at  an  early  period 
existence.  This  experience,  however,  far 
from  detracting  from  his  character  and  acquire- 
ments, proved  undoubtedly  the  best  school  in  which 
he  could  have  been  taught.  He  is  now  in  a  pros- 
perous condition  and  operating  a  well  regulated 
farm  of  120  acres  on  section  23,  township  16, 
range  12. 

Mr.  Eilers  was  born  in  this  county  May  30,  1855, 
and  his  only  education  was  acquired  in  the  district 
school  of  his  native  township.  His  father  being  in 
poor  health  Henry,  when  a  boj7  of  fourteen,  as- 
sumed the  responsibilities  of  carrying  on  the  farm. 
Prior  to  this,  however,  he  had  labored  as  far  as 
his  strength  would  permit,  following  the  plow  when 
a  lad  of  eight  years.  He  lived  at  the  homestead 
until  approaching  the  thirty-first  year  of  his  age, 
and  was  then  married,  Jan  14,  1886,  to  Miss  Xan- 
nie  Bryant.  She  is  the  daughter  of  David  M.  and 
Mary  E.  (Wright)  Bryant.  The  father  is  an  old 
resident  of  Concord.  The  mother  died  May  15. 
1889.  Of  tliis  union  there  have  been  born  two 
children,  Edna  May,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  Eilers.  politically,  gives  his  support  to  the 
Republican  party,  but  with  the  exception  of  serv- 
ing as  Road  Supervisor,  has  taken  very  little  part  in 
public  affairs.  In  religious  matters,  he  is  a  Pres- 
byterian, while  his  estimable  wife  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  parents  of  our  subject,  Henry  B.  and  Jo- 
hanna (Tholan)  Eilers,  were  natives  of   Germany. 


t 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


479 


The  father  departed  this  life  April  11,  1881,  and 
the  mother  was  subsequently  married  to  Thomas 
Bowen,  and  now  lives  in  Jacksonville.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Eilers  came  to  the  United  States  in  their 
youth  and  prior  to  their  marriage,  which  took  place 
in  this  county.  They  settled  near  the  present  farm 
of  their  son  and  became  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  following  survive,  viz:  Henry, 
our  subject,  Mary,  the  wife  of  Charles  Dahman,  of 
Kansas:  Rickey,  a  resident  of  this  township;  Haley, 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Bowen,  of  Concord  Precinct; 
Emma;  Edward  lives  with  Henry,  and  Frederick  is 
in  Kansas. 

Henry  B.  Eilers  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers 
of  this  county  and  became  one  of  its  most  prosper- 
ous men.  He  had  no  capital  when  lie  settled  here 
but  in  due  time  had  accumulated  property  to  the 
amount  of  400  acres  of  land,  which  with  its  build- 
ings and  appurtenances  comprise  a  very  valuable 
estate.  He  was  a  man  entirely  respected  in  his 
conminunity  and  a  member  in  good  standing  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 


— Vs- 


AMES  Z.  FOX  is  a  native  of  Morgan  County 
III.,  and  was  born  March  3,  1855.  The 
younger  generation  of  farmers  that  have 
succeeded  the  pioneeers,  are  of  the  energetic 
temperament,  that  makes  a  prosperous  community. 
They  have  seen  and  known  of  the  hardships  through 
which  their  fathers  went  and  have  profited  thereby. 
James  'A.  Fox  is  the  son  of  John  II.  and  Maria 
Fox,  pioneers  of  this  county,  of  whom  further 
mention  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  George  II.  Fox. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  education 
at  the  district  school,  and  that  he  improved  his 
opportunities,  can  be  verified  by  conversing  with 
him.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  went  to  live 
with  his  uncle,  Samuel  French,  at  Chapiii,  and 
while  with  him  attended  school  for  several  winters, 
and  when  about  twenty  years  of  age  he  attended 
the  preparatory  course  for  one  year  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  he  was 
anxiously  in  pursuit  of  knowledge,  and  as  a  further 
means  of  gaining  an  education,  he  taught  five  terms 
uf  school,  three  terms  of  which  were  in  the  Cha- 


pin  schools.  Mr.  Fox  has  decided  musical  talents 
which  it  is  a  pleasure  for  him  to  develop.  He 
has  for  a  number  of  years,  been  actively  engaged  in 
musical  matters,  in  fact  he  has  devoted  pretty  much 
all  of  his  later  years  to  that  art.  He  is  an  accom- 
plished musician,  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
teachers  of  music  in  his  section  of  the  country. 
Mr.  Fox  is  what  may  be  called  an  all-around  musi- 
cian, and  is  especially  a  skilled  violinist.  He  has 
trained  and  formed  three  orchestras  out  of  country 
bo3's  in  his  neighborhood — one  of  which  is  com- 
prised in  the  Fox  family. 

Our  subject  was  married,  Sept.  28,  1887,  to  Bessie 
Burnham,  of  Chapin.  He  owns  sixty-five  acres  of 
good  land  and  is  meeting  with  fair  success  in  the 
cultivation  thereof.  Politically,  Mr.  Fox  is  a  Re- 
publican leaning  toward  the  Prohibitionists.  lie 
is  not  an  office  seeker,  and  is  in  favor  of  the  best 
men  for  places  of  trust.  He  is  public  spirited,  and 
approved  of  any  measures  that  will  forward  the 
interests  of  his  town.  As  a  man,  lie  is  affable  and 
entertaining,  and  possesses  generous  impulses  that 
have  won  for  him  the  respect  of  the  whole  com- 
munity, and  being  a  worthy  scion  of  one  of  the 
prominent  pioneers  of  this  county,  it  is  easy  to  pre- 
dict for  him  a  promising  future.  His  amiable  wife 
is  also  an  accomplished  musician,  and  both  take  an 
active  part  in  the  society  of  their  locality.  He  and 
his  wife  are  both  members  of  the  Protestant  Meth- 
odist Church.  He  has  recently  been  very  success- 
fully and  extensively  engaged  in  de-horning  cattle. 
During  this  year  he  has  been  engaged  in  reading 
medicine,  and  has  made  his  arrangements  to  enter 
as  a  student  in  September,  1889,  Hush  Medical  Col- 
lege at  Chicago,  with  the  view  of  preparing  himself 
for  the  practice  of  medicine. 


eALVIN    ORE.     A    very  pretty  picture    is 
formed  by  the  homestead  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,   which   is  finely  located  on  sec- 
tion   10,  township  16,  range  11,  and  comprises  160 
acres  of  well  developed  land.   It  is  adapted  to  both 
grain   and   stock-raising,  especially  the  latter,  and 
from  its  fertile  soil  its  proprietor  has  for  a  number 
of  years  realized  a  handsome  income.     He  struck 


f 


480 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


the  first  blow  toward  its  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment, and  the  structure  which  he  then  occupied  is 
now  a  part  of  the  pleasant  domicile  which  forms 
the  home  of  the  family,  and  is  one  of  the  most  at- 
tractive resorts  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Ore  .first  came  to  Illinois  in  1852,  although 
he  did  not  settle  on  his  present  farm  until  two  years 
later,  and  he  did  not  become  sole  owner  until  1856. 
He  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Tenn.,  Nov.  8, 
1834,  and  is  the  only  son  of  Nelson  and  Anna 
(Smith)  Ore,  who  were  natives  of  East  Tennessee, 
and  came  of  excellent  families.  The  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subiect  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  War 
of  1812,  and  died  in  East  Tennessee  at  the  advanced 
Age  of  ninety  years.  His  grandmother's  name 
was  Nancy  Nance.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  the  daughter  of  William  Smith,  who  also  car- 
ried a  musket  during  the  war  above  mentioned, 
and  who,  like  his  compeer,  Grandfather  Ore,  also 
attained  to  the  age  of  ninety  years,  and  died  in 
Tennessee.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Grand- 
mother Smith  also  lived  to  be  nearly  ninety  years 
old,  as  also  did  Grandmother  Ore.  Both  families 
seem  to  have  been  noted  for  longevity. 

Nelson  Ore,  after  his  marriage  settled  down  on  a 
farm  in  Jefferson  County,  Tenn.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  after  the  birth  of  four  children,  three 
daughters  and  our  subject.  The  father  met  his 
death  by  drowning  in  the  Holsen  River  when  mid- 
dle aged,  and  when  Calvin,  of  our  sketch,  was  about 
five  years  of  age.  The  mother  w.as  subsequently 
married  to  Thomas  Dyer,  aud  both  she  and  Mr. 
Dyer  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  Jeffer- 
son County.  The  mother  was  fifty-eight  years  old 
at  the  time  of  her  death,  and  Mr.  Dyer  was  her 
senior  by  man}'  years. 

Our  subject  remained  at  home  with  his  mother 
and  step-father  until  eighteen  years  old,  and  then 
starting  out  for  himself,  made  his  way  to  this 
county  on  foot  the  whole  distance.  His  first  busi- 
ness after  his  arrival  here  was  to  secure  employ- 
ment, and  lie  worked  as  a  farm  laborer  until  in  a 
condition  to  establish  a  home  of  his  own.  He  was 
married,  in  the  township  where  he  now  lives,  in 
October,  1855,  to  Miss  Rhoda  A.  Dyer,  who  was 
born  in  Granger  County,  Tenn.,  Ja.n.  20,  1839. 
Her  parents  were  William  A.  and  Margaret  (Bridge- 


man)  Dyer,  also  natives  of  East  Tennessee,  and  the 
father  a  general  mechanic,  working  in  both  wood  and 
iron.  Both  her  maternal  and  paternal  grandfathers 
were  in  the  War  of  1812  and  aided  in  freeing  their 
country  from  the  despotic  tyranny  of  England.  Her 
grandmothers  both  lived  to  th'e  advanced  age  of 
eighty-three  years. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Ore,  after  their  marriage, 
lived  in  Tennessee  until  after  the  birth  of  three 
children,  of  which  Mrs.  Ore  was  the  youngest. 
When  she  was  about  ten  months  old  they  all  came 
to  Illinois  and  finally  settled  on  a  farm  in  township 
16,  range  11,  where  the  wife  and  mother  died  on 
the  12  of  January,  1878,  after  having  reached 
nearly  her  threescore  and  ten  years.  Mr.  Dyer  is 
still  living  in  this  county,  and  is  now  eighty-three 
years  old.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  united 
with  the  Old  School  Baptist  Church  many  years 
ago. 

Mrs.  Ore  was  the  third  in  a  family  of  twelve 
children,  and  was  reared  to  womanhood  under  the 
parental  roof.  Of  her  union  with  our  subject,  there 
have  been  born  seven  children,  three  of  whom  are 
deceased.  One  child  died  unnamed,  and  Ann  E. 
and  Vilena  died  in  early  childhood.  Margaret  A.. 
the  eldest  daughter  living,  is  the  wife  of  William 
Gilmore,  a  resident  of  Cowley  County,  Kan.  ;  John 
C.  also  lives  there  with  his  sister;  William  Robert 
remains  at  home  and  assists  in  operating  the  farm; 
T.  Nelson  is  the  youngest  of  the  family.  Mr.  Ore, 
politically,  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  They 
are  widely  and  favorably  known  in  this  county, 
and  are  numbered  among  its  most  substantial  and 
praiseworthy  people. 


ON.  J.  E.  WRIGHT  may  usually  be  found 
at  his  homestead  on  section  8,  township  13, 
range  10,  where  he  has  lived  many  years, 
and  has  become  well-known  to  the  people  of 
this  region.  He  is  a  native  of  Morgan  County,  and 
born  July  1  1,  1812.  His  parents  were  John  W.  and 
Eli/a  Wright,  the  father  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and 
the  mother  of  Kentucky.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
John  Wright,  settled  on  section  it,  township  13, 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTTES. 


481 


range  10,  at  an  early  day,  but  finally  removed  to 
Murray ville,  where  he  died  in  the  eighty-sixth 
year  of  his  age.  It  is  believed  that  lie  came  to  this 
section  as  early  as  1828.  His  son,  John  W.,  was 
then  a  young  man,  and  Wright  Precinct  was  named 
in  honor  of  the  father. 

Capt.  Wright,  as  he  is  familiarly  called,  since  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War  has  been  largely  interested 
in  live  stock,  lie  received  a  practical  education  in 
the  common  schools,  necessarily  somewhat  limited, 
but  has  kept  himself  thoroughly  informed  in  regard 
to  passing  events,  and  is  naturally  adapted  to 
business  pursuits.  He  was  first  married  to  Miss 
Maria  Wilson,  and  there  were  born  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living — Minnie  O.,  Mattie  and 
Charles  J. 

After  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  our  subject, 
Aug.  1,  18(>1,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  G, 
1st  Missouri  Cavalry,  which  was  assigned  to  the 
Western  Army,  and  was  mostly  under  command  of 
Gen.  Curtis.  A  year  later  Mr.  Wright  was  pro- 
moted to  Corporal,  later  to  Sergeant,  and  served  as 
a  scout  more  or  less,  while  he  also  fought  the  guer- 
rillas in  Missouri.  He  met  the  rebels  in  the  battle 
of  Pea  Ridge  and  at  the  charge  of  Sugar  Creek,  his 
company  being  at  the  front  in  the  latter  place.  Later 
he  participated  in  other  engagements,  and  after  the 
close  of  the  war  received  his  honorable  discharge. 
In  the  meantime  lie  had  returned  to  this  county  and 
organized  a  company  of  infantry,  Company  E,  in 
the  spring  of  1865,  consisting  of  about  100  men, 
and  which  became  a  portion  of  the  58th  consoli- 
dated infantry.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the 
IGth  Army  Corps,  under  command  of  Gen.  A.  J. 
Smith,  and  served  mostly  in  Alabama,  being  pres- 
ent at  the  surrender  of  Mobile. 

Upon  the  organization  of  this  company  Mr. 
Wright  was  elected  First  Lieutenant,  but  the  Cap- 
tain being  called  away  on  detached  duty,  Lieut. 
Wright  was  obliged  to  assume  command  of  the 
company,  lie  did  not  leave  the  army  until  the  last 
of  April,  18GC.  Then  returning  to  this  county  he 
once  more  turned  his  attention  to  rural  pursuits, 
and  has  now  a  well-regulated  farm  of  240  acres, 
which  yields  him  a  handsome  income.  In  the 
meantime  he  has  interested  himself  in  political 
affairs,  and  in  November,  1886,  was  elected  to  the 


Lower  House  of  the  Illinois  Legislature  for  the 
term  of  two  years.  Prior  to  this,  in  1875,  he  was 
the  candidate  of  his  party  for  the  office  of  Sheriff, 
his  opponent  being  Irvin  Dunlap,  of  Jacksonville. 
Socially,  he  belongs  to  Watson  Post  No.  420, 
G.  A.  R.,  at  Murrayville,  and  was  installed  as  its 
first  Commander  after  the  organization,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  holds.  He  is  a  pronounced  Republi- 
can, politically.  He  believes  in  strict  economy, 
which  at  times  approaches  the  verge  of  what  some 
people  would  term  penuriousness,  although  his  in- 
tegrity in  business  cannot  be  questioned,  and  he 
enjo3"S  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


DWARD  E.  GOFF.  This  young  man  is 
quietly  pursuing  his  calling  as  a  practical 
farmer,  in  township  16,  where  he  possesses 
a  good  farm,  which  he  is  constantly  improving,  and 
he  has  excellent  prospects  of  attaining  an  honorable 
success  in  his  chosen  vocation.  He  is  a  native  of 
Illinois,  born  July  25,  1857,  in  Menard  County, 
where  he  was  reared  and  educated,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  years  spent  in  Jacksonville,  where 
he  attended  school.  He  is  a  son  of  Murray  E.  and 
Lina  (Greenwood)  Goff,  natives  of  Green  County, 
K}'.,  the  father  born  in  1818,  and  who  came  to 
Menard  County,  this  State,  with  their  respective 
parents  when  they  were  children.  They  were  there 
married,  and  in  their  pleasant  home  the  following 
children  were  born  to  them:  John,  a  soldier  in  the 
late  war,  died  in  the  service  at  Paducah.  Ky.; 
Mary  married  Thomas  Dowell,  and  died  in  Noda- 
way  County,  Mo.,  leaving  a  family;  Jennie,  now 
Mrs.  F.  J.  Ship,  lives  in  Petersburg,  III.;  Harney 
W.  lives  in  Menard  County;  William  A.  lives  in 
Montana;  Mathew  L.  is  a  Baptist  minister,  in 
Piano,  III.;  Augustus  R.  is  practicing  dentistry  in 
in  Washington,  Washington  Co.,  Kan.;  Edward  is 
our  subject;  Ida  F.  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Hall,  of  Chi- 
cago; David  A.  lives  in  Petersburg,  111.;  Vickey 
died  at  the  age  of  seven  years.  The  beloved 
wife  and  mother  departed  this  life  July  4,  1879. 
The  father  later  married  Miss  Lizzie  Inven,  and 
and  they  have  one  son,  Harry.  They  now  make 
their  home  in  Petersburg. 


f 


482 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Edward  Golf,  of  this  brief  life  sketch,  early  en- 
tered upon  his  career  as  a  farmer,  and  his  farm  of 
eighty  acres  compares  favorably  with  others  in  the 
neighborhood  in  all  points.  In  the  establishment 
of  a  pleasant  home  that  is  a  cozy,  comfortable  re- 
treat after  a  hard  day's  labor,  and  an  attraction  to 
numerous  friends,  lie  has  had  the  cheerful  co-opera- 
tion of  one  who  is  the  best  of  wives,  and  the  .most 
tender  of  mothers  to  the  children  that  have  blessed 
their  union.  Her  maiden  name  was  Mary  E. 
Owens,  a  daughter  of  William  C.  Owens,  of  whom 
see  sketch,  and  their  marriage  was  solemnized  in 
the  spring  of  1879.  They  have  had  three  children 
—William  M.,  Rolla  J.,  and  an  infant,  of  whom  two 
survive. 

Mr.  Goff  is  well  educated,  and  possesses  sufficient 
force  of  character  and  steadiness  of  purpose  to 
make  him  a  reliable,  trustworthy  citizen  and  neigh- 
bor, and  he  is  so  regarded  by  his  fellow-citizens. 


Vl/OHN  SCHOFIELD.  Worthy  among  the 
citizens  of  Scott  County,  who,  though  not 
its  earliest  settlers,  may  claim  the  distinction 
of  being  classed  among  its  pioneers,  as  they 
have  developed  fine  farms  from  prairies  that  thirty 
or  more  years  ago  were  wild  and  uncultivated, 
stands  the  subject  of  this  brief  life-record,  whom 
we  are  pleased  to  represent  in  this  BIOGRAPHICAL 
ALBUM.  By  thrift  and  good  management  he  has 
accumulated  a  competence  that  enables  him  and 
his  estimable  wife  to  pass  their  declining  years  in 
the  plenty  and  comfort  of  a  cosy  home.  His  farm, 
now  comprising  240  acres  of  arable,  highly  pro- 
ductive land,  finety  located  in  Winchester  Town- 
ship, is  well  provided  with  substantial  buildings 
and  everything  needful  for  carrying  on  agriculture 
successfully.  Mr.  Schofield  also  owns  160  acres  of 
fine  farming  land  in  Stafford  County,  Kan. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  England  in  the  early 
part  of  this  century,  being  the  youngest  of  the  four 
children  in  the  family  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Whee- 
ler) Schofleld,  natives,  respectively,  of  Morley, 
Yorkshire,  and  London,  England.  The  father  was 
a  non-commissioned  officer  in  the  British  army,  and 
died  in  1813,  while  yet  in  the  prime  of  life.  John 


received  a  very  limited  education,  and  at  an  early 
age  was  bound  out  to  a  distant  relative  of  his-father, 
with  whom  he  stayed  until  he  was  nineteen,  em- 
ployed mostly  in  working  on  a  farm.  He  then 
bought  a  loom  and  began  the  business  of  weaving 
broadcloth,  and  was  profitably  engaged  at  that  the 
ensuing  three  years.  His  next  venture  was  to  open 
a  general  store,  and  he  also  managed  that  very  suc- 
cessfully, building  up  a  good  paying  trade,  and  car- 
rying it  on  until  he  came  to  America,  marrying  in 
the  meantime  and  establishing  a  home.  Although  he 
was  doing  well  our  subject  wanted  to  do  better  and 
decided  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the  United  States,  and 
in  1848  he  came  here,  accompanied  by  his  family, 
and  landed  in  New  York  about  the  time  of  the  re- 
turn of  Gen.  Scott  from  the  Mexican  War,  and  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  conquering  hero.  As 
soon  as  he  could  our  subject  started  for  the  West, 
and  in  Lynnville,  111.,  engaged  to  work  on  a  farm 
for  Jeremiah  Hurd,  a  countryman  of  his,  stayed 
with  him  three  months  and  then  returned  to  the 
village  of  Lynnville,  and  purchasing  a  house  and 
lot,  rented  some  land  and  engaged  in  farming  for 
himself.  In  1857  he  bought  his  present  homestead, 
or  eighty  acres  of  it,  built  a  house  and  began  clear- 
ing the  land.  He  had  but  few  neighbors  here  then 
and  some  of  them  were  rough  and  lawless.  He  has 
been  very  much  prospered  in  his  undertakings,  as 
we  have  seen  in  the  opening  paragraph  of  this  bio- 
graphical review  of  his  life.  We  will  now  devote 
a  few  lines  to  his  domestic  life. 

Our  subject  has  been  twice  married.  The  first 
time  in  1833,  in  Morley,  England,  to  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  John  C.  and  Rebecca  Westerman,  of 
that  place.  This  wife  of  his  early  manhood  did  not 
long  survive  her  transplantation  to  American  soil, 
but  died  in  1849,  a  year  after  leaving  the  old  En- 
glish home.  The  three  children  who  were  born  of 
that  marriage  are  all  now  dead.  Mr.  Schofield  was 
married  to  his  present  wife  in  1851,  and  six  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them,  four  of  whom  are 
living:  Walter,  the  eldest,  a  resident  of  Morgan 
County,  was  born  Feb.  13,  1855,  and  he  married 
Eliza,  daughter  of  David  Tuke,  of  Morgan  County  ; 
Edward,  who  resides  in  Morgan  County,  was  born 
May  23,  1857,  married  Fanny  Tuke,  and  they  have 
three  children;  George,  living  in  Morgan  County, 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


483 


was  born  Sept.  27,  1858,  married  Eliza  Scliofielil, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Schofleld,  of 
Morgan  County,  and  they  have  three  children; 
Fletcher,  born  Dec.  13,  1862,  is  unmarried,  and 
lives  at  home  with  his  parents. 

Our  subject  comes  of  a  stalwart,  long-lived  fam- 
ily, his  maternal  grandfather  living  to  be  one  hun- 
dred and  three  years  old,  and  is  himself  enjoying 
good  mental  and  physical  health,  although  four- 
score years  have  whitened  his  head,  and  he  bids  fair 
to  reach  the  century  mark.  He  has  never  been  sick 
but  once,  when  he  had  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever, 
and  has  never  known  what  a  headache  is.  Mrs. 
Schofield  is  also  gifted  with  a  fine  constitution,  al- 
though she  has  not  been  entirely  free  from  sickness, 
and  is  now  in  robust  health  and  very  active  for 
one  of  her  years.  Mr.  Schofield  has  a  cheerful, 
genial  disposition,  that  neither  time  nor  trial  has 
soured,  and  he  has  many  warm  and  close  friend- 
ships in  this  community,  where  so  much  of  his  life 
has  been  passed.  He  is  kind  and  considerate  in  his 
dealings  with  others,  and  does  all  that  he  can  to 
aid  the  needy  and  unfortunate.  He  has  devoted 
himself  so  closely  to  his  calling  as  to  have  but  lit- 
tle time  for  public  life,  excepting  that  he  has 
served  as  School  Director  and  Road  Overseer.  He 
pays  but  little  attention  to  politics,  but  at  the  polls 
votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  Although  not  con- 
nected with  any  church  he  is  religiously  inclined, 
believes  in  God  and  the  Bible,  and  tries  to  do  his 
whole  duty.  Mrs.  Schofield  is  a  devoted  and  ex- 
emplary member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


f 


'  WATERS  was  born  at  Elkt<>n, 
Todd  Co.,  Ky.,  Nov.  13,  1821,  and  died  at 
Winchester,  this  State,  May  30,  1888.  When 
Edson  11.  was  but  six  or  seven  years  of  age  his 
parents  emigrated  from  Kentucky  to  Manchester, 
St.  Louis  Co.,  Mo.,  where  the  father  died  the  fol- 
lowing year. 

The  widowed  mother  removed  to  St.  Louis  City, 
and  there  reared  her  little  family,  acquitting  her- 
self in  the  great  responsibility  as  only  a  true  Chris- 
tian mother  can.  She  surmounted  all  the  diffi- 
culties incident  to  one  who  was  left  without  any 


resources,  and  her  children  are  living  examples  of 
I  he  fact  that  she  did  nobly.  Edson  learned  the 
trade  of  a  blacksmith  and  wheelwright,  and  thereto 
gave  the  rest  of  his  busy  life.  He  came  to  Win- 
chester in  1847,  bringing  with  him  his  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Martha  Shiblej,  and  to  whom  he 
was  married  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Here  he  reared  his 
family  and  prosecuted  faithfully  his  chosen  avo- 
cation, accumulating  thereat  a  handsome  compe- 
tency. He  was  known  and  respected  as  an  honest 
man  and  a  consistent  Christian,  being  always  mind- 
ful of  his  obligation  to  God  and  to  man.  His  devo- 
tion to  his  family  was  proverbial,  and  the  church 
to  which  he  belonged,  the  Methodist  Episcopal, 
had  upon  its  rolls  no  man  who  was  more  devoted 
to  its  tenets.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Winchester,  and  was 
ever  found  ready  to  do  his  part  in  charitable 
works.  In  fact,  there  are  not  any  of  the  duties  of 
good  citizenship  in  which  Mr.  Waters  was  delin- 
quent. In  the  death  of  such  a  man  the  world  sus- 
tains a  great  loss. 

His  widow  survives  him,  and  is  now  living  at 
Winchester,  and  at  the  time  of  the  writing  of  tin's 
sketch  (1889)  is  about  fifty -seven  years  of  age.  Of 
her  children  the  following  is  believed  to  be  a  cor- 
rect record:  William  Howard  is  the  successor  in 
his  father's  business;  Eliza  Jane  is  the  widow  of 
A.  J.  Hoover;  Mary  K.  is  the  wife  of  E.  G.  Reyn- 
olds, now  of  Pueblo,  Col.;  John  T.  is  a  coal  opera- 
tor at  Moberly,  Mo.,  and  is  married;  Edson  R.,  Jr., 
is  in  business  in  Winchester;  Marthelia  died  in  in- 
fancy; Charles  F.  also  died  while  very  young;  Ada 
Virginia  is  the  wife  of  William  A.  Wells,  a  dealer 
in  livestock  at  Winchester;  Harry  Moreland  died 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years;  Emma  Nevada  is  a 
young  lady,  now  ill  Colorado,  and  Forrest  Rippey 
is  a  cigar  manufacturer. 

Edson  R.,  Jr.,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for 
much  of  the  foreg'oing  information,  is  one  of 
the  married  sons  of  the  family.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools,  and  has  been  in  act- 
ive business,  which  he  has  prosecuted  successfully, 
ever  since  arriving  to  man's  estate.  His  character- 
istics are  that  of  a  promising  business  man,  and,  it 
is  safe  to  predict,  that  his  name  will  be  placed 
high  on  the  roll  of  men  who  make  a  prosperous 


484 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


community.  About  eight  years  of  the  life  of  Ed- 
son  R.,  Jr.,  were  spent  in  Missouri  and  Kansas,  and 
he  lias  been  in  business  in  Winchester  since  1884. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Julia  Burns  .Ian.  19,  1887, 
and  a  bright  baby  boy  in  the  household  bears  the 
euphoneous  name  of  Russell. 


AMUEL  McCUBLEY  is  a  native  of  Mor- 
gan County,  111.,  and  was  born  on  the  3d 
of  September,  1829,  and  has  resided  here 
since  his  birth.  His  father,  Ezekiel  Mc- 
Curlcy,  was  a  native  of  Alabama,  and  was  born 
in  1815.  He  was  united  in  marriage  with  Jane 
Criswell,  of  the  same  State,  whose  parents  came  to 
Morgan  County  in  an  earl}'  day.  Ezekiel  McCur- 
ley  first  settled  here  in  1827,  but  returned  to  Ala- 
bama the  same  fall,  and,  in  company  with  his 
father  and  mother,  returned  the  following  spring, 
and  settled  on  Government  land.  Their  lirst  pur- 
chase was  eighty  acres,  but,  by  additions  in  later 
years,  the  farm  was  increased  to  900  acres.  At  the 
time  of  the  senior  McCurley's  death,  which  occur- 
red April  13,  1835,  the  homestead  comprised  200 
acres  of  land.  Mrs.  McCurley  his  wife,  and  mother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  died  Oct.  15,  1883. 
She  was  the  mother  of  eleven  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living:  William  M.,  Julia,  Emeline,  Mar- 
garet, Susan,  Mary  E.,  and  Samuel.  William  M. 
married  Telitha  Davidson,  of  Macoupin  County. 
The}'  are  now  living  in  Morgan  County,  and  have 
seven  children :  Amanda,  Alice,  John.  Ella,  Ezekiel 
H.,  Mary  E.,  and  Rue.  Julia  married  John  C. 
Spires,  a  farmer  now  residing  in  Cherokee,  Kan. 
The  result  of  this  union  was  the  birth  of  five  chil- 
dren: Francis,  Albert,  Amanda,  Susie,  and  Nellie. 
Emeline  married  Garrett  Seymour,  a  farmer  now 
living  in  Nebraska.  Margaret  married  James  D. 
Henry,  of  Morgan  County.  They  are  the  parents 
of  eight  children:  George,  William,  Peyton,  Gussie, 
Carrie,  Gertrude,  Eva,  and  Ernest.  Susan  was 
married  twice.  Her  first  husband  was  G.  W. 
Henry,  by  whom  she  had  two  children — Sylvia 
and  Ethel.  Her  second  husband  is  Thomas  Mac- 
Lamar,  of  Ohio;  he  is  the  father  of  one  child, 


Olin.  Mary  E.  married  Henry  Seymour,  of  Mor- 
gan County;  they  have  three  children:  Eflie,  Lulu, 
and  Dora. 

Samuel  McCurley  was  married  twice.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  first  wife  was  Elizabeth  Sey- 
mour, who  was  born  in  March,  1854,  and  by  whom 
lie  has  one  child  living,  James  P.  James  married 
Clarinda  Moore,  and  is  farming  in  Morgan  County. 
Mary  Mooreland  was  the  name  of  his  second  wife. 
Her  parents  came  from  Columbiana,  Ohio,  in  1852. 
She  is  the  mother  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living:  Nancy  J.,  Lavina.  Julia  A..  Caroline, 
William  E.,  and  Agnes.  The  names  of  those  de- 
ceased are  Mary,  George  E.,  and  Emma.  Nancy 
J.  married  Lucien  Haynes,  of  this  county,  and  is 
the  mother  of  two  children — Birdie  and  Stella. 
Lavina  A.  married  George  Nichols;  they  are  now 
residing  in  Greene  County,  111.,  and  are  the  parents 
of  six  children:  Leonard  B.,  Ella,  John,  Olive, 
Orrin,  and  Albert  (deceased).  Julia  A.  married 
Thomas  E.  Storey,  a  farmer  of  this  county,  and  is 
the  mother  of  one  child,  Elmer.  Caroline  married 
Edward  Radford,  a  farmer  of  Morgan  County. 

Samuel  McCurley  now  owns  a  farm  of  300  acres 
of  the  average  Illinois  prairie  land,  than  which 
there  is  none  better  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  His 
farm  is  a  model  in  every  respect,  and  the  owner 
takes  especial  pride  in  exhibiting  his  stock  and  the 
products  of  his  farm.  While  he  had  a  fair  start  in 
life,  it  goes  without  saying  that  he  has  made  the 
most  of  his  resources. 

Mr.  McCurley  is  one  of  the  three  original  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church  in  this  locality,  which 
the  entire  family  attend.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and,  politically,  is  a  Democrat. 


E.  BAILEY  was  born  near  Bradfordsville, 
Marion  County,  Ky.,  April  20,  1831.  Mr. 
Bailey  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  received  his 
education  in  the  common-schools.  His  fath- 
er kept  him  at  home  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old, 
when  he  hired  him  out  to  work  on  the  turnpike 
road  in  Kentucky.  He  continued  this  business  for 
seven  years,  when  he  removed  to  Lewis  County, 
Mo.,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  remained  there 


t 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


485 


three  years,  when  in  1860,  he  removed  to  Morgan 
County,  111.,  and  worked  on  a  railroad  section  for 
one  year.  At  the  first  call  for  troops  by  President 
Lincoln,  he  resi>onded  by  enlisting  on  April  16, 
1861,  in  the  10th  Illinois  Infantry  and  was  mus- 
tered in  at  Jacksonville,  whence  he  was  sent  to 
Carlo.  Here  he  assisted  in  hauling  down  a  rebel 
flag.  He  was  mustered  out  at  Cairo,  after  three 
months'  service,  and  returned  home  for  a  short 
time,  when  lie  re-enlisted  at  St.  Louis  in  the  llth 
Missouri  Infantry.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  New 
Madrid,  Point  Pleasant,  Corinth,  luka,  Guntown, 
Tupelo,  Jackson,  Miss.,  and  accompanied  the  expe- 
dition up  the  Yazoo.  He  then  joined  Grant  at 
Vicksburg,  and  engaged  in  the  siege  of  that  city 
for  forty  days.  His  companj'  guarded  Gen. 
Grant's  headquarters,  which  was  situated  120  yards 
from  the  breastworks,  making  it  a  somewhat  dan- 
gerous duty.  He  took  part  in  the  charge  on  the 
2nd  of  May,  1863.  After  the  surrender  of  Pem- 
berton,  he  went  with  his  regiment  to  Mobile.  They 
proceeded  from  there  to  Tennessee,  and  afterward 
skirmished  around  Nashville,  and  was  also  in  the 
battle  of  Nashville  two  days.  At  Grand  Junction 
he  re-enlisted  in  the  "veteran  corps"  and  came 
home  on  a  furlough,  returning  to  his  regiment  be- 
fore his  time  expired  and  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  being  mustered  out  in  January,  1865,  hav- 
ing served  four  years  and  three  months.  Mr. 
Bailey  was  not  wounded,  although  his  comrades 
fell  all  around  him,  and  he  was  in  sixteen  different 
engagements. 

After  the  war,  Mr.  Bailey  returned  to  Morgan 
County  and  worked  on  the  railroad  for  several 
years.  In  1867  he  bought  his  present  place  of 
sixty  acres,  with  no  improvements,  but  hag  added 
to  it  until  now  he  has  a  fine  farm,  well-improved, 
and  well-watered.  lie  planted  an  orchard  in  an 
early  day  which  now  yields  an  abundance  of  apples, 
peaches,  and  plums.  lie  also  has  a  fine  vineyard. 
Upon  his  farm  lie  erected  a  comfortable  farm-house, 
the  main  part  of  which  is  16x28,  with  a  wing 
12x24,  while  he  has  a  capacious  barn,  30x40. 

John  Bailey,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  a  native  of  Taylor  County,  Ky.  Reu- 
ben Bailey,  the  father  of  John,  and  grandfather  of 
J.  E.  Bailey,  was  born  in  Virginia  of  English  de- 

-4*. — • • 


scent.  He  was  an  early  settler  of  Taylor  County, 
where  he  was  a  prominent  farmer  until  his  death. 
John  Bailey  engaged  in  farming  in  Kentucky  until 
1859,  when  he  came  to  Scott  County,  Ind.,  locating 
near  Jefferson ville.  He  is  now  living  on  his  origi- 
nal purchase  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 

Politically,  Mr.  Bailey  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  J.  E.  Bailey's 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Carpenter, 
was  born  in  Marion  County,  Ky.,  where  she  died. 
She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  two  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  William  A.,  the  eldest  served  in 
the  Mexican  War  and  enlisted  from  Kentucky 
under  Capt.  Hardin. 

J.  E.  Bailey  married  Mrs.  Phcube  Peters,  Oct. 
1 1,  1866.  She  is  a  native  of  Indiana.  Mr.  Bailey 
is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  also  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  strong  Repub- 
lican. In  this  community  he  is  reckoned  as  a  man 
of  excellent  judgment  and  a  good  citizen. 


-J- 


AFAYETTE  LAMB,  one  of  the  many  suc- 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Mor- 
gan Count}',  is  a  native  of  Clinton  County, 
Ohio,  and  was  born  March  18,  1837.  He  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  feeding  cattle  and  swine,  selling 
about  200  head  of  the  latter  annually.  Mr.  Lamb, 
gives  his  entire  attention  to  his  business  and  is  what 
may  be  termed  a  practical  man. 

Mr.  Lamb  came  to  this  county  in  1865  and  pur- 
chased a  farm.  He  later  sold  this  place  and  in 
1868  brought  his  present  farm,  which  contains  300 
acres,  and  where  he  has  resided  since.  This  farm 
is  situated  on  section  17,  township  15,  and  range 
11.  He  also  owns  forty-seven  acres  in  township 
17  in  this  county,  which  is  partly  timber.  Mr. 
Lamb  has  established  an  enviable  record  as  a 
thorough  business  man  and  a  progressive  stock- 
breeder. 

Mr.  Lamb's  father,  Erie  Lamb,  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  and  his  ancestors  for  generations 
lived  in  that  State.  The  father  of  Erie  L.,  John, 
lived  and  died  in  North  Carolina,  and  was  a  promi- 
nent farmer  and  citizen.  John  Lamb  was  a  patriot 
through  the  War  of  1812.  He  married  a  Southern 


486 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


lady  and  she  lived  and  died  in  North  Carolina. 
Erie  Lamb  was  the  eldest  one  of  a  family  of  five 
sons  and  two  daughters,  and  was  reared  as  a  farmer 
in  his  native  State,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-four 
years  he  emigrated  to  Clinton  County,  Ohio.  His 
first  wife  was  born  and  reared  in  Ohio  and  died  in 
Clinton  County,  leaving  two  children:  Isam,  a 
fanner  now  living  in  Davis  County,  Iowa.  He 
married  Harriet  Everhart  and  has  a  family.  Sarah 
died  at  the  age  sixty-two  years  in  Spring  Valley, 
Ohio,  leaving  a  husband,  L.  D  Jones.  Erie  Lamb 
took  for  his  second  wife,  Miss  Becky  Pierson,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia,  and  whose  parents,  John  and 
Hnmiah  Pierson  were  also  natives  of  the  Old  Do- 
minion. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pierson  came  in  later  life 
to  Greene  County,  Ohio,  where  they  both  died,  he 
at  the  age  of  ninety -years,  while  his  wife  was  about 
sixty.  Mr.  Pierson  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  served  as  a  private  from  the  beginning  to 
the  end  of  that  struggle.  Mrs.  Becky  Lamb  was 
one  of  a  family  of  six  daughters  and  two  sons. 
She  en  mo  to  Ohio  from  Virginia  when  quite  young, 
and  after  her  marriage  with  Erie  Lamb,  began  life 
in  Clinton  County  Ohio,  when  it  was  almost  an 
unbroken  wilderness,  and  there  they  botli  lived  and 
died.  Mr.  Lamb's  death  occurred  in  the  year  1878, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  while  his  wife  died 
in  1865,  after  passing  the  three-score  and  ten  mark. 
This  worthy  couple  belonged  to  the  old  orthodox 
(Quakers,  and  died  in  that  faith.  Mr.  Lamb,  when 
the  Whig  party  was  alive,  belonged  to  that  organ- 
ization, and  afterward  enthusiastically  embraced 
the  Republican  faith. 

Mr.  Lafayette  Lamb,  inherited  the  Quaker  relig- 
ion from  his  maternal  and  paternal  ancestry,  and 
both  his  grandfathers  were  prominent  people  of 
that  faith.  lie  is  the  fourth  child  and  the  third 
son  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  Mr.  Lamb  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  became  of  age,  when  he 
came  West,  and  later  enlisted  at  Jacksonville  in 
1862  in  the  101st  111.  Infantry  under  Capt.  Morse 
and  Col.  Fox.  His  regiment  was  in  the  army  of 
the  Tennessee  and  fought  at  Hesaca,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Lookout  Mountain  and  all  through  the 
Atlanta  Campaign.  Mr.  Lamb  sustains  the  repu- 
tation of  being  a  brave  soldier  and  was  with  his 
regiment  in  all  its  battles.  He  was  wounded  in  the 


left  arm  at  Lookout  Mountain,  and  was  confined  in 
the  hospital  for  a  short  time,  but  with  this  exception, 
was  on  duty  during  his  entire  service.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  at  Springfield,  111.,  on  the 
20th  of  June,  1865,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  farming. 

Mr.  Lamb  was  married  on  the  31st  of  Oct.  1865, 
at  Jacksonville,  111.,  to  Mary  J.  Thompson,  who  is 
a  native  of  that  city,  and  was  born  December  6. 
1846.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Catherine 
(Broadliead)  Thompson.  Her  father  died  near  Jack- 
sonville on  Jan.  14,  1874,  while  in  the  prime  of  life, 
being  about  forty  eight-years  of  age.  He  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Morgan  County,  coming 
here  when  a  boy  from  North  Carolina.  His  wife 
survives  him,  and  is  now  past  three-score  years,  and 
is  making  her  home  with  her  children  near  Jackson- 
ville. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  were  members  of 
the  Christian  Church  and  were  counted  among  the 
best  citizens  in  their  part  of  the  State. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lamb  are  now  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  one  of  whom,  Lee,  died  at  the  age  of  ten 
months.  Those  living  are:  Erie,  Alfred,  Joseph, 
Lafa3rette,  J.,  Mary  J.,  George,  John,  and  Emma. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lamb  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church  and  are  leaders  in  religious  work.  Po- 
litically Mr.  Lamb  is  an  enthusiastic  Republican, 
and  takes  great  interest  in  all  public  affairs.  He  is 
a  man  of  sound  principles  and  possesses  good 
judgment  as  his  success  in  life  fully  exemplifies. 


R.  JAMES  LEIGHTON,  of  Manchester, 
in  may  be  considered  to  have  been  a  pioneer 
physician  of  Scott  County,  although  not 
among  the  earliest  here,  and  for  many 
years  he  was  a  leading  member  of  his  profession  in 
this  part  of  Illinois.  He  is  widely  known  and  hon- 
ored, for  he  has  not  only  been  the  beloved  physi- 
cian but  the  close  friend  in  many  a  household, 
where  his  soothing  touch  has  healed  disease  or 
.  stayed  death's  ravages.  He  has  now  retired  from 
active  practice,  though  notwithstanding  his  ad- 
vanced age,  he  is  in  full  possession  of  his  mental 
faculties  and  preserves  his  physical  powers  to  a 
wonderful  extent,  enjoying  excellent  health,  and 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


487 


frequently  may  be  seen  riding  horseback  to  look 
after  some  of  his  farms  or  other  property  near  here. 
While  attending  to  his  professional  duties  our  sub- 
ject has  displayed  an  active  propensity  for  business 
and  finances  and  has  accumulated  wealth,  and 
owns  considerable  valuable  real  estate  in  Greene, 
Morgan,  and  Scott  counties,  besides  houses  and  lots 
in  Manchester. 

The  doctor  was  born  May  20, 1806,  in  Harmony, 
Somerset  Co.,  Me.,  coming  of  sterling  New  England 
stock.  His  father,  James  Leighton,  a  miller  by  trade, 
was  a  native  of  the  ancient  town  of  Kittery,  in 
York  County,  that  State,  and  his  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Betsy  Quinby,  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire.  Of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  of 
whom  but  three  survive,  our  subject  was  the  third 
in  order  of  birth.  He  was  carefully  reared  by  his 
parents  and  given  the  advantage  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, attending  at  first  the  district  school,  and  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  entering  Blooinfield  Academy 
preparatory  to  studying  medicine,  and  in  that  in- 
stitution he  was  a  pupil  portions  of  three  years. 
Shortly  after  his  twentieth  year  he  began  to  study 
medicine  in  Bowdoin  College,  and  received  his 
diploma  in  1831,  having  pursued  a  thorough  course 
of  instruction  and  taking  high  rank  for  excellence 
of  scholarship.  He  established  himself  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  the  town  of  Monson,  in  his 
native  county.  Jan.  30,  1832,  the  doctor  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ann  Hall,  a  lady  of 
superior  intelligence  and  culture,  who  was  edu- 
cated in  Bloom  field  Academy,  of  which  her  father, 
the  learned  Rev.  James  Hall,  was  preceptor.  He 
afterward  accepted  a  similar  position  in  Anson 
Academy,  the  same  county,  and  died  there  in  1835. 
The  doctor  remained  in  Monson  six  years,  and  then 
deciding  that  the  West  offered  great  attractions  for 
a  young  and  well-instructed  physician,  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  the  then  far-distant  Ill- 
inois, it  requiring  a  month  to  make  the  journey  by 
public  conveyances,  overland  and  by  water.  He 
settled  here  in  Manchester,  and  opening  an  office 
was  in  continuous  practice  for  forty  3'ears,  not 
withdrawing  from  general  practice  till  1877. 
Those  were  busy  years  for  him.  as  he  had  a  large 
number  of  patients,  and  he  won  an  enviable  repu- 
tation among  the  members  of  his  profession  for  his 


shill  and  success.  During  the  fifty  or  more  years 
of  his  life  in  Illinois  the  doctor  has  seen  many 
eventful  changes,  and  has  watched  with  much  sat- 
isfaction its  great  growth  in  population,  wealth  and 
standing,  till  it  is  one  of  the  richest  and  proudest 
states  of  the  Union.  When  he  came  here  the 
country  was  very  thinly  settled  and  the  improv- 
ments  were  simple  and  cheap.  Illinois  was  then  en- 
titled to  a  representation  of  only  three  congress- 
men, and  all  the  state  north  of  the  northern  line  of 
Madison  County  was  in  one  congressional  district. 
Now  the  State  has  twenty  representatives  in  the 
National  Legislature. 

Our  subject  is  a  fine  representative  of  the  gen- 
tlemen of  the  old  school,  always  courteous  and 
considerate  and  refined  in  his  manner,  gentle  and 
kind  in  his  disposition,  and  a  general  favorite  with 
all.  He  has  mingled  much  in  the  public  life  of  the 
community,  and  his  wise  counsel  and  enlightened 
views  have  made  him  invaluable  as  a  civic  officer. 
He  has  been  Trustee  of  Schools  for  many  years, 
and  has  been  Township  Treasurer  seventeen  years. 
He  is  entitled  to  the  prefix  Hon.,  before  his 
name,  as  in  1844,  he  was  elected  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  Illinois  Legislature,  and  served  with 
honor  and  distinction.  He  has  watched  with  in- 
tense interest  the  political  growth  of  the  country, 
and  has  always  been  strongly  in  sympathy  with  the 
Republican  party,  having  been  an  old-line  Whig 
before  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
identified  himself  with  the  temperance  movement 
in  1831,  and  has  favored  it  ever  since,  being  a 
strictly  temperate  man  in  deed  and  word,  and,  in 
fact  he  is  in  favor  of  all  reforms. 

Aug.  15,  1864,  death  invaded  the  household  of 
our  subject  and  removed  the  beloved  wife,  who  had 
walked  with  him  hand  in  hand  over  thirty-two 
years.  She  filled  the  perfect  measure  of  all  that 
belonged  to  a  true  and  noble  womanhood,  and  was 
an  influence  for  good  upon  those  about  her  in  whose 
hearts  she  held  a  warm  place  and  has  left  an 
abiding  memory  that  is  pure,  sweet  and  holy.  Of 
her  wedded  life  with  our  subject  six  children  were 
born,  five  of  whom  are  living,  as  follows:  James 
M.,  a  general  merchant  in  Manchester,  married, 
and  his  wife  died,  leaving  him  three  children; 
Horace,  in  the  grocery  business  in  Manchester, 


488 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


married,  and  his  wife  died ;  Kate,  wife  of  Nathaniel 
K.  Pegram,  of  Lincoln,  Logan  Co.,  111.,  has  six 
children;  Helen  keeps  house  for  her  father;  George 
Clinton  is  married  find  lives  in  Pennsylvania. 


fifi  OSEPH  LONGNECKEIt  is  numbered  among 
the  capable,  sturdy  pioneers  of  Scott  County, 
whose  faithful  and  well-directed  labors  in 
the  past  did  much  to  develop  its  great  agri- 
cultural resources,  and  who  have  contributed 
largely  to  its  present  prosperity.  His  farm  on  the 
eastern  limits  of  the  city  of  Winchester  is  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  vicinity  in  point  of  cultivation  and 
improvement,  and  here  lie  is  living  in  retirement 
amid  the  scenes  of  his  early  toil,  free  from  active 
care,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  an  ample  competence, 
in  one  of  the  very  pleasantest  homes  for  which  this 
locality  is  noted.  It  is  rendered  especially  attract- 
ive by  the  fruit  trees,  small  fruits  and  shrubberies 
surrounding  it,  and  a  profusion  of  rare  and  beauti- 
ful flowering  plants  that  are  under  the  especial 
chaige  of  Mrs.  Longnecker,  who  has  arranged  them 
with  good  taste  and  fine  effect. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  review  was  born 
June  G,  1813,  in  Cumberland  County,  Pa.,  coming 
of  good,  old  Pennsylvania  stock.  His  father,  of  the 
same  name  as  himself,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Key- 
stone State,  his  birthplace  in  Lancaster,  but  his 
mother,  Elizabeth  Ruplee,  was  born  in  the  same 
county  as  himself.  They  had  a  hard  time  of  it  in 
their  early  married  life,  as  Mr.  Longnccker,  who 
was  a  farmer,  had  to  struggle  to  pay  for  his  farm 
of  200  acres.  The  mother  passed  away  from  the 
scenes  of  earth  first,  dying  in  February,  1839.  The 
father  survived  her  some  fourteen  years.  Eleven 
children  gladdened  the  lives  of  that  worthy  couple, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living,  three  daughters  and 
our  subject. 

Joseph  Longnecker  received  a  meagre  education, 
attending  school  only  in  winters,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer seasons  worked  to  earn  money  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  his  education.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  serving 
an  apprenticeship  of  about  three  years,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty  had  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge 


of  the  trade.  For  awhile  after  that  he  worked  as  a 
journeyman  carpenter  until  he  found  employment 
in  building  railwa}'  ears,  but  after  working  at  that 
a  few  years  he  went  into  the  commission  business. 

April  15,1841,  by  his  marriage  to  Nancy  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  and  Sarah  (Houser)  Barnhart,  of  Ger- 
many, he  secured  the  able  assistance  of  one  who  has 
proved  the  best  of  wives  and  the  kindest  of  moth- 
ers. Nine  children  have  been  born  unto  them,  of 
whom  the  following  is  recorded:  Sarah,  born  Jan. 
28,  1841.  is  the  wife  of  James  Watt,  of  Winches- 
ter, and  they  have  five  children;  Peter,  born  Feb. 
28,  1857,  lives  in  Newton,  Kan.,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  jeweler;  John,  residing  on 
the  homestead,  married  Ella  Young,  and  they  have 
four  daughters  (for  further  particulars  concerning 
John  see  biography  of  him  on  another  page  of  this 
work);  George,  born  April  8,  1862,  unmarried, 
owns  a  jeweler's  establishment  in  Winchester,  but 
makes  his  home  with  his  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Longnecker  came  to  Illinois  with 
their  children  in  1846,  and  after  living  in  Win- 
chester two  years  he  moved  onto  his  farm,  having 
bought  145  acres  of  land  on  his  arrival  here.  He 
has  added  to  it  since  until  he  now  owns  224  acres 
of  fine  farming  land,  lying  all  in  a  bod3r,and  nearly 
all  under  cultivation.  The  years  that  followed  his 
settlement  here  were  fraught  with  labor  and  care, 
as  he  was  busily  engaged  in  clearing  his  land  of 
timber  and  tilling  the  soil,  planting  shade  trees  and 
orchards,  etc.,  and  building  the  present  roomy,  sub- 
stantial dwelling,  barns,  sheds,  etc.,  that  adorn  the 
place.  Our  subject  continued  engaged  on  his  farm 
until  1856,  when  lie  bought  an  interest  in  a  Hour- 
mill,  and  assisted  in  its  management,  but  after  a 
year's  experience  in  that  line  he  sold  out  and  gave 
his  entire  attention  to  his  farm.  He  has  interested 
himself  greatly  in  rearing  stock,  keeping  as  many 
cattle  and  horses  as  the  farm  can  support. 

Mr.  Longnecker  is  fairly  alive  to  all  political 
issues,  and  at  general  elections  votes  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket,  but  in  local  affairs  votes  for  the  man 
whom  he  regards  as  best  fitted  for  the  position  with- 
out regard  to  his  party  alliliations.  He  has  usually 
tried  to  shun  otfice,  though  a  man  of  his  ability,  judg- 
ment, and  integrity  is  rightly  considered  by  his 
fellow-citizens  to  have  the  requisite  qualifications 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


489 


I 


for  a  civic  official,  and  they  have  twice  elected  him 
to  he  Alderman  of  the  First  Ward.  Religiously, 
both  lie  and  his  wife  are  valued  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  he  has  been 
Trustee  of  the  same.  He  has  always  been  a  very 
temperate  man,  never  using  tobacco  or  liquor,  and 
his  life  has  been  guided  by  high  principles,  and 
its  record  is  without  blemish.  He  and  his  family 
occupy  a  high  social  position  in  this  community, 
and  are  in  every  way  worthy  of  the  consideration 
and  respect  accorded  them. 


OHN  WIIEWELL,an  independent  and  pros- 
perous farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Winches- 
ter Precinct,  is  classed  among  the  most 
upright  and  highly  respected  members  of  its 
social  and  religious  community.  Although  of  for- 
eign birth  the  most  of  his  life  has  been  passed  in 
the  United  States,  which  has  no  more  loyal  citizen 
than  he,  and  during  the  late  Civil  War  he  fought 
bravely  and  well  in  defense  of  the  institutions  of 
his  adopted  country,  although  he  was  then  scarcely 
more  than  a  youth. 

Our  subject  is  of  English  origin  and  ancestry. 
His  father,  James  Whewell,  was  a  native  of  Lanca- 
shire, England,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Maria  Out.  was  also  born  in  that  shire.  The 
father  learned  the  trade  of  a  weaver,  and  about  forty 
years  ago  emigrated  with  liisfniniry  from  his  native 
land,  coming  directly  to  Winchester,  Scott  County. 
He  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  pioneers  of  the  precinct, 
rented  a  place  for  a  few  years,  and  then  removed 
to  Morgan  County,  where  he  bought  sixt}'  acres  of 
laud,  which  he  tilled  assiduously  until  death  closed 
his  useful  career  in  1861.  He  was  twice  married, 
his  first  wife,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  our 
subject  the  only  survivor,  dying  before  the  family 
left  England.  There  are  three  children  by  the  sec 
ond  marriage  now  living. 

John  Whowell  was  but  four  years  of  age  when 
he  left  the  land  of  his  birth  and  came  with  his 
father  to  America.  His  education,  which  was  very 
meagre,  was  conducted  in  what  is  now  known  as 
Hart's  school-house.  As  soon  ns  he  was  large 
enough  to  be  of  any  use  he  had  to  assist  his  father 


on  the  farm,  and  he  thus  early  acquired  a  good, 
practical  knowledge  of  farming  in  nil  its  branches 
that  has  been  of  inestimable  value  to  him  since  he 
began  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  on  his  own  account. 
He  was  a  self-reliant,  self -helpful  lad,  and  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  went  forth  from  the  old  home  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world  henceforth.  He  worked 
out  for  nine  months,  and  then  responding  to  the 
call  of  his  country  for  assistance  in  defending  the 
stars  and  stripes,  he  put  aside  all  personal  aims  and 
ambitions  to  take  up  the  hard  life  of  a  soldier,  en- 
listing in  Company  I,  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  at 
Jacksonville,  111.  His  regiment  was  ordered  to  Holly 
Springs  in  Mississippi,  and  there  met  the  enemy, 
and  six  companies,  including  Company  I,  were 
captured.  The}7  were  imprisoned  but  a  very  short 
time  before  they  were  paroled  and  dispatched  to 
St.  Louis,  where  they  remained  until  spring.  Mr. 
Whewell  took  part  in  all  the  battles  in  which  his 
regiment  was  engaged,  accompanied  Gen.  Sherman 
on  his  famous  march  through  Georgia,  and  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Resaca,  receiving  asevere 
scalp  wound  from  a  rifle  ball,  which  laid  him  up  in 
the  hospital  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  three  months;  he 
then  returned  to  duty,  his  term  of  enlistment  not 
expiring  until  the  war  closed,  and  he  took  part  in 
tbe  Grand  Review  at  AVashington,  and  was  finally 
mustered  out  of  service  at  Springfield,  this  State, 
having  won  a  good  military  record  as  a  brave  and 
efficient  soldier. 

After  his  experiences  of  the  privations  and  hard- 
ships of  war  on  Southern  battlefields  our  subject 
returned  home  and  resumed  his  former  occupation, 
and  as  soon  as  he  was  married  he  settled  on  his 
present  homestead,  which  comprises  110  acres  of 
land  of  exceeding  fertility  and  well  located,  and 
100  acres  under  plow.  The  land  was  in  its  primi- 
tive wildness  when  it  first  came  into  his  possession, 
and  he  had  to  clear  away  brush  and  timber  before 
he  could  attempt  its  cultivation  and  bring  it  to  its 
present  excellent  condition.  The  farm  is  well  sup- 
plied with  stock,  and  Mr.  Whewell  feeds  all  he 
raises.  The  buildings  are  neat  and  substantial,  and 
everything  about  the  place  denotes  a  well-ordered 
farm  that  is  under  skillful  management. 

May  24,  1868,  was  the  date  of  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Whewell  to  Miss  Mary  Ellen  Hart, daughter  of 


490 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Henry  and  Mary  Ann  (Herring)  Hart  of  this  county, 
of  which  they  were  early  settlers.  They  reared  but 
two  of  their  family  of  children.  Mr.  Hart  has  been 
gathered  to  his  fathers,  but  his  widow  is  still  living. 
Mrs.  Whewell  is  a  native  of  this  county.  Her 
happy  wedded  life  with  our  subject  has  been  blessed 
by  the  birth  of  six  children,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

In  every  department  of  life  that  our  subject  has 
been  called  on  to  fill  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  a 
man  of  honor  and  unswerving  integrity.  In  his 
domestic  relations  he  is  a  considerate  husband  and 
a  devoted  father,  passionately  fond  of  his  family. 
Both  he  and  Mrs.  Whewell  and  their  daughter 
Annie  are  members  of  the  United  Baptist  Church 
and  cordially  cooperate  with  their  pastor  and  fellow 
members  in  any  good  work.  Mr.  Whewell's  part 
in  public  affairs  has  been  creditable  to  him  and  ad- 
vantageous to  his  precinct,  which  he  has  served  as 
Road  Supervisor  and  School  Director.  lie  takes 
interest  enough  in  politics  to  do  his  duty  at  the 
polls,  always  voting  with  the  Republican  party. 
The  memory  of  his  life  on  the  battlefield  is  pre- 
served by  his  connection  with  the  G.  A.  R.  he  be- 
ing a  valued  member  of  Hesse  Post,  No.  203,  at 
Winchester. 


EWITT  C.  LEIB.  The  great  editor, 
Horace  Greeley,  never  made  a  wiser  say- 
ing than  when  he  wrote  that  "  A  man  is  a 
benefactor  of  his  race  when  he  causes  two 
blades  of  grass  to  grow  where  but  one  grew  be- 
fore." Following  this  line  of  logic,  the  person 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch  can  truly  be  called  a 
benefactor.  His  marvelous  industry,  coupled  with 
his  native  intelligence,  has  conspired  to  place  him 
among  I  hose  who  have,  patiently  toiled  under  ad- 
verse circumstances,  and  have  come  out  ahead  in  the 
unequal  race.  And  it  is  always  thus  with  such 
men.  These  are  the  people  who  make  a  free  re- 
public the  best  government  on  earth. 

DeWitt  C.  Leib  was  born  near  Exeter,  this 
county,  March  23,  1848.  His  father,  Daniel  Leib, 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Morgan  Count}-,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and 
was  of  German  descent.  He  died  April  5,  1879. 


aged  about  sixty-eight  years.  His  wife,  the  mother 
of  DeWitt,  died  in  1851,  and  Mr.  Leib  subse- 
quently married  the  widow  of  the  late  John  Riggs. 
His  first  wife  bore  him  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Two  of  the  former  died,  one  in  infancy  and 
the  other  at  the  age  of  seven  years.  DeWitt  C. 
was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  at  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  North  Prairie  Seminary.  Mr. 
Leib  was  counted  as  one  of  the  most  successful 
farmers  in  the  county,  following  that  occupation 
until  the  fall  of  1882,  when  he  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  County  Treasurer.  At  the  expiration  of 
the  term  to  which  he  was  elected,  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  at  Winchester  and  followed  it  until 
June  1888.  In  1886  he  again  entered  politics, 
and  made  the  race  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for 
Sheriff  and  was  defeated  by  fourteen  votes. 

The  almost  complete  overthrow  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  that  election  forms  an  important 
and  long-to-be-remembered  epoch  in  the  political 
history  of  Scott  County,  with  which  this  work  has 
nothing  to  do,  only  as  it  is  mentioned  to  direct  at- 
tention to  the  causes  that  led  to  the  defeat  of  the 
person  of  whom  we  are  writing.  Some  time  prior 
to  1886,  and  while  Mr.  Leib  was  treasurer  and  a 
majority  of  the  other  offices  were  filled  by  Demo- 
crats, the  tax  was  levied  to  build  the  present  mag- 
nificent Scott  County  court  house,  which  will 
always  be  pointed  to  as  a  monument  to  the  public 
spirit  of  the  projectors  of  that  grand  pile.  As  the 
work  of  construction  progressed  from  month  to 
month  and  lengthened  from  3- ear  to  year,  a  sort  of 
general  fright  and  senseless  panic  .seized  the 
granger  tax-payers  lest  the  expense  of  the  struc- 
ture would  eventually  bankrupt  the  whole  commu- 
nity. It  was  during  this  period  that  Mr.  Leib 
concluded  to  make  the  run  and  stand  for  the 
shrievalty,  and  in  common  with  every  other  can- 
didate without  respect  of  party  who  had  anything 
to  do  with  the  "Courthouse  Scheme"  as  it  was 
called,  went  down  to,  at  least  temporary,  political 
ruin.  Nevertheless  the  court-house  has  been  com- 
pleted, the  whole  indebtedness  wiped  out,  the  peo- 
ple in  general  are  satisfied  if  not  happy,  and  the 
men  who  suffered  martyrdom,  in  a  political  wav. 
in  its  behalf,  are  now  the  heroes.  The  fact  that 
the  scheme  for  building  the  Court-house  has  in 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


491 


i 


these  later  da^ys,  when  reason  takes  charge  of  those 
who  were  so  frightened,  been  approved  by  the  ma- 
jority of  the  tax-payers  is  compensation  enough  to 
those  who  were  defeated  at  that  election.  Mr. 
Leib  is  now  chairman  of  the  Democratic  Central 
Committee,  is  an  active  party  man,  and  is  reckoned 
as  one  of  the  good  citizens  of  Winchester.  He  is 
a  self-made  man;  what  of  this  world's  goods  he 
enjoys  is  the  result  of  his  own  industry. 

Mr.  Leib  was  married  at  Exeter  this  County, 
Aug.  29,  1871,  to  Miss  Susan  Martin,  and  has  one 
child,  a  daughter  named  Carrie.  The  family  be- 
long to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr. 
Leib  is  a  working  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 


J"  ACKSON  SEYMOUR  was  born  Dec.  9, 1822, 
and   is  a  native  of  Person  County,  N.  C., 
j    where   he   lived   until   March   1,  1829.     On 
'    that  date  his  parents,  uncle  and  aunt,  and 
seven  children,  all  started  for  Morgan   County,  ar- 
riving in  Franklin,  111.,  May  10,  1829,  after  a  jour- 
ney of  nine  weeks'  duration. 

John  Seymour,  the  father  of  Jackson  Seymour, 
was  married  to  Sarah  O'Brien,  the  date  of  which 
event  is  unrecorded.  He  traces  his  ancestry  to 
England  and  the  North  of  Ireland.  He  was  the 
father  of  nine  children,  a  record  of  whom  is  here- 
with given:  Agnes  married  John  H.  Austin,  of 
North  Carolina,  who  is  a  Methodist  minister,  and 
is  now  living  in  Montgomery  County,  III.;  they 
have  had  four  children,  one  daughter  who  is  at 
home,  while  Martha  married  Mr.  Fishback,  of  Wav- 
erly, this  State.  Carlin  and  Charles  are  in  Piatt 
County,  111.  Robert  was  married  twice,  his  first 
wife  being  Sarah  A.  Burch,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  by  this  union  there  are  four  children  living — 
James  P.,  Serilda  Emma,  Alice,  and  Wilmouth  J. 
Robert's  second  wife's  maiden  name  was  Mary  E. 
Wright,  of  Waverly,  III.;  they  are  now  living  in 
Morgan  County.  Jared  married  Hannah  Sturgis, 
of  Illinois,  and  of  this  marriage  there  are  two  chil- 
dren, Henry  and  Wilbourn.  She  died  not  many 
years  after  her  marriage.  Jared's  second  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Emeline  McCurley.a  native  of  this 
county.  Seven  children  were  born  of  this  marriage 


— Charles,  Lizzie.  Julia  Minnie,  Thomas,  Leslie, 
Harry,  and  an  infant.  He  is  now  residing  in  Ed- 
gar, Neb.,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming.  Ed- 
ward married  Annie  Spires,  of  Morgan  County; 
they  have  six  children — Sylvester,  Nettie,  Jane, 
Oliver,  Sarah, and  May;  Mary  married  John  Hutch- 
inson,  who  is  a  miller  at  Waverly,  111.;  they  have 
the  following  children — Jane,  Maggie,  and  Julia. 
Clara,  Leona,  John,  Kate;  George  W.  married  Han- 
nah Seymour,  of  Morgan  County.  He  is  a  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ;  eight  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them — William,  Lillie,  Alvy, 
George,  Lemuel,  Dolly,  Walter,  and  Robert;  Henry 
married  Amanda  Burch,  a  native  of  Illinois;  they 
are  now  in  Kansas,  engaged  in  farming,  and  have 
one  child,  Minnie.  Millie  married  a  Mr.  Woodman- 
see,  of  Waverly,  111.,  now  deceased. 

Jackson  Seymour,  of  whom  we  write,  was  mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  Dalton;  her  people  came  from 
Lexington,  Ky.,  before  Illinois  became  a  State. 
Her  father  was  a  brick-maker,  and  it  is  recorded 
that  the  Indians  made  his  brick-yard  a  place  of  ren- 
dezvous and  shelter.  He  helped  to  erect  the  first 
brick  building  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  by  working  thereon 
at  his  trade,  that  of  brick  mason.  There  have  been 
six  children  born  to  Mr.  Seymour,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  whose  names  are:  Isom,  Mary  E.,  John 
W.,  Millie  A.,  Edward  F.,  and  Julia  K.  Isom  mar- 
ried Mary  Duncan,  of  Franklin,  111.,  and  is  now 
farming  in  Morgan  County;  they  have  seven  chil- 
dren. Mary  A.  is  unmarried,  and  is  living  at  the 
old  homestead,  while  John  W.  is  also  at  home;  Mil- 
lie married  James  II.  Roberts,  a  farmer  of  Morgan 
County,  and  they  have  one  child,  Grace;  Edward 
T.  married  Mary  Woods;  they  are  farming  in  Mor- 
gan County,  and  have  one  child,  Lora.  Julia  K. 
married  William  E.  Wright,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  the  same  county;  Thurman  is  their  only 
child. 

Mr.  Seymour  is  a  typical  self-made  man,  and  is 
one  who  is  ever  alive  to  the  interests  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives,  and  his  reputation  is  an 
enviable  one  among  his  neighbors.  He  commenced 
his  career  after  arriving  at  manhood,  by  laboring 
on  a  farm  for  monthly  wages.  After  his  marriage 
he  purchased  a  farm  containing  fifty-four  acres,  and 
by  sheer  force  of  industry,  backed  by  a  good  busi- 


492 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


ness  head,  he  has  added  to  his  small  beginning  un- 
til he  is  now  the  owner  of  what  would  be  called  in 
European  countries,  a  vast  domain.  His  601  acres 
of  land  are  well-improved,  and  upon  which  are 
erected  buildings  that  are  in  keeping  with  this 
grand  farm.  He  is  employed  in  raising  cattle, 
horses,  hogs,  and  grain. 

Mr.  Seymour,  in  company  with  the  rest  of  his  fam- 
ily, is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  he  has  held  the  office  of  Trustee  in  that  organ- 
ization. Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has 
never  sought  office.  He  has  been  frequently  called 
upon  to  act  as  a  Grand  and  Petit  juror.  Morgan 
County  has  no  better  citizen  than  Jackson  Seymour. 


HARLES  L.  ROUTT  occupies  a  very  high 
position  in  Morgan  County  as  a  gentle- 
man and  capitalist,  and  has  a  liberal  educa- 
tion. He  is  a  native  of  Wood  ford  County,  Ky.,and 
was  the  son  of  Harvey  and  Catherine  M.  (Springer) 
Routt,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1823.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  New  Jersey.  They 
were  married  in  Kentucky  and  there  made  their 
home.  During  the  earlier  years  of  his  life  the 
father  of  our  subject  was  engaged  in  teaching,  and 
when  not  so  employed  was  occupied  upon  his  farm. 
He  came  to  this  county,  about  1833,  shipping  his 
goods  by  water  and  traveling  overland  by  car- 
riage, and  settled  about  eight  miles  southwest  from 
the  city.  He  continued  extensively  engaged  in 
farming  until  about  1856,  then  removed  to  the 
city,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  on  the  23d 
of  February,  1872.  He  was  the  father  of  three  chil- 
dren by  his  first  marriage:  Charles  L.;  Caroline, 
now  Mrs.  B.  Newman,  of  Chicago,  and  William  R., 
of  this  city. 

His  first  wife  dying  on  the  17th  of  January, 
1835,  the  father  of  our  subject  subsequently  re- 
married, the  lady  of  his' choice  being  Mrs.  Ann  Fry, 
of  Morgan  County,  111.;  the  day  whereon  this  alli- 
ance was  celebrated  being  the  4th  of  January. 
1838.  This  has  been  consumated  by  the  birth  of 
one  daughter,  Catherine  M.,  now  the  wife  of  J.  T. 
McMillcn,  of  this  city.  By  a  former  husband  this 


lady  was  the  mother  of  two  children,  viz.:  Mary 
A.,  who  is  happily  married  to  C.  B.  Lewis,  of  this 
city,  and  William,  who  died  in  1848,  owing  to  an 
accident.  He  was  at  the  time  twelve  3'ears  of  age. 
The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  A.  (Fry)  Routt  was  Ann 
Ransdell,  and  she  was  the  daughter  of  Presley  and 
Mary  (Shely)  Ransdell,  who  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia; they  migrated  to  this  county  in  1833.  Mr. 
Ransdell  being  very  extensively  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. The  first  husband  of  this  lady,  William  Fry, 
was  born  in  Kentucky.  He  purchased  a  large  tract 
of  land  in  Morgan  County,  III.,  which  he  continued 
to  farm  until  his  death,  which  occurred  soon  after 
coming  to  this  State,  Aug.  19,  1835. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Harvey  Routt,  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  County  Commissioner,  and 
also  that  of  County  Surveyor;  he  was  also  one  of  the 
Township  Trustees;  and  at  one  time  was  in  business 
as  a  loan  agent.  He  was  a  man  of  sound  business 
principles,  strictest  integrity,  and  stood  high  in  the 
esteem  of  the  people  as  a  man,  a  citizen  and  a  Chris-' 
tian.  He  took  the  largest  possibleinlerest  in  the  af- 
fairs ofthe  county  and  State,  and  was  never  tired  of 
working  to  that  end.  In  politics  he  was  strictly  con- 
servative, and  as  behooved  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent citizens  of  the  count}1,  was  of  irreproachable 
reputation. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  from  the  first 
evinced  somewhat  of  the  strong,  nvmly  principles 
and  large  brain  power  that  has  distinguished  him 
above  his  fellows.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Kentucky  and  Illinois,  and  also  attended  the 
Catholic  College  at  Cincinnati,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years,  leaving  that  institution  when  in  his 
seventeenth  year,  upon  which  he  returned  home 
and  engaged  in  farming.  At  this  he  remained  for 
a  number  of  years  and  came  to  this  city  in  IHlifi. 
Since  that  time  he  has  retired  from  the  more  ardu- 
ous work  and  from  the  pressing  cares  of  business, 
and  simply  superintends  the  working  of  his  farms, 
which  comprise  over  1,500  acres.  In  addition  to 
his  farms  he  is  the  owner  of  a  ver}-  fine  residence 
situated  on  East  State  street. 

Ever  since  attending  the  Catholic  school  Mr. 
Routt  has  espoused  that  church  and  religious  sys- 
tem, and  has  expressed  his  devotion  thereto  by  hi? 
hearty  support  of  the  same,  being  among  the  very 


T 

T 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


493 


largest  subscribers  to  the  various  institutions  con- 
nected therewith  in  the  city  and  neighborhood.  He 
is  a  doughty  defender  of  Democratic  principles, 
and  takes  pleasure  in  promulgating  and  supporting 
them.  He  is  in  fact  in  every  way  worth}*  of  the 
name  of  a  representative  American  citizen. 


ILLIAM  McCULLOUGH.  In  this  gentle- 
man  Scott  County  finds  one  of  its  most  en- 
terprising, progressive  and  public-spirited 
citizens,  who  uses  his  wealth  freely  to  further  all 
feasible  plans  for  its  moral,  social,  and  material 
elevation.  He  stands  among  its  leading  farmers 
and  stock  raisers,  and  his  fine  farm  in  Winchester 
Precinct,  with  its  broad,  well-tilled  fields  yielding  rich 
harvests  in  repayment  for  careful  cultivation,  and 
its  man}'  substantial  and  valuable  improvements,  is 
one  of  the  largest  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  desira- 
ble estates  to  be  found  within  a  radius  of  many 
miles,  indeed,  is  considered  one  of  the  best  in  the 
count}-.  His  home  is  pleasantly  located  on  the 
Phillips  Ferry  Road,  one-half  mile  west  of  Riggs- 
ton,  an;l  his  elegant  brick  residence,  built  of  ma- 
terial made  on  the  spot  at  a  cost  of  $7,000,  attracts 
the  eye  of  the  traveller  on  the  highway. 

Our  subject  is  of  C'eltic  antecedents  on  the  pater- 
nal side  of  the  house,  his  father,  also  named  Will- 
iam, having  been  born  in  Ireland,  coining  to  this 
country  when  a  boy  witli  his  parents,  who  settled 
in  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  His  mother,  Ann 
(Webster)  McCullough,  was  a  native  of  New  Jer- 
sey, and  there  spent  her  entire  life,  dying  Dec. 
18,  1876.  The  father  was  a  practical,  skillful  far- 
mer, and  successfully  carried  on  that  occupation  till 
his  death  in  1852.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  true 
Christians,  and  valued  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  in  dying  left  the  precious  mem- 
ory of  lives  well  spent.  They  had  eleven  children, 
nine  boys  and  two  girls,  all  of  whom  are  living  ex- 
cept three.  He  of  whom  we  write  was  their  ninth 
child  in  order  of  birth,  and  was  born  to  them  May 
18,  1828,  in  their  home  in  Somerset  County,  N.  J. 
lie  received  the  education  commonly  given  to  far- 
mers' boys  in  the  public  schools,  and  as  a  bright, 
intelligent  lad  profited  thereby.  He  worked  with 


his  father  on  the  farm  till  he  was  seventeen  years 
old,  and  then  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the  car- 
penter's trade  the  three  ensuing  years,  and  after 
that  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  his  native  State 
a  year.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  ambi- 
tiously concluded  that  he  would  go  forth  far  be- 
yond its  bounds  and  see  what  life  held  for  him  in 
the  great  West,  and  in  the  spring  of  1 850  he  started 
on  that  ever  memorable  journey,  going  from  his 
New  Jersey  home  to  Philadelphia  by  train,  and 
proceeding  from  that  city  by  the  same  conveyance 
to  Boston,  from  there  over  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains by  stage,  and  thence  by  boat  to  Pittsburg, 
and  so  on  to  St.  Louis,  and  up  the  Mississippi  and 
Illinois  rivers  to  Naples,  taking  eighteen  days  to 
make  the  trip,  and  landing  in  Jacksonville  in  the 
month  of  March.  He  immediately  agreed  to  go  to 
work  at  his  trade  the  next  day,  and  after  working 
there  a  few  weeks,  and  earning  some  money,  he 
went  to  Tazewell  County  the  same  spring,  and  en- 
tered 160  acres  of  land  from  the  Government.  En- 
gaging a  surveyor  to  stake  it  out  he  returned  to 
Springfield  and  bought  aland  warrant  for  160  acres 
for  $90.  Retaining  possession  of  this  land  a  year 
he  sold  it  for  $300,  and  a  few  years  later  the  rise  in 
real  estate  had  been  so  great  that  it  was  worth  $25 
an  acre.  After  selling  his  land  in  Tazewell  County 
Mr.  McCullough  bought  160  acres  of  fine  farming 
land  in  Scott  County,  of  Robert  Haggard,  for  which 
lie  agreed  to  pay  $4,000,  $1,000  down,  and  $1,000 
each  year  thereafter  till  it  was  paid,  without  inter- 
est, and  ten  per  cent,  off  if  paid  before  due, and  he 
managed  so  successfully  that  the  last  payment  was 
made  for  $900,  he  having  rented  the  farm  and 
kept  busily  at  work  at  his  trade  in  order  to  obtain 
the  money  to  make  the  payments. 

March  31,  1853,  Mr.  McCnllough's  marriage 
with  Miss  Martha  A.,  daughter  of  J.  B.  Campbell, 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Scott  County,  was  con- 
suinated.  During  the  brief  years  of  their  wedded 
life  she  greatly  aided  in  the  upbuilding  of  a  home, 
but  Nov.  3,  I860,  death  crossed  the  threshold  and 
took  her  from  the  scene  of  her  usefulness.  She  left 
two  children,  of  whom  the  following  is  the  record- 
Cynthia  Ann,  born  April  13,  1855,  married  Luther 
Hornbeck.  and  died  Dec.  27,  1888;  Jane,  born 
March  8,  1857,  is  the  wife  of  John  M.  Allyn,  of  St. 


494 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Louis,  and  they  have  two  children,  a  boy  and  a 
girl.  Mr.  Allyn  is  Secretary  of  the  Telegraphic 
Department  of  the  Missouri  Pacfic  Railway,  at  St. 
Louis,  with  a  salary  of  $1,800  a  year. 

Mr.  McCnllough  was  married  to  his  present  wife, 
formerly  Miss  Emily  J.  Camp,  Oct.  16,  1862.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  George  and  Nancy  (Felton)  Camp, 
of  Scott  County.  Her  father  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  here,  walking  the  entire  distance  from  his 
old  home  among  the  green  hills  of  Vermont,  and 
Mrs.  McCullough  preserves  as  a  relic  of  that  jour- 
ney the  knapsack  in  which  he  carried  his  few  be- 
longings on  that  eventful  trip.  The  following  is 
the  record  of  the  seven  children  that  have  been 
born  of  the  happy  wedded  life  of  our  subject  and 
his  amiable  wife:  Sarah  Victorine  was  born  Oct.  9, 
1863;  William  Grant,  July  6,  1865;  Abel  Camp, 
Oct.  2,  1866;  Laura  Brasfield,  June  6,  1868:  Har- 
riet Amanda,  March  12,  1870;  George  Howard, 
March  23,  1875;  Warren  Elmer,  Dec.  1,  1877. 

From  the  very  commencement  of  his  career  in 
the  West  our  subject  has  met  with  more  than  ordi- 
nary success,  from  a  financial  standpoint,  and  has 
constantly  been  increasing  his  property  till  now  he 
owns  real  estate  to  the  amount  of  1,080  acres, 
forming  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  valuable 
farms  in  this  part  of  Illinois.  Shortly  after  his  first 
marriage  he  bought  the  John  Cox  farm,  of  104 
acres,  at  $40  an  acre,  and  after  his  second  marriage 
he  bought  the  William  Cox  farm,  of  120  acres,  at 
the  same  price.  He  then  abandoned  his  trade,  and 
his  since  devoted  himself  entirely  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  to  the  management  of  his  property. 
His  next  purchase  was  sixty  acres  of  land  of  John 
Hornbeck,  for  which  he  paid  $80  an  acre,  and  after- 
that  he  bought  100  acres  of  land  of  Marshall  Smith, 
at  the  same  price.  He  subsequently  invested  still 
more  money  in  land,  as  follows:  He  bought  160 
acres  of  M.  W.  Riggs,  at  $50  per  acre:  then  262 
acres  of  William  D.  Campbell,  at  $75  an  acre,  after 
that  160  acres  of  William  A.  Gillham,  at  the  same 
sum  per  acre.  Just  before  buying  the  William 
Campbell  place  he  sold  100  acres  of  land  to  J.  N. 
Campbell.  He  traded  seventeen  acres  of  land  to 
John  Coultas  for  eighty-three  acres  of  land  west  of 
the  railway,  paying  for  the  difference  at  the  rate  of 
$75  an  acre.  Later  he  bought  fifty-five  acres  of 


the  Joe  Campbell  farm,  at  $75  an  acre,  which  com- 
pletes his  purchases  up  to  date.  Mr.  McCullough 
has  his  farm  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  em- 
ploying three  men  to  assist  him  in  its  management, 
and  six  teams  to  work  the  land.  He  is  extensively 
engaged  in  raising  cattle  of  high  grades,  feeding 
from  100  to  150  a  year,  and  raises  about  200  hogs 
a  year. 

Mr.  McCullough  occupies  a  prominent  position 
among  the  generous,  high  minded,  open  handed 
men  of  Scott  County,  who,  while  building  up  for- 
tunes for  themselves  have  not  been  unmindful  of 
the  interests  of  their  adopted  precinct  and  county, 
but  have  in  every  way  striven  to  give  an  impetus 
to  their  growth  and  development,  and  have  been 
instrumental  in  securing  to  them  wealth  and  hii>h 
standing.  He  has  donated  very  largely  to  churches, 
regardless  of  denomination;  contributed  $600  to- 
ward the  erection  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Riggston,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  and 
aided  in  the  building  of  nearly  all  the  churches  in 
the  vicinity:  one  at  Bethel,  one  at  Exeter,  and  three 
in  Winchester,  Rutledge  Chapel  and  Benson  Chapel. 
He  has  been  a  devoted  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  since  February,  1  856,  is  one  of 
the  leaders  in  the  church  at  Riggston.  of  which  he 
has  been  Steward  and  Trustee  continuously,  and  a 
worker  in  the  Sunday-School.  Mrs.  McCullough 
and  six  of  the  children  have  also  united  with  that 
church.  In  his  wife  he  has  found  a  true  helpmate, 
who  has  encouraged  him  in  his  work,  and  heartily 
co-operated  with  him  in  all  his  plans. 

Our  subject  has  been  School  Director,  and  he 
erected  a  fine  two-story  brick  school-house  half  a 
mile  west  of  his  home  for  the  accomodation  of  the 
children  in  the  district.  His  influence  has  been  felt 
in  other  public  matters,  and  the  neat  railway  sta- 
tion at  Riggston  owes  its  existence  mostly  to  his 
liberality  and  enterprise,  as  he  contributed  $500 
toward  its  erection.  Mr.  McCullough  takes  a 
genuine  interest  in  the  political  affairs  of  his  country, 
and  has  always  voted  the  Democratic  ticket,  being- 
one  of  the  stanchest  supporters  of  his  party.  lie 
was  in  attendance  at  the  National  Democratic  Con- 
vention at  St.  Louis,  in  1888. 

Our  subject  is  gifted  with  a  fine  constitution,  and 
lias  always  enjoyed  good  health  till  within  the  last 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


495 


three  years,  since  which  time  he  has  suffered  witli 
dyspepsia,  and  has  tried  medical  treatment  here  and 
at  St.  Louis  witli  but  little  avail.  It  is  the  sincere 
wish  of  his  many  friends  that  this  severe  affliction 
may  pass  away,  and  he  be  restored  to  his  normal 
health. 


^ILLIAM  NEAT  of  the  banking  firm  of 
Neat,  Condit  <fe  Grout.  Winchester,  111., 
was  born  in  Macon  Count}',  Mo.,  in  1846. 
His  grandfather,  John  Neat,  a  native  of  Neatsville, 
Ky.,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Morgan  County- 
Whore  now  stands  the  town  of  Winchester,  he  en- 
tered a  large  tract  of  land  from  the  United  States 
Government  and  resided  upon  it  until  about  1845. 
In  that  year  being  possessed  of  the  irresistible  de- 
sire of  the  average  American  citizen  to  push  on 
farther  west,  he  emigrated  to  Missouri  where  he 
there  followed  various  pursuits  until  1846,  when 
he  died. 

Our  subject's  mother,  whose  maiden  .  name  was 
Martin,  returned  to  Winchester  and  still  resides  at 
that  place  with  her  son,  William  Neat,  our  sub- 
ject. William  Neat  was  taught  the  elementary 
branches  of  an  English  education,  obtained  in 
the  primitive  common  schools  of  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  in  Scott  County,  and  was  thus 
occupied  as  a  student  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Rebellion.  Early  in  Feb.  1862  at  Glasgow,  III., 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  in  Company  I,  28th 
Illinois  Infantry  and  served  until  discharged  at 
Jackson,  Tenn.,  in  April  1863.  At  the  battle  of 
llatcliie,  Oct.  5,  1862.  a  grape  shot  so  mutilated 
one  of  his  legs  as  to  necessitate  immediate  amputa- 
tion. Either  the  field  operation  was  unsuccessful 
or  else  it  was  exposure  or  lack  of  proper  atten- 
tion that  brought  the  surgeons  to  the  conclusion 
that  a  second  amputation  was  necessary.  Indeed 
it  appeared  that  before  the  final  recovery  of  the 
unfortunate  victim,  a  third  part  of  the  limb 
sloughed  off  virtually  making  three  several  ampu- 
tations of  the  wounded  member.  And  so  was 
added  another  victim  to  incompetent  surgery  or 
necessary  exposure  incident  to  the  great  war  of  the 
Rebellion. 

Having   returned    to  Glasgow   from    the   army, 


young  Neat  as  soon  as  physically  able  resumed  his 
studies  at  school  and  was  shortly  afterward  gradu- 
ated from  Aurora  (111.)  Business  College.  Some  time 
during  the  sixties  he  was  appointed  government 
storekeeper  in  the  Internal  Revenue  Department, 
but  this  occupation  being  uncongenial,  it  was  aban- 
doned after  he  had  held  the  office  one  year.  In 
1871  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Win- 
chester, and  a  year  later  sold  out  and  returned  to 
Glasgow,  where  he  was  in  general  merchandise 
until  1879,  when  he  removed  to  Alsey,  III.,  and 
engaged  in  business  until  1883  when  he  returned 
to  Winchester.  Here  he  engaged  in  grain  business 
to  which  he  has  since  devoted  much  of  his  time. 

The  banking  house  of  Neat,  Condit  &  Co.  was 
established  in  1886;  Mr.  Grout  came  into  the  firm 
in  1887  thus  making  a  strong  financial  combination. 
The  concern  does  a  general  banking  and  deposit 
business  and  is  justly  recognized  as  one  of  the 
solid,  reliable  and  substantial  financial  institutions 
of  Southwestern  Illinois. 

Mr.  Neat  is  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  order 
of  G.  A.  R.  and  counts  it  a  privilege  to  belong  to 
such  an  institution ;  he  also  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
He  is  a  sound  Republican  and  believes  in  his  party. 
He  was  married  at  Glasgow  in  1871  to  Miss  Alice 
Cumbey,  a  native  of  Wisconsin.  She  died  April 
1st,  1877,  leaving  two  children,  John  Carrollton 
and  Cora  S. 

Our'  subject  was  married  Feb.  2,  1881  to  Miss 
Armetta  Blair,  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Robert 
A.  Blair,  Esq.,  of  Winchester.  Of  this  union  there 
was  one  child,  Robert,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
HIair-Neat  died  Aug.  17,  1883. 


MLLIAM  DAWSON  is  the  son  of  a  worthy 
pioneer  of  Scott  County,  an  early  settler 
of  Winchester  Precinct  who  bore  an  act- 
ive part  in  its  development,  and  for  nearly  forty 
years  he  has  himself  been  closely  identified  with  its 
farming  and  stock-raising  interests.  Pie  has  inher- 
ited and  is  successfully  managing  his  father's  old 
homestead  which  was  purchased  from  the  Govern- 
ment in  the  early  years  of  the  settlement  of  this 
section  of  the  country,  and  has  been  improved 


t 


496 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


from  a  wild  tract  of  prairie  to  a  fine,  highly  pro- 
ductive farm,  supplied  with  substantial  buildings, 
good  machinery,  and,  in  fact,  with  all  the  necessary 
conveniences  for  carrying  on  agriculture  to  the  best 
advantage.  It  comprises  152  acres  of  rich,  arable 
land,  one  and  three-fourths  miles  north  of  Winches- 
ter, and  is  well  stocked  with  cattle,  horses  and  hogs 
of  good  grades. 

Our  subject  comes  of  a  good  old  Delaware  fam- 
ily, and  inherits  from  a  sterling  ancestry  those  fine 
traits  of  character  that  make  him  an  honorable 
man  and  a  good  citizen.  And  he  is  himself  a  na- 
tive of  that  State,  born  in  Sussex  Count}',  Aug.  26, 
1813,  to  Zachariah  and  Poll}'  (Beauchamp)  Daw- 
son,  who  were  likewise  of  Delaware  birth.  The 
father  was  bred  to  the  life  of  a  farmer  and  was  in 
good  circumstances,  and  did  not  need  to  move  to 
a  distant  State  to  better  his  condition,  but  he  was 
a  man  of  spirit  and  enterprise  and  the  stirring  life 
of  a  pioneer  in  a  newly  settled  country  had  attrac- 
tions for  him,  and  in  1837,  he  came  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Illinois.  He  invested  some  of  his  money  in 
forty  acres  of  land  in  Scott  County,  then  a  part  of 
Morgan  County,  and  he  and  his  wife  set  up  their 
household  gods  in  the  little  log  house  that  he 
bought  for  the  shelter  of  his  family.  They  made 
many  valuable  improvements,  were  much  prospered 
in  their  new  home,  and  accumulated  a  fine  estate 
of  300  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  here  their  re- 
maining years  were  passed  in  peace  and  plenty, 
the  father  first  closing  his  eyes  in  death,  dying 
Sept.  10,  1874,  at  a  ripe  old  age.  and  the  mother 
following  him  to  the  life  beyond  April  11,  1878,  in 
her  eighty -seventh  year.  To  that  worthy  couple 
eleven  children  were  born,  nine  sons  and  two 
daughters. 

He  of  whom  we  write  was  the  eldest  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  he  remained  an  inmate  of  the  parental 
household  in  Delaware  till  he  was  twenty-three 
years  old,  gleaning  his  education  by  infrequent 
attendance  at  a  subscription  school.  He  worked 
for  his  father  giving  him  able  assistance  in  the 
management  of  his  farming  interests  till  he  was 
twenty-one,  when  he  began  life  on  his  own  ac- 
count, finding  employment  in  working  by  the 
month  on  his  grandfather's  farm,  and  occasionally 
making  a  trip  in  a  schooner  carrying  wood  to  vari- 


ous  points  on  the  Delaware  River.  In  the  fall  of 
1835,  our  subject  shipped  on  a  schooner  running 
between  Concord,  Del.,  and  Baltimore,  Md.  But 
in  April,  1836,  he  gave  up  the  life  of  a  sailor  and 
proceeding  to  Cincinnati,  worked  in  a  shipyard 
the  ensuing  fifteen  years.  May  11,  1837,  he  was 
married  to  his  first  wife,  Miss  Nancy,  daughter  of 
David  and  Susan  Hill,  of  Delaware.  Four  children 
were  born  of  that  marriage,  but  they  and  their 
mother  are  now  dead,  Mrs.  Dawson  dying  in  1843. 
Oct.  24,  1843,  Mr.  Dawson  was  a  second  time  mar- 
ried, taking  unto  himself  as  a  wife,  Miss  Allie 
Hastings,  daughter  of  James  and  Allie  Hastings, 
of  Delaware.  The  three  children  born  of  that 
union  all  died  in  infancy,  and  the  mother  also  de- 
parted this  life,  her  death  occurring  Jan.  26,  1849. 
In  that  year  Mr.  Dawson  came  to  Illinois,  and  Sept. 
11,  he  was  wedded  to  his  present  wife,  formerly 
Miss  Eliza  N.  Penton,  daughter  of  Mathias  and 
Holland  Penton,  of  an  honorable  and  well-known 
Delaware  family.  Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Dawson  returned  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  remained 
there  until  1851.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he 
came  back  to  Illinois  and  settled  on  the  old  home- 
stead which  has  since  come  into  his  possession,  and 
has  been  a  valued  resident  of  this  township  from 
that  time.  He  has  given  his  entire  attention  to 
his  farm  where  he  engages  successfully  in  mixed 
husbandry,  and  is  justly  numbered  among  the  solid 
substantial  citizens  of  this  place. 

He  is  well  endowed  with  firmness,  energy  and 
enterprise,  and  notwithstanding  the  necessary  in- 
firmities that  accompany  advanced  age,  he  is  still 
active  and  vigorous,  working  for  work's  sake  from 
long  years  of  industrious  habit,  although  the  snows 
of  seventy-six  winters  have  frosted  his  head.  He 
is  fully  trusted  by  his  fellow-men  because  he  has 
always  carried  himself  as  an  upright,  God-fearing 
man  should  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  has  con- 
ducted himself  towards  others  so  as  to  secure  their 
good  will  and  respect.  He  takes  an  active  part  in 
politics  and  is  an  unswerving  supporter  of  the  He- 
publican  party,  and  the  temperance  issue  has  no 
stronger  advocate  in  word  and  deed  than  he.  He 
has  contributed  his  quota  for  the  material  advance- 
ment of  the  township,  and  has  done  good  service 
both  as  Road  Overseer  and  School  Director.  He 


I 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


497 


and  his  wife  are  sincere  and  consistent  Christians, 
and  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  he  has  been  trustee.  He  is  iden- 
tified with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  belonging  to  Winches- 
ter Lodge,  No.  70. 

In  the  accumulation  of  a  competence  Mr.  Daw- 
son  has  had  the  invaluable  aid  of  one  of  the  best 
and  most  capable  of  wives  who  has  labored  faith- 
fully by  his  side  during  all  the  long  years  of  their 
wedded  life  that  number  forty.  Age  has  dealt 
kindly  with  Mrs.  Dawson,and  she  is  in  good  health, 
and  retains  much  of  her  old  vigor.  The  following 
is  the  record  of  the  eight  children  she  has  borne 
her  husband,  six  of  whom  are  now  living:  Laura 
Augusta,  born  Nov.  18,  1850,  died  April  5,  1864; 
Belle  Zera,  born  July  8,  1853,  died  Aug.  14,  1871 ; 
Miles  Messick,  who  lives  three  and  one-fourth 
miles  northwest  of  Winchester,  was  born  Jan.  1, 
1855,  married  Jane  llornbeck,  and  they  have  four 
children;  Luella  born  April  12,  1852,  is  the  wife  of 
It.  T.  (1.  Coultas,  who  lives  one-fourth  miles  west 
of  Riggston,  and  they  have  seven  children;  Charles 
Coverton,  who  lives  in  Huffalo  County,  Neb.,  was 
born  May  29,  1856,  married  Nellie  Hawk,  and  they 
have  two  children;  George  May,  who  lives  two  and 
one-half  miles  northeast  of  Winchester,  married 
Sarah  Campbell,  and  they  have  three  children; 
Theophilus,  born  Jan.  10,  1860,  is  unmarried  and 
lives  at  home  with  his  parents;  Thomas,  who  lives 
a  mile  and  a  half  nortnwest  of  Winchester,  was 
born  Jan.  23,  1862,  and  married  Ida  Haney. 

-**£+*- 


TEPIIEN  HOLLAND  REID.  The  hon- 
ored name  which  stands  at  the  head  of  this 
sketch  has  been  successively  borne  by  three 
generations.  It  is  here  used  to  designate 
an  esteemed  citizen  of  the  city  of  Jacksonville — nn 
active  and  enterprising  agriculturist,  still  the  owner 
of  a  farm  of  250  acres,  in  the  northern  part  of 
township  15,  range  10.  He  was  born  in  the  blue 
grass  region  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  April  23,  1815,  and 
lived  there  until  his  removal  with  his  parents  to  Illi- 
nois in  1826.  His  father,  Stephen  H.  Reid.  Sr.,  a 
native  of  Boston.  Mass.,  was  a  marine  in  the  United 
States  Navy  at  the  time  of  the  threatened  difficulty 


during  the  Presidency  of  John  Adams.  After- 
ward, coming  to  Kentucky,  he  married  a  Miss 
Prather,  and  lived  in  Lexington,  working  at  his 
trade  as  a  house-carpenter. 

Twelve  bright  and  interesting  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reid,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  seventh  and  the  eldest  son. 
Deciding  to  move  Westward  to  get  land  for  his 
sons,  the  father  first  came  to  Illinois  by  boat  up  the 
river,  and  then  entering  Morgan  County,  took  up 
about  two  sections  of  land,  in  scattered  tracts  of 
eighty  acres  each,  hoping  thus  to  get  within  the 
borders  of  a  town.  Four  of  these  tracts  are  now 
included  within  the  city  limits  of  Jacksonville. 
Mr.  Reid  then  returned  to  Kentucky  for  his  wife 
and  children  and  household  goods.  Starting  in  the 
autumn,  with  two  six-horse  wagons  and  a  covered 
carriage,  they  spent  the  winter  in  Illinois,  and  again 
setting  forth  in  the  spring,  reached  their  destina- 
tion in  Morgan  County  on  the  first  of  May.  On 
account  of  bad  roads  the  family  were  left  at  Olney, 
111.,  our  subject  and  father  pushing  on  to  Morgan 
County.  With  no  bridges  and  no  roads  even, 
journeying  by  land  was  slow  and  tedious,  and  a 
veritable  slough  of  despond  must  have  been  the 
three-mile  stretch  between  Big  and  Little  Ocbo 
rivers  at  Vandalia,  known  as  the  '•  Hell  and  Scis- 
sors," which  it  took  three  days  to  cross.  The  Reid 
family  at  once  took  up  their  abode  in  a  log  cabin 
built  for  them  during  his  absence,  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  17,  one  mile  north  and  a  little 
west  of  what  is  now  the  public  square  of  Jackson- 
ville. 

The  next  year  witnessed  the  breaking  of  twenty 
acres  of  prairie,  the  hewing  of  timber  and  the 
framing  of  a  house.  The  new  dwelling  was  nearly 
ready  for  occupancy  when  the  death  of  the  pio- 
neer Reid  left  the  widowed  wife  and  mother  with 
the  care  of  a  farm  and  nine  children.  They  endured 
the  usual  privations  and  hardships  of  those  early 
days.  In  the  absence  of  flour  and  meal  and  mills 
for  grinding,  bread  was  made  from  grated  corn,  to 
different  members  of  the  family  the  task  being  as- 
signed of  grating  a  certain  number  of  ears  every 
evening.  A  frequent  substitute  for  bread  was  a 
preparation  of  wheat,  boiled  like  rice  and  called 
'•  fermative."  For  meat  there  was  plenty  of  veni- 


I 


498 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


i 


son,  with  fresh  pork  and  bacon  from  wild  hog's, 
while  prairie  chickens,  quails,  wild  turkeys  and 
other  game  were  abundant.  Farm  produce  was 
mostty  taken  to  St.  Louis  for  market.  As  to  gro- 
ceries, they  had  none  to  speak  of.  There  was  but 
one  little  store  in  Jacksonville.  The  fields  fur- 
nished a  substitute  for  coffee,  a  sweetening  syrup 
was  made  from  pumpkin,  a  little  sugar  from  the 
maple.  Milk  and  butter  were  not  lacking.  The 
first  grain  of  genuine  coffee  that  Mr.  Reid  ever  saw 
was  some  gathered  in  Gen.  Washington's  garden. 
He  ate  one  green  kernel,  and  decided  that  lie 
wanted  no  more.  The  log  school-house  was  then 
in  the  land,  and  was  used  for  religious  as  well  as 
educational  purposes,  its  walls  often  resounding  to 
the  fervid  eloquence  of  the  itinerant  preacher. 

The  Reid  family  remained  together  several  years, 
Stephen  contributing  mainly  to  its  support,  until 
1837,  when,  being  at  that  time  twenty -two  years  of 
age,  he  made  a  journey  to  Kentucky  and  brought 
thence  a  wife,  Martha  Capps,  a  native  of  Clark 
County.  They  had  three  children,  of  whom  only 
one  survives,  Stephen  Holland  Reid,  Jr.,  now  a 
resident  of  Macoupin  County,  a  farmer  and  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  and,  indeed,  a  representative  citizen. 
Caleb  C.  and  John  W.  died  at  two  years  of  age. 
Mr.  Reid's  mother  passed  her  last  years  in  the  home 
of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Capps,  dying  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty  years. 

His  first  wife  dying  Feb.  28,  1845,  Mr.  Reid 
married  Feb.  19,  1846,  Miss  Martha  Garratt,  a  na- 
tive of  Cheshire,  England,  who  came  to  America 
when  a  young  lady,  with  her  mother  and  brother. 
Seven  children  were  the  fruit  of  this  union,  six  of 
whom  are  now  living,  namely:  John  Garratt,  a 
physician  in  Woodburn,  111.,  who  married  Mrs. 
Mary  J.  Whittier;  Lydia  C.,  still  at  home;  Richard 
Watson,  a  lawyer  in  town,  graduate  of  the  Chicago 
Law  School:  George  W.,  Enoch  S.,  E.  James,  the 
three  latter  on  the  farm;  Sarah  died  at  the  age  of 
six  months. 

As  before  intimated,  Mr.  Reid  spent  a  great  pirt 
of  his  active  life  as  a  stock  raiser  and  tiller  of  the 
soil  on  a  farm  in  the  northwest  part  of  this  town- 
ship, clearing  between  700  and  800  acres,  and  en- 
closing a  pnrt  of  it  which  has  never  yet  been  out 
of  his  hands.  The  first  brick  house  in  that  neigh- 


borhood was  built  by  him  and  occupied  by  his 
family  until  1875,  when  he  moved  into  his  present 
city  home.  No.  402,  Nortb  Church  street.  Here, 
in  the  following  year,  his  second  wife  died.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reid  were  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as  were  his  father  and 
mother  before  him.  Mr.  Reid  has  been  for  many 
3Tears  a  local  preacher,  and  is  now  an  elder  in  the 
church,  contributing  to  its  counsels  the  wisdom 
and  sympathy  which  come  with  the  varied  experi- 
ences of  a  long  and  earnest  life. 


HARLES  S.  RANNELLS  is  a  native  of 
Morgan  County,  and  was  born  Dec.  5, 
1857.  He  was  graduated  from  Illinois  Col- 
lege, at  Jacksonville,  in  the  year  1879.  His  father, 
Samuel  M.  Rannells,  was  born  in  Bourbon  County, 
Ky.,  Aug.  1,  1812,  where  he  lived  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  emigrated  to  Mor- 
gan County,  in  1828.  He  came  here  in  company 
with  his  father,  William  Rannells.  The  ances- 
try of  this  family,  on  the  paternal  side,  is  traced 
to  Scotland,  while  that  of  the  mother  is  Swedish. 
On  coming  to  Morgan  County,  William  Rannells, 
the  grandfather  of  Charles  S.,  located  on  the  home 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  the  latter. 

Samuel  M.  Rannells,  the  father  of  Charles  S.,  mar- 
ried Mary  R.  Springer,  of  Georgetown,  Ky.  She 
came  to  Morgan  County  in  1832,  in  company  with 
the  family  of  her  brother-in-law.  In  her  father's 
family  were  five  children:  Reuben  R.  and  Charles 
G.,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio  (both  died,  leaving  no 
children1*;  Catharine,  Caroline  A.,  and  Mary  R. 
Samuel  M.  Rannells  had  eight  brothers  and  sisters, 
four  of  whom  are  living. 

To  our  subject's  parents  were  born  five  children. 
Caroline  M.  married  John  C.  Duer,  of  Jacksonville. 
He  is  deceased.  Three  children  are  living  with  the 
widow,  whose  names  are  Martha  R.,  James  M.  and 
Anna  C.  Catherine,  Ann,  Mary,  and  Martha  died 
in  infancy. 

Charles  S.,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  written,  mar- 
ried Cornelia  May  Stevenson,  daughter  of  Sep- 
timus Stevenson,  on  the  19th  of  May,  1880. 
He  commenced  his  career  in  comfortable  cir- 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


499 


cu instances,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  magnifi- 
cc'iit  homestead  of  1,500  acres  of  land,  and,  in 
company  with  his  sister,  owns  1,000  acres  more, 
all  of  which  is  well  improved.  He  is  engaged  in 
general  fanning,  and  is  an  extensive  feeder  of  cattle, 
of  which  he  has  on  hand,  at  all  times,  a  large  herd. 
He  is  also  engaged  in  breeding  the  Norman  grade 
of  draft  horses,  and  also  roadsters.  He  raises 
enough  grain  to  supply  the  wants  of  his  farm. 

Mr.  Rannells  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and,  in 
company  with  his  family,  worships  at  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  and 
wealth}'  citizens  of  Morgan  County,  whose  reputa- 
tion is  of  the  very  best. 


HARLES  W.  SWAIN.  This  enterprising 
young  farmer  is  industriously  devoting  his 
^»f  life  to  his  chosen  occupation,  is  doing  well 
financially,  and  bids  fair  to  become  a  man  of  means, 
and  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  his  native 
township.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Swain,  a  pioneer 
of  Morgan  County.  He  was  born  Jan.  20,  1862, 
and  was  reared  to  the  life  of  a  farmer,  on  the  home 
farm  in  this  township,  receiving  a  sound,  practical 
training  in  the  calling  that  he  afterward  adopted 
when  he  arrived  at  years  of  discretion.  He  gleaned 
a  substantial  education  in  the  public  schools,  as  he 
was  a  bright  and  faithful  scholar,  and  early  entered 
upon  his  career  as  an  agriculturist.  His  farm  of 
fifty-six  acres,  with  a  fine  growth  of  timber  on  it, 
is  under  excellent  tillage,  and  its  soil  of  exceeding 
fertility  yields  abundant  harvests  in  repayment  for 
skillful  labor  expended  on  it  by  the  owner.  The 
buildings  are  well  built,  and  in  good  order,  and 
everything  about  the  place  indicates  thrift  and 
method  in  its  management. 

For  the  success  that  he  is  sure  to  achieve  if  he 
continues  to  prosper,  Mr.  Swain  will  be  greatly  in- 
debted to  his  intelligent,  capable  wife  who  gladly 
co-operates  with  him  in  his  work,  and  makes  their 
home  the  centre  of  comfort  and  ease,  attractive 
alike  to  their  many  friends  with  whom  they  often 
share  its  generous  hospitalities,  and  to  the  stranger 
who  for  the  first  time  crosses  its  happy  threshold. 
Mrs.  Swain's  maiden  name  was  Mary  E.  Stauder- 


ford,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  E. 
(Manchester)  Standerford,  of  this  township,  and  a 
granddaughter  of  Mrs.  Ethia  Manchester,  the  widow 
of  the  well-known  pioneer  of  Morgan  County,  the 
late  David  Manchester.  She  was  born  in  Richard- 
son County,  Neb.,  of  which  her  parents  were  early 
settlers,  having  removed  from  here  to  that  place  in 
the  early  days  of  its  settlement.  Mrs.  Swain's 
mother  died  when  she  was  a  small  child,  and  her 
father  subsequently  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Pursell, 
of  Nebraska.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  three 
children — Maud,  Thomas  (deceased),  Mrs.  Swain. 
The  latter  was  tenderly  cared  for  after  her  mother's 
death,  and  reared  to  womanhood  by  her  grand- 
mother Manchester,  and  from  that  happy  home  she 
went  forth  to  be  the  light  of  another,  her  union 
with  oursubject  having  been  duly  solemnized  Sept. 
9,  1885.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed  to  them 
by  the  birth  of  one  son,  whom  they  have  named 
John. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swain  are  both  representatives  of 
leading  pioneer  families  of  this  county,  and  they 
stand  high  in  the  social  and  religious  circles  of  their 
community  where  they  are  so  well-known,  and  are 
regarded  with  great  esteem  as  possessing  those  fine 
traits  of  character  that  render  them  desirable  as 
friends  and  neighbors.  Mr.  Swain  is  identified 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as  one  of  its 
most  consistent  members,  and  in  him  the  Repub- 
lican party  finds  an  earnest  supporter. 


THOMAS  KERSHAW.  The  Kershaw  family 
comprises  one  of  the  old  landmarks  of  this 
count}',  to  which  the  father  came  early  in 
the  forties  and  secured  400  acres  of  land  in  town- 
ship 16,  range  11,  a  part  of  which,  to  the  extent  of 
154  acres,  is  occupied  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
and  lies  on  sections  27  and  28.  The  land  is  rolling, 
and  upon  it  is  situated  the  well-known  Duncan 
Sulphur  Spring,  which  was  discovered,  in  1839,  by 
Ex-Gov.  Duncan,  who  then  owned  the  land.  The 
spring,  however,  has  been  chiefly  developed  by 
the  Kershaws,  and  possesses  valuable  medicinal 
properties,  as  has  been  demonstrated  by  William 
L.  Dudley,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  who  has  made  a 


oOO 


1MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


\     ' 

t 


thorough  examination,  and  recommends  it  for  vari- 
ous ailments.  Many  people  who  have  drunk  of 
the  waters  have  sent  strong  testimonials  as  to  the 
virtues  of  this  wonderful  spring,  which,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  death  of  Gov.  Duncan,  would  doubt- 
less have  become  a  favorite  health  resort. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Oldham,  Lancashire,  England,  Feb.  25,  1835, 
and  is  of  pure  English  stock.  His  father.  Robert 
Kershaw,  was  a  native  of  the  same  place,  where  he 
learned  the  art  of  spinning  cotton  and  married 
Miss  Bettie  Chadwick,  who  was  also  born  and 
reared  in  Lancashire,  and  who  became  the  mother 
of  four  sons,  all  of  whom  came  to  America,  and 
of  whom  our  subject  was  the  j'oungest.  A  further 
history  of  the  family  will  be  found  in  the  biog- 
raphy of  James  Kershaw  on  another  page  of  this 
volume.  On  coming  to  the  United  States  they  set 
sail  from  Liverpool,  landed  in  New  Orleans,  and 
later  came  up  the  Mississippi  River  to  this  county. 
The  family  was  first  represented  here  by  the  father 
and  his  eldest  son  James,  the  others  being  obliged 
to  remain  in  New  Orleans  on  account  of  the  scarc- 
ity of  funds.  After  the  father  and  son  had  made 
suflicient  money,  the}'  sent  for  the  mother  and  the 
three  younger  sons,  who  landed  in  this  county  July 
4,  1839. 

The  father  of  our  subject  and  bis  sons  made 
some  money  by  working  at  whatever  they  could 
find  to  do,  and,  after  the  death  of  Gov.  Duncan, 
the  father  purchased  400  acres  of  his  landed  pos- 
sessions. He  was  successful  in  his  labors  as  a 
tiller  of  the  soil,  and  both  parents  lived  many 
years  on  the  homestead  which  they  had  built  up, 
enjoying  the  comforts  of  life  together  with  the 
esteem  of  their  neighbors.  Thomas,  our  subject, 
was  the  youngest  of  the  family,  and  remained  with 
his  parents  until  they  no  more  needed  his  filial 
services.  When  about  twenty-four  years  of  age  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Sophia  Wood,  of  Jacksonville, 
and  a  native  of  his  own  county  in  England.  She 
was  born  in  1844,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Ammon 
and  Bettie  (Buckley)  Wood,  natives  of  England, 
where  all  but  one  of  their  twelve  children  were 
also  born,  and  of  whom  Mrs.  Kershaw  was  among 
the  youngest.  They  came  to  America  in  1845,  and 
settled  in  the  then  little  town  of  Jacksonville, 


where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives;  the  father  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years,  and  the  mother  in  middle  life,  when 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Kershaw,  was  only  twelve  years 
old.  Both  parents  were  members  of  the  Church  of 
England.  Two  brothers  of  Mrs.  Kershaw,  John 
and  Benjamin,  are  residents  of  Jacksonville.  The 
other  children  of  that  large  family  are  deceased. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kershaw  there  were  born  two 
children  only,  both  of  whom  died  young — Albert 
and  an  infant  unnamed.  Mr.  Kershaw,  politically, 
uniformly  supports  the  Democratic  ticket,  and 
keeps  himself  well  posted  in  regard  to  matters  of 
general  importance,  although  he  has  no  desire  to 
assume  the  responsibilities  of  office.  They  have  a 
very  pleasant  home,  and  number  their  friends  by 
the  score  in  this  county. 


J"  OSEPH  K.  SHARPE.  The  residence  of  this 
gentleman  in  the  city  of  Jacksonville,  dates 
from  the  year  1  865.  His  business  connec- 
'  tions  have  been  chiefly  in  the  lumber  trade. 
For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  much  interested 
in  farming  in  addition  thereto.  Mr.  Sharpe  was 
born  in  Pike  County,  111.,  in  1 842,  and  is  the  son  A. 
P.  and  Fanny  (Hutchins)  Sharpe,  who  were  highly 
respected  citizens  of  Pike  County,  to  which  they  re- 
moved from  Putnam,  Windom  Co.,  Conn.,  in  the 
year  1 837.  They  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  in 
September,  1887.  The  subject  of  this  writing  wns 
married  on  the  loth  of  September,  1865,  at  Griggs- 
ville,  being  then  allied  to  Miss  Martha  D.  Gibbs. 
the  daughter  of  Charles  F.  and  Elizabeth  E.  Gibbs, 
of  Griggsville,  111.,  and  natives  of  Kentucky.  Of 
this  union  there  have  been  born  nine  children, 
whose  names  are:  Gertrude  E.,  Helen,  Ruby  May, 
Fannie,  Joseph  K.,  Arthur  Frank,  Edith,  Josephine 
M.,  and  William  K.  In  May,  1802,  Mr.  Sharpe 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  68th  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
served  until  October  of  the  same  year.  He  was 
chiefly  occupied  in  guard  duty,  but  was  in  active 
service  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Hun.  He  was 
mustered  out  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  serv- 
ice, and  received  his  discharge  at  Springfield,  III. 
The  first  efforts  of  our  subject  in  the  work  of 


I 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


50 1 


making  his  way  in  the  world  was  in  the  direction  of 
school  teaching,  which  he  commenced  shortly  after 
his  graduation  from  the  High  School  at  Griggs- 
ville,  this  State.  After  following  this  profession 
for  two  years,  he  began  trading  in  stock,  continu- 
ing successfully  engaged  in  that  direction,  until  he 
came  to  Jacksonville  to  engage  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness with  J.  S.  &  G.  S.  Russel,  in  which  connection 
he  continued  for  twenty-two  and  one-half  3'ears. 

In  1 879,  Mr.  Sharpe  and  his  brother  Fred  became 
the  owners  and  operators  of  a  finely  improved  and 
well-stocked  farm  about  220  acres  in  extent;  under 
the  firm  name  of  J.  K.  and  F.  L.  Sharpe.  On  the  first 
of  March,  1888,  the  full  control  and  sole  manage- 
ment  of  the  farm  will  pass  into  the  hands  of  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm,  and  Mr.  Sharpe  will 
then  give  his  whole  time  and  attention  to  it. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  one  who  has  been 
successful  in  life  from  a  financial  standpoint.  This  is 
evidenced  by  the  beautiful  home  he  has  been  en- 
abled to  provide  and  sustain  for  his  family  in  the 
western  part  of  the  city.  In  the  various  social  or- 
ganizations Mr.  Sharpe  is  well  and  favorably  known, 
being  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  A.  O.  U.  W., 
and  the  G.  A.  K.  He  is  also  a  retired  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Honor.  His  father  was  a  strong 
Abolitionist,  and  was  active  in  what  was  known  as 
"the  underground  railroad."  Our  subject  is  a 
stalwart  Republican.  He  is  very  positive  in  his 
position,  and  at  all  times  ready  to  engage  actively 
on  behalf  of  the  party. 


,'OHN  WELSH.  The  substantial  character  of 
this  name  itself  is  quite  indicative  of  the 
qualities  of  the  man.  A  well-to-do  reliable 
and  unassuming  citizen,  he  never  seeks  popu- 
larity, but  has  been  content  to  pursue  the  even  tenor 
of  his  way  in  his  own  particular  sphere,  shedding  a 
healthy  influence  around  him,  and  being  recognized 
as  the  encourager  and  supporter  of  everything  that 
is  worthy  and  elevating  in  the  community.  He  is 
one  of  those  rare  characters  whose  word  is  consid- 
ered as  good  as  his  bond,  and  who  has  a  healthy 
contempt  for  a  mean  action. 

The  native  place  of  our  subject  was  County  Tip- 


perary,  Ireland,  and  his  birth  occurred  March  10, 
1832.  His  father,  Patrick  Welsh,  was  a  native  of 
the  same  county  as  his  son,  and  there  spent  his  en- 
tire life,  engaged  in  farming.  The  maiden  name  of 
the  mother  was  Mary  Lewis.  She  was  also  born 
and  reared  near  the  childhood  home  of  her  hus- 
band, and  is  now  deceased.  The  parental  family 
consisted  of  seven  children. 

Our  subject  sojourned  in  his  native  county  until 
a  3'outh  of  eighteen  years,  receiving  a  common- 
school  education,  and  employing  himself  mostly  at 
fanning.  In  early  youth  he  had  become  interested 
in  the  country  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic, 
and  from  what  he  could  gather  from  reading  and 
hearsay,  it  appeared  to  him  that  here  were  oppor- 
tunities not  to  be  found  on  his  native  soil.  He  de- 
termined to  emigrate  thither,  and  accordingly,  in 
1850,  bade  adieu  to  the  friends  and  associates  of  his 
childhood,  and  embarking  at  Waterford,  landed 
seven  weeks  and  four  days  later  in  New  York. 
Thence  he  proceeded  to  Chester  County,  where  he 
found  employment  as  a  farm  laborer,  and  where  he 
continued  to  live  until  1855.  The  spring  of  that 
year  found  him  first  in  this  county,  and  he  rented 
a  tract  of  land  on  North  Prairie.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  two  years  spent  in  Morgan  County,  and 
two  years  in  Greene  County,  he  has  since  made 
Scott  County  his  home. 

Mr.  Welsh  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  Decem- 
ber, 1866,  and  fora  period  of  twenty-three  years 
has  given  his  undivided  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  has  wisely  made  of  these  a  science 
and  a  profession,  and  from  the  first  set  up  for  him- 
self a  high  standard  which  he  has  endeavored  to 
follow.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  he  has  suceeded 
in  an  admirable  manner.  His  farm,  1 60  acres  in  ex- 
tent, has  been  brought  to  a  thorough  state  of  cul- 
tivation, his  buildings  are  neat  and  substantial,  and 
his  machinery  and  live-stock  indicate  in  a  forcible 
manner  his  progressive  and  enterprising  spirit.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  graded  horses,  Short-horn  cat- 
tle, and  Poland-China  swine. 

Our  subject  was  first  married  in  Jacksonville,  in 
the  spring  of  1863,  to  Miss  Susan,  daughter  of 
Richard  Sponsler.  Of  this  union  there  were  born 
three  children — Edward,  Luc\-  and  Ella,  who  are  at 
home  with  their  father.  The  wife  and  mother  died 


*Mr^N 


502 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


in  1873.  Mr.  Welsh  contracted  a  second  marriage, 
in  1875,  with  Mrs.  Mary  (O'Neill)  Ryan,  a  native 
of  Ireland.  This  marriage  likewise  resulted  in  the 
birth  of  three  children — Katie,  Margaret,  and  John. 
Mrs.  Welsh  by  her  first  husband,  William  Ryan,  be- 
came the  mother  of  one  child.  Mr.  W.  meddles 
very  little  with  public  affairs,  and  has  never  sought 
office.  Upon  becoming  a  naturalized  citizen,  he 
identified  himself  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  is 
a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


fj  OHN  M.  REID,  one  of  the  most  enterprising 
young  business  men  of  Jacksonville,  oper- 
'  ates  a  livery,  feed,  sale  and  boarding  stable 
on  South  Main  street,  which  he  established  in 
the  summer  of  1883.  He  has  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  this  locality,  and  in  Jacksonville. 
Aug.  7,  1855,  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of 
day.  His  parents  were  John  B.  A.  and  Mary  (Weir) 
Reid,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  the 
latter  of  Sangamon  County,  111. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  this  county  in  1826,  when  a  little  child 
two  years  of  age.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, and  died  two  years  after  coming  to  Ill- 
inois, about  1828.  John  B.  A.  continued  with  his 
mother  on  the  farm  and  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  For  many 
years  the  family  lived  northwest  of  the  city. 

Of  the  six  sons  and  three  daughters  born  to  the 
parents  of  our  subject  eight  are  living,  namely: 
John  M.,  of  this  sketch,  Albert  N.,  Emma  L., 
Charles,  Mary  A.,  William  E.,  Henry  O.  and  Arthur. 
John  M.  received  a  fair  education,  being  gradu- 
ated from  the  Business  College  at  Jacksonville  in 
the  class  of  1875.  He  then  returned  to  the  farm, 
and  was  interested  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  the 
summer  of  1883,  when  coming  into  the  cit37  he  es- 
tablished his  present  business.  He  was  prospered  in 
this  enterprise,  and  now  keeps  in  his  employ  from 
four  to  nine  men,  having  a  fine  line  of  horses  and 
vehicles,  and  keeps  many  fine  horses  to  board.  The 
ground  devoted  to  this  purpose  was  purchased  by 
Mr.  Reid  in  the  spring  of  1882,  and  that  same  year 
he  erected  his  stable,  which  occupies  an  area  of 


60x190  feet.  Upon  this  he  expended  $3,000,  but 
has  one  of  the  finest  equipped  stables  in  the  county 
and  enjoys  a  patronage  from  its  best  people.  In 
1  885  he  purchased  the  residence  which  he  now  oc- 
cupies for  a  like  sum. 

Mr.  Reid  was  married,  Nov.  22,  1877,  to  Miss 
Julia  E.  Williamson,  who  was  born  Jan  2.  1858, 
in  Morgan  County,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Cynthia  (Mullen)  Williamson.  The  parents 
of  Mrs.  Reid  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  Mr.  Reid 
gives  his  personal  supervision  to  his  business  and 
has  but  little  time  to  meddle  with  politics,  but 
keeps  himself  posted  upon  current  events,  and  uni- 
formly votes  the  Republican  ticket.  He  is  contrib- 
uting his  full  quota  to  the  business  interests  of 
Jacksonville,  and  is  numbered  among  its  leading 
citizens. 


EZEKIAH  RIMBEY,  a  retired  contractor 
and  builder  of  Winchester,  was  born  in 
Frederick  County,  Md.,  Dec.  1,  1817.  His 
father,  Peter  Rimbey,  a  weaver  by  trade,  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  descended  from 
(Jerman  ancestry,  and  his  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Margaret  Stultz,  also  of  German  parent- 
age, was  probably  born  in  Virginia.  The  old 
gentleman  died  in  Maryland  somewhere  about  1854, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  and  the  old  lady 
lived  to  be  eighty-three.  They  reared  a  famihy  of 
three  sons  and  four  daughters,  Hezekiah  being  the 
oldest  son  and  second  child. 

Hezekiah  Rimbey  was  educated  at  Emmettsburg, 
Md.,  and  for  a  short  time  taught  school  in  that 
vicinity.  lie  subsequently  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  thereafter  devoted  the  greater  portion 
of  his  time  to  it.  In  1838  he  emigrated  to  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ohio,  whence,  two  years  later,  he 
removed  to  Illinois  and  located  at  Jacksonville. 
Remaining  at  that  place  about  two  years,  he  then 
removed  to  Lynnville,  and  made  that  town  his 
home  probably  until  1850,  in  which  year  he  re- 
turned East.  In  1851  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Winchester,  and  has  been  more  or  less  identified 
with  the  construction  of  about  every  first-class 
building  erected  in  that  city  since. 

In  August,  1801,  Mr.  Rimbey  enlisted  in  Coin- 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


503 


pany  C,  28tb  Illinois  Infantry,  and  served  witli 
distinction  to  the  end  of  his  three  year's  enlistment, 
being  a  non-commissioned  officer,  and  participating 
in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Hatchie,  Jackson,  Miss., 
etc.  While  on  detached  duty  at  Memphis  he  met 
with  an  accident  from  the  effects  of  which  he  will 
probably  never  recover.  Being  mustered  out  of 
the  service  Aug.  26,  1864,  he  returned  home  and 
resumed,  as  has  been  indicated,  his  former  occupa- 
tion. He  was  married  at  Lynnville,  Morgan 
Co.,  III.,  Jan.  26,  1843,  to  Miss  Mary  Quarton, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Quarton,  who  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  that  county,  and  has  had  born  to 
him  seven  children,  of  whom  we  have  the  following 
memoranda:  Margaret  died  in  infancy;  Manassah 
died  at  the  age  of  three  years;  Hammoleketh  died, 
aged  eleven  years,  nine  months  and  twent3'-three 
days;  Thomas  died  aged  one  year  and  nineteen 
days;  Helen  died  aged  six  months;  Hezekiah,  Jr., 
is  a  clerk  in  Winchester,  and  Ada  is  the  wife  of. 
Mr.  L.  Schierieck,  now  of  St.  Louis.  The  family 
are  enthusiastic  and  consistent  members  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Mr.  Ilimbey  is  a  stalwart  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  a  devoted  member  of  Hesse 
Post  No.  203,  G.  A.  R. 

Mrs.  Rimbey's  father,  Thomas  Quarton,  was  a 
native  of  England,  and  during  his  day  one  of  the 
most  extensive  fanners  of  Morgan  County.  Mrs. 
Rimbcy  was  born  in  England  in  1819,  and  was  ten 
years  old  when  her  parents  came  to  America. 


WrJ.  WYLDER.  The  life-labors  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice  have  resulted  in  the 
„  „  accumulation  of  a  good  property,  in  the 
shape  of  a  well-cultivated  farm,  which  he  has  now 
owned  for  a  period  of  nineteen  years.  lie  has  con- 
venient and  substantial  buildings,  and  his  land, 
comprising  120  acres,  has,  under  a  course  of  care- 
ful cultivation,  become  exceeding!}'  fertile  and 
finely  adapted  to  the  growth  of  the  richest  products 
of  Central  Illinois.  The  homestead  is  pleasantly 
located  on  section  17,  township  15,  range  11,  and 
the  proprietor  and  his  family  are  not  only  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  comforts  of  life,  but  enjoy  in  a 
marked  degree  the  respect  of  their  neighbors. 


Mr.  Wylder  came  to  this  county  in  1852,  and  for 
a  time  operated  on  rented  land.  He  purchased 
120  acres  the  year  following  on  section  8  of  this 
same  township,  and  which  he  occupied  from  1853 
to  1869.  Then  selling  out,  he  secured  that  upon 
which  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  native  of  this  State, 
having  been  born  near  Greenfield,  in  Greene 
County,  March  4,  1831,  and  is  the  son  of  Wylie 
Wylder,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  whose 
people  before  him  were  Southerners.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Moses  Wylder,  it  is  believed,  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  and  he  was  one  of  a 
family  of  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  He  was 
of  Scotch-Irish  ancestr\',  and  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  Later  he  settled  down  to 
farming  pursuits,  and  after  his  marriage  and  the 
birth  of  all  his  children  by  two  wives,  removed 
with  his  family  to  DeKalb  County,  East  Tennessee, 
where  his  death  took  place  when  he  had  attained 
his  fourscore  years.  His  son,  Wylie,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  his  eldest  born,  the  child  of  his 
first  wife,  who  died  when  she  was  in  her  prime. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  to  manhood 
in  liis  native  county,  and  was  bred  to  farm  pur- 
suits. He  married  a  maiden  of  his  own  neighbor- 
hood, Miss  Temperance  Melton,  who  was  of  South- 
ern parentage  and  reared  not  far  from  the  town  of 
New  Salem,  N.  C.  Soon  after  their  marriage,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wylder,  together  with  the  Melton  family, 
removed  to  DeKalb  County,  Tenn.,  and  engaged 
in  farming  pursuits,  as  before.  They  lived  there 
until  after  the  birth  of  seven  children,  then,  in  the 
fall  of  1830,  made  their  way  to  Greene  County, 
this  State,  and  settled  in  the  wilderness,  five  miles 
from  any  neighbor.  Mr.  Wylder  took  up  a  tract 
of  Government  laud,  from  which  he  constructed  a 
comfortable  homestead,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
three  years  spent  in  Texas,  there  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1860, 
when  he  was  a  little  over  seventy-five  years  old. 
The  wife  and  mother  had  departed  this  life  when 
little  past  middle  age. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eighth  child  of 
his  parents,  whose  family  consisted  of  six  sons  and 
five  daughters,  all  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years, 
and  all,  with  one  exception,  were  married.  One 
son,  Thomas  N.,  enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier  in 


504 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Company  K,  27th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Mission  Ridge  was  shot  through  the  leg,  and 
died  in  the  hospital  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  at  the 
age  of  twentj'-seven  years.  One  other  brother 
died  when  six  months  old.  W.  J.,  our  subject,  re- 
mained a  resident  of  his  native  county  until  reach- 
ing man's  estate,  and  learned  the  trade  of  harness - 
making.  He  came  a  single  man  to  this  county,  and 
in  1852  was  married  at  the  home  of  the  bride,  in 
Lynnville  Precinct,  to  Miss  Willmuth  W.  L.  Jones. 
This  lady  was  born  in  Howard  County,  Mo.,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  Joel  and  Nancy  (Anderson)  Jones, 
who  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  This  branch  of 
the  Jones  family  is  of  Welsh  descent,  while  the 
Andersons  trace  their  ancestry  to  Holland.  The 
parents  of  Mrs.  Wylder  were  reared  and  married 
in  the  Blue  Grass  State,  whence  they  removed  to 
Missouri,  and  in  which  State  their  two  children — 
Mrs.  Wylder  and  her  sister  Sarah — were  born. 

When  the  Jones  family  came  to  this  county, 
they  located  on  a  tract  of  wild  land,  on  section  16, 
township  15,  range  11,  where  they  established  a 
permanent  home,  and  where  the  parents  resided 
until  their  decease.  Mr.  Jones  was  accidentally 
killed  by  a  runaway  horse,  attached  to  a  sleigh, 
from  which  he  was  thrown  and  received  such  in- 
juries that  he  only  survived  a  short  time.  He  was 
then  about  fifty  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Jones  survived 
her  husband  until  August,  1879,  and  died'  at  the 
age  of  seventy -five  years.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Christian  Church. 

Mrs.  Wylder  was  but  a  child  when  coming  to 
this  county.  She  was  reared  to  womanhood  under 
the  parental  roof,  and  attended  the  district  school, 
while  at  the  same  time  she  was  taught  to  make  her- 
self useful,  and  became  an  expert  housekeeper.  Of 
her  union  with  our  subject  there  is  one  child  only, 
M.  Anna,  who  was  born  in  Greene  County,  this 
State,  June  29,  1854,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Paschal.  Mr.  Paschal  is  the  son  of  Golem  an  and 
Surah  (Street)  Paschal,  the  former  of  whom  died  in 
Cass  County  when  her  son  Thomas  was  four  years 
old.  The  mother  died  ten  years  later,  and  thus  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years  the  boy  was  left  to  fight 
the  buttle  of  life  singly  and  alone.  He  employed 
himself  at  whatever  he  could  find  to  do  until  a 
youth  of  seventeen  years,  and  then,  the  Civil  War 


being  in  progress,  enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier  in 
Company  F,  47th  Illinois  Infantry.  lie  served  one 
year,  met  the  enemy  in  battle  at  Spanish  Fort,  and, 
escaping  unharmed,  received  his  honorable  dis- 
charge. 

Mr.  Paschal,  upon  leaving  the  service,  came  di- 
rectly to  this  count)',  and  has  since  made  his  home 
within  its  limits.  Since  his  marriage,  which  oc- 
curred Nov.  22,  1877,  he  has  lived  on  this  same 
fnrm,  near  his  father-in-law,  and  the  two  families 
occupy  a  good  position  among  the  representative 
people  of  the  county.  Our  subject,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  is  identified  with  the  Christian 
Church,  in  which  Mr.  Wylder  is  an  Elder  and  Mr. 
Paschal  a  Deacon,  attending  services  at  Chapin. 
Both  gentlemen,  politically,  are  pronounced  Re- 
publicans. 


ANIEL  SMITH,  known  to  the  commercial 
)))  world  as  a  cigar  manufacturer  and  whole- 
sale dealer  in  tobacco,  is  reckoned  among 
the  leading  capitalists  of  Winchester.  He 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Rautcnhausen,  Ger- 
many, Jan.  1,  1838  and  came  to  America  in 
Aug.  1854.  His  parents,  Conrad  and  Christina 
(Walber)  Schmidt,  both  died  in  the  old  country. 
The}'  reared  a  large  family  of  children,  of  whom 
Daniel,  one  brother  John,  and  a  sister,  came  to  the 
United  States.  John  now  runs  a  large  sheep  ranch 
in  Oregon,  and  the  sister  resides  in  Bloomington, 
111.  Daniel  Smith,  who  it  will  be  observed,  adopts 
the  English  spelling  of  the  family  name,  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Fatherland  and  there  learned  the  trade 
of  a  shoemaker. 

From  New  York,  where  he  landed  on  coming  to 
this  country,  our  subject  made  his  way  to  LaSalle, 
this  State;  arriving  there  in  Sept.  1854,  and  with 
nothing  for  capital  but  a  brave  heart  and  good 
health  he  pursued  his  trade  as  a  journeyman  for 
six  years,  working  at  LaSalle,  Blooming-ton,  Daven- 
)>ort,  St.  Louis,  Burlington  and  Jerseyville  in  the 
order  named,  thus  becoming  very  nearly  a  profes- 
sional tourist.  During  the  great  Pike's  Peak  ex- 
citement in  1860—1,  he  caught  the  •'  gold  fever" 
and  joined  the  disappointed  throng  which  had 
painted  on  its  banners,  "  Pike's  Peak  or  Bust,"  and 


4 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


505 


the  conclusion  is  plausible  that  he  was  one  of  the 
multitude  who  was  '•  busted,"  for  we  find  him  again 
at  the  shoemaker's  bench  in  Jersey  ville  immediately 
succeeding  that  great  retreat  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  In  the  spring  of  1862,  associated  with 
an  acquaintance,  Mr.  Smith  embarked  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cigars  at  Jerseyville  and  from  there  he 
came  to  Winchester  in  Jan.  1863.  Here  he  has 
since  continued  in  that  business.. 

Beginning  life  in  America  with  nothing  but  his 
trade,  and  that  not  one  of  the  most  lucrative  ones, 
Mr.  Smith  has  by  untiring  perseverance  and  indus- 
try steadily  risen  step  by  step,  so  that  he  need 
never  fear  the  proverbial  wolf  at  the  door.  The 
meagre  savings  from  his  trade  were  wholly  swal- 
lowed up  in  his  attempt  to  find  fortune  at  Pike's 
Peak,  therefore  his  ample  possessions  consisting  in 
farm  lands,  city  property  and  money  have  been 
accumulated  since  that  date,  and  principally  if  not 
entirely  since  coming  to  Winchester. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
and  has  been  for  the  past  six  or  seven  years  Treas- 
urer of  the  local  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  lie  was 
married  in  this  county  Dec.  28,  1863  to  Mrs.  Mina 
Sibert  nee  Diller,  a  native  of  Germany  and  has  four 
sons  and  four  daughteis,  George,  Anna,  Oscar, 
Kdward,  Nellie,  Mabel,  Lillie  and  Arthur. 


ICHARI)  RUBLE.  In  noting  the  career  of 
the  representative  men  of  Morgan  County' 
he  with  whose  name  we  introduce  this 

$  sketch  cannot  properly  be  omitted.  Within 
its  limits  he  was  born  July  16,  1826,  and  here  have 
centered  his  closest  interests.  While  watching  the 
growth  and  development  of  Central  Illinois,  he 
has  practically  "grown  up  with  the  country,"  and  in 
his  labors  of  thirty  years  or  more  has  contributed 
largely  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  his  town- 
ship, lie  is  practically  a  self-made  man,  having 
received  only  limited  advantages  in  his  youth,  ac- 
quiring his  book  learning  in  the  primitive  log-cabin 
with  its  puncheon  floor  and  desks  and  seats  made 
of  slabs.  The  system  of  instruction  in  those  days 
was  in  keeping  with  the  architecture  of  the  build- 
ing— far  inferior  to  that  enjoyed  by  the  present 


generation.  Those  times,  however,  with  their 
arduous  labors  and  unavoidable  duties,  had  the 
effect  to  develop  an  admirable  class  of  men — men 
who  form  the  bone"  and  sinew  of  all  well-regulated 
society.  Not  only  were  they  courageous,  physi- 
cally, but  they  possessed  the  moral  courage  which 
looked  with  contempt  upon  a  mean  act,  and  made 
the  best  good  of  the  community  an  interest  almost 
equal  with  their  own. 

Our  subject  is  the  offspring  of  a  good  family, 
being  the  son  of  Jesse  Ruble,  who  was  born  in  East 
Tennessee  in  1798,  and  came  to  this  county  in 
1820.  lie  first  located  on  a  piece  of  land,  which 
he  improved  and  sold  to  John  Green,  then  entered 
160  acres  from  the  Government,  and  commencing 
another  homestead,  added  by  degrees  to  his  real 
estate  until  he  became  the  owner  of  520  acres  of 
land.  Finally  selling  this  also,  he  purchased  the 
farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  our  sub- 
ject, and  later  disposing  of  this  also,  removed  to 
Sangamon  County.  There  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
200  acres  or  more  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  passing  away  Aug.  1,  1871. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  in  her  girlhood 
Miss  Mary  Matthews,  and  Richard  and  Jacob 
were  the  only  children  born  of  this  union.  Jesse 
Ruble  married  for  his  second  wife  Catherine  Rob- 
ertson, who  was  born  in  Scotland  and  died  in  1837. 
They  had  one  daughter,  Catherine,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Wilcox,  of  Sangamon  County. 
They  are  now  living  on  a  farm  in  this  county,  and 
are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  two  of  whom  are 
deceased.  This  lady  died,  and  Mr.  Ruble  was  mar- 
ried the  third  time  to  Miss  Mary  Butler,  of  Sanga- 
mon Count}-,  who  became  the  mother  of  one  child 
and  is  now  deceased,  together  with  the  child. 

Upon  coming  to  this  county  Jesse  Ruble  found 
a  wild,  uncultivated  waste,  with  the  cabins  of  the 
settlers  few  and  far  between.  He  carried  the  sur- 
veyor's chain  when  the  city  of  Jacksonville  was 
laid  out.  Before  coming  to  the  West  he  had  served 
in  the  War  of  1812,  and  later  was  the  only  man  in 
this  count}'  able  to  drill  the  militia  at  the  general 
muster  customary  at  intervals  all  over  the  United 
States.  He  also  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  War 
under  Gen.  Taylor,  and  received  a  Colonel's  com- 
mission. The  people  of  this  region  endured  many 


>    506 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


j, 

! 


hardships  in  the  early  days,  and  frequently  were 
greatly  troubled  to  obtain  enough  provisions.  Mr. 
Ruble  was  a  very  public-spirited  and  benevolent 
man,  and  would  frequently  take  his  ox-team  and 
go  the  river  bottoms  on  hunting  excursions  for 
honey  and  bees  wax,  which  the  Government  land- 
officers,  then  located  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  accepted  in 
payment  for  land  and  debts,  as  there  was  no  money 
in  circulation  in  this  county  at  the  time. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  first  married  in 
1849,  to  Miss  Lucy  D.  Harris,  who  was  born  in 
1828,  and  whose  parents  came  from  Middle  Ten- 
nessee in  1843.  She  departed  this  life  at  the  old 
homestead  in  November,  1863,  after  having  be- 
come the  mother  of  one  child,  a  son,  John  A.,  who 
is  now  living  in  Kansas;  he  married  Miss  Mary 
Reger,  of  Sangamon  County,  and  they  have  three 
children — Charles,  John  and  Lorenzo.  Mr.  Ruble 
contracted  a  second  marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Jane 
Smelters,  of  Sangamon  County,  and  whose  parents 
came  to  this  county  in  1843,  when  she  was  quite 
young.  The  seven  children  of  this  union  were 
named  respectively:  Mary  Ellen,  Milton,  Andrew 
J.,  George,  Henry,  Sarah  Jane,  and  Samuel.  Mary 
Ellen  is  the  wife  of  Harvey  Sorrels,  who  is  farming 
in  the  vicinity  of  New  Berlin,  Sangamon  County. 
The  other  children  remain  at  home  with  their 
parents. 

Mr.  Ruble  commenced  in  life  at  the  foot  of  the 
ladder,  employed  as  a  farm  laborer.  He  then 
herded  cattle  for  two  years,  and  next  began  oper- 
ations on  rented  land,  working  in  this  way  for  six 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  pur- 
chased a  part  of  the  land  which  constitutes  his 
present  farm.  He  now  has  720  acres,  the  whole  of 
which  is  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation  and  im- 
proved with  good  buildings.  The  industry  with 
which  lie  has  labored,  and  the  good  judgment  with 
which  he  has  managed  cannot  be  better  realized 
than  by  glancing  over  his  valuable  country  estate, 
and  noting  the  fact  of  the  large  outlay  of  time,  labor 
and  money  which  have  brought  it  to  its  present 
condition. 

In  July,  1864,  Mr.  Ruble  met  with  a  serious 
accident  by  falling  seventy-four  and  a  half  feet 
from  a  bee  tiee,  from  which  he  sustained  what  at  first 
appeared  to  be  almost  fatal  injuries;  and  on  ac- 


count of  this,  and  being  afflicted  with  rheumatism, 
he  has  been  obliged  to  abandon  in  a  great  measure 
his  active  labors.  His  rare  faculties  as  a  manager, 
however,  fully  supply  the  place  of  brawn  and 
muscle,  and  he  is  still  competent  to  superintend  the 
operations  of  his  large  farm.  He  usually  feeds 
about  100  head  of  cattle  annually  for  the  Chicago 
market,  and  also  the  same  number  of  swine.  He 
keeps  about  forty-two  head  of  horses  and  mules, 
and  from  these  two  industries  alone  realizes  hand- 
some profits. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ruble  uniformly  votes  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  and  although  not  belonging  to  any 
church  organization,  he  endeavors  to  make  it  the 
rule  of  his  life  to  do  unto  his  neighbors  as  he  would 
be  done  by.  A  man  needs  no  better  recommend- 
ation than  the  good  will  of  his  neighbors,  and 
this  Mr.  Ruble  possesses  in  a  marked  degree.  He 
has  made  for  himself  an  enviable  record  both 
as  a  man  and  a  citizen,  and  is  one  of  those  who 
will  be  kindly  remembered  long  after  he  has  de- 
parted hence. 

Jacob  Ruble,  the  younger  of  the  two  children 
born  to  the  mother  of  our  subject,  married  a  Miss 
Kingsbury,  of  Iowa,  and  is  a  resident  of  Labette 
County,  Kan.  As  a  boy  he  he  took  kindly  to  his 
book,  acquired  a  good  education,  and  now  follows 
the  profession  of  a  teacher;  he  has  no  children. 


-RANK  M.  PALMER,  manager,  associate  edi- 
tor and  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Win- 
chester Standard,  the  leading  Republican 
paper  of  Scott  County,  was  born  at  Exeter,  this 
State,  July  20,  1850.  He  was  educated  at  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Winchester,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  began  the  printing  business  on  the  AVinches- 
ter  Times.  After  an  experience  of  several  ye:irs  as 
journeyman  printer  upon  various  papers,  he  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  "a  rolling  stone  would  gather  no 
moss,"  and  so  in  1874  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
Wavcrly  Illinois  Times,  from  which  he  retired  wit!i 
ina  few  months,  and  returned  to  Winchester.  Here 
he  was  on  the  Independent  about  two  3-ears,  work- 
ing next  in  order  and  in  various  capacities  on  the 
Jacksonville  Daily  Journal  and  Rock  Island  Union. 


i 

T 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


507 


In  1877,  associated  with  his  father,  George  H. 
Palmer,  he  purchased  the  Morrisonville  Times,  to 
which  he  devoted  about  three  years  of  labor.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1880  he  was  for  a  short  time  one  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  Roodhouse  Review;  and  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1880-81  he  traveled  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  Good  Templars  as  Grand  Lodge  Deputy. 
In  May  1881,  again  associated  with  his  father,  he 
took  charge  of  the  Standard,  which  paper  under 
their  joint  ownership  and  management  has  rapidly 
risen  in  public  favor,  patronage  and  influence,  and 
as  a  moulder  of  public  opinion,  takes  high  rank 
•within  the  scope  of  its  circulation.  In  1883  it  ab- 
sorbed the  Independent,  and  now  holds  undisputed 
sway  as  the  leading  Republican  paper  of  the  count}'. 

Mr.  Palmer  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church, 
and  is  prominently  identified  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
the  K.  of  P.,  the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Sons 
of  Veterans.  lie  was  married  in  Jacksonville,  this 
State,  July  8,  187C,  to  Miss  Naomi  A.  Van  Winkle, 
the  accomplished  daughter  of  T.  J.  Van  Winkle, 
Esq.,  and  has  had  born  to  him  five  children,  four 
of  whom  are  living,  as  follows:  Georgia,  Jesse  M., 
Era,  and  Fred. 

Socially,  Mr.  Palmer  is  closely  connected  with 
all  projects  that  look  to  the  betterment  of  society, 
and  in  politics  he  is  an  aggressive,  stalwart  Repub- 
lican. 


,  OL.  THOMAS  H.  FLYNN,  formerly  Mayor 
of  the  city  of  Winchester,  is  a  native  of 
Carlyle,  Nicholson  Co.,  Ky.,  and  was  born 
Aug.  9,  1821.  His  parents,  Ezekiel  and  Frances 
(Hardesty)  Flynn,  natives,  respectively,  of  the 
States  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  reared  two  sons 
and  one  daughter,  Thomas  II.  being  the  second  in 
order  of  birth,  and  the  only  one  now  living. 

The  senior  Mr.  Flynn,  a  blacksmith  by  occupa- 
tion, came  to  Winchester  in  1830,  and  here  witli 
liis  family  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Mexican  War,  and  died  about  two  years 
after  its  close.  As  a  corporal  in  Company  II,  1st 
Ills.  Regiment,  lie  took  an  active  part  in  the  battle 
of  Huena  Vista.  Our  subject  was  a  member  of 
the  same  company  as  his  father,  having  gone  out 
therewith  as  Orderly  Sergeant.  Just  before  the 


battle  of  Buena  Vista  he  was  promoted  to  Third 
Lieutenant,  and  during  the  heat  of  the  conflict  he 
was,  by  reason  of  the  death  of  his  superior  officer, 
raised  to  the  rank  of  Second  Lieutenant.  With 
this  rank,  earned  in  battle,  Thomas  II.  Flynn  re- 
turned to  the  United  States,  and  to  avocations  of 
peace. 

Under  his  father,  prior  to  the  Mexican  War,  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  and  wagon- 
maker,  and  at  the  common  schools  acquired  a  fail- 
English  education.  Soon  after  returning  from 
Mexico  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff;  in  1848 
he  was  promoted  by  election  to  the  office  of  Sheriff, 
and  re-elected  in  1852.  From  the  close  of  his 
official  term  up  to  the  outbreak  of  the  late  war  he 
was  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Winchester,  and 
between  the  years  1860  and  1870  he  was  Judge  of 
the  County  Court.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers, 
and  for  sometime  a  Director  in  the  People's,  or 
First  National  Hank  of  Winchester,  mentioned 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  but  had  withdrawn  from 
it  before  its  collapse.  In  1870  he  established  the 
Winchester  In  dependent,  a  weekly  sheet  of  consid- 
erable local  prominence,  and  edited  it  until  1883, 
at  which  time  he  sold  it  to  the  Standard  people, 
who  retired  it  at  once  from  circulation. 

Ample  and  exact  justice  will  scarcely  ever  be 
done  Col.  Thomas  H.  Flynn  as  a  soldier.  Upon 
the  bloody  field  of  Buena  Vista  he  distinguished 
himself  for  bravery  and  was  promptly  promoted 
therefor  in  the  very  midst  of  that  battle.  And 
when  the  dark  clouds  of  war  hovered  over  our 
country,  and  finally  enveloped  it  in  gloom,  Col. 
Flynn  became  satisfied  that  to  conquer  the  South 
was  no  mere  "  breakfast  spell."  and  so  he  responded 
to  his  country's  call  with  alacrity,  by  enlisting  in 
the  army,  which  event  occurred  at  Winchester 
Aug.  13, 1862.  After  his  enlistment  he  was  almost 
at  once  elected  Captain  of  Company  D,  12!)tli  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  and  on  May  25,  1803,  at  Gallatin, 
Tenn.,  he  was  promoted  to  Major.  In  this  con- 
nection it  may  be  interesting  to  many  who  remem- 
ber the  event,  to  record  the  fact  that  in  the  elec- 
-tion  for  the  office  of  Major.  Captain  Flynn  tied 
with  Captain  Beard  of  Company  E,  and  the  matter 
was  referred  to  Gov.  Dick  Yates,  who,  without  hes- 
itation, made  out  a  commission  for  Flynn  as  Major. 


I 


508 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


On  June  14,  1864,  in  the  field,  near  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Major  Flynn  became  Lieutenant  Colonel. 

In  all  the  battles  fougiit  by  that  gallant  old  regi- 
ment, the  129th  Illinois  Infantry  —  and  they  were 
legion  —  Col.  Flynn  took  an  active  part;  and  at 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  the  battle  that  made  Benjamin 
Harrison  President  of  the  United  States,  his  regi- 
ment, then  under  the  command  of  the  Colonel,  and 
led  by  him  personally,  undoubtedly  constituted  tlic 
pivotal  point  and  made  decisive  victory  possible. 
To  the  men  who  actually  fought  that  battle  it  is 
well  known  that  Flynn  earned  distinction  as  a  regi- 
mental commander,  and  added  fresh  laurels  to  his 
already  exalted  reputation  for  personal  courage  in 
the  face  of  multiplied  deaths.  At  Resaca  he  was  a 
conspicuous  figure  and  leader,  and,  at  the  head  of 
his  regiment,  was  the  real  captor  of  the  fort.  So 
at  Averysboro,  where  a  battery  captured  by  him 
and  turned  over  to  Gen.  Dustin,  was  reported  by 
that  officer  and  credited  to  his  own  command, 
while  as  a  matter  of  truth  and  impartial  history, 
not  even  a  part  of  his  brigade  had  participated  in 
its  capture.  Col.  Flynn  was  with  his  command  at 
Savannah,  Ga.,  and  through  to  Raleigh  and  Rich- 
mond, find  on  to  Washington,  finally  winding  up 
in  that  grand  blaze  of  glory  where  the  victorious 
army  was  reviewed  for  the  last  time  prior  to  its 
disbandment. 

Of  the  many  brave  men  remembered  in  the  pages 
of  history  for  their  gallant  and  heroic  deeds  during 
the  war  so  pregnant  with  peril  and  death,  there  is 
none  more  deserving  nor  reaching  higher  on  the 
list  of  those  who  dared  to  do  than  he  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch. 

At  Winchester,  Aug.  9,  1869,  Col.  Flynn  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Agnes  Burgess,  nee  Mallory,  and  the 
two  children  born  to  them  are  Belle  (Mrs.  Stephen 
Lemon)  and  Thomas  H.  Flynn,  Jr. 


IIARLES  W1LLSON,  a  retired  and  highly 
reputable  citizen   of  Winchester,  was  born 
July  13,  1812,  in    Lyeoming    County,   Pa. 
His   father,  Ezra  Willson,    was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  and  traced  his  ancestry  as    coming  from 
Wales.     In  the  days  of  Mr.  Willson's  youth  it  was 


a  difficult  matter  to  obtain  proper  schooling,  but 
being  of  an  aspiring  nature,  and  fully  realizing 
that  without  education  he  would  go  through  the 
world  handicapped,  he  successfully  waded  through 
difficulties  that  would  seem  to  the  modern  youth 
insurmountable,  and  so,  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  he  was  in  the  possession  of  a  fair  education, 
and  going  to  Canada,  he  there  learned  the  trade  of 
a  blacksmith.  In  the  early  part  of  1836  he  con- 
cluded to  see  more  of  his  native  country,  and  pos- 
sessing little  else  beside  hope  and  high  resolves,  lie 
came  West,  landing  at  Jacksonville,  this  State,  and 
in  the  following  autumn  came  to  Winchester.  The 
greater  portion  of  Illinois  was  at  this  time  an  al- 
most trackless  prairie,  whose  only  inhabitants  were 
savages  and  wild  beasts;  but  the  transformation 
has  been  complete.  Beautiful  cities,  elegant  home- 
steads, and  peace  and  plenty  are  found  on  every 
hand.  Here  Mr.  Willson  for  twenty  years  carried 
on  blacksmithing  and  accumulated  a  handsome 
competence,  the  result  of  industry  and  prudence. 
To  aid  a  young  man  in  whom  lie  felt  some  interest, 
he  furnished  the  capital  and  joined  him  in  the 
grocery  business,  from  which  he  withdrew  at  the 
end  of  three  years,  having  placed  his  young  friend 
fairly  on  the  road  to  prosperity.  This  matter  of 
history  fully  illustrates  one  of  the  salient  charac- 
teristics of  Mr.  Willson.  In  1860  he  retired  from 
active  business,  and  has  lived  comfortably  upon  an 
income  honorably  earned  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow. 

Originally,  a  Whig,  Mr.  Willson  merged  readily 
into  the  Republican  party,  to  which  he  gave  heart}' 
and  undivided  support  until  within  the  past  few 
years;  he  is  now  an  enthusiastic  and  consistent 
advocate  of  prohibition.  At  no  time  in  his  life  an 
office-seeker,  his  devotion  to  party  has  been  from 
principle — the  only  otlice  he  has  ever  held  has  been 
that  of  Alderman — and  his  advocacy  of  prohibition 
is  but  the  offering  of  a  sincere  desire  to  see  the 
greatest  of  all  modern  evils  rectified;  and  he  firmly 
believes  that  he  will  live  to  see  his  fond  hopes 
realized. 

Mr.  Willson  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  was  for  twenty-four  years  its  Treas- 
urer, retiring  from  that  office  only  in  1888.  He 
was  married  at  Winchester  in  1840,  to  Miss  Nancv 
Scales,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  a  daughter 


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MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


511 


of  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  county — then  Mor- 
gan. To  this  union  no  children  have  been  born, 
but  .several  nephews  .and  nieces  have  been  reared 
and  educated  by  this  worthy  couple,  who  have 
gone  forth  in  the  world  as  most  creditable  exam- 
ples of  the  influences  of  good  breeding,  careful 
training  and  moral  precepts. 


EDWARD  McASEY.  The  adopted  sous  of 
America  have  acquitted  themselves  in  fully 
as  admirable  a  manner,  in  most  instances,  as 
those  who  were  native  born,  and  among  them  the 
subject  of  this  notice  deserves  more  than  a  passing 
mention.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Scott 
County,  fought  as  a  Union  soldier  during  the  late 
Civil  War,  and  is  thoroughly  identified  with  the 
interests  of  his  adopted  country.  He  was  born  in 
County  Carlow,  Ireland,  Nov.  23,  J833,  and  is  the 
son  of  Patrick  McAsey,  who  died  when  Edward 
was  a  mere  infant. 

Our  subject  sojourned  in  his  native  county  until 
a  youth  of  eighteen  years,  receiving  a  common- 
school  education  and  employing  himself  mostly  at 
farming.  He  was  a  thoughtful  and  ambitious  boy, 
and  at  an  early  age  determined  to  become  a  man 
among  men.  Seeing  little  prospect  of  carry  ing  out 
his  desires  in  his  native  land,  lie  decided  to  emi- 
grate to  the  United  States,  and  accordingly  put  his 
resolve  into  execution  in  the  fall  of  1851.  He 
lauded  in  New  York  City,  and  sojourned  there 
with  an  uncle  until  the  following  spring,  then  set 
out  for  the  West,  crossed  the  Mississippi,  and  lo- 
cated in  St.  Charles  County,  Mo. 

Our  subject  was  a  resident  of  Missouri  until  the 
fall  of  1H54,  then  came  to  this  county,  and  within 
its  limits  lias  since  made  his  abiding-place.  He  oc- 
cupied himself  at  farming  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
Rebellion,  then  enlisted  as  a  I'nion  soldier  in  Com- 
pany D,  129th  Illinois  Infantry,  which  shortly 
afterward  was  ordered  to  the  front  in  Louisville, 
Ky.  lie  was  in  the  service  nearly  three  years,  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  and  then  was 
taken  ill  and  sent  to  the  hospital,  where  he  remained 
until  receiving  his  honorable- discharge.  The  priva- 
tions and  hardships  which  he  endured  undermined 


his  constitution,  and  on  account  of  this  he  now  re- 
ceives a  pension  from  the  Government. 

Three  years  after  taking  up  his  abode  in  this 
county,  Mr.  McAsey  was  married,  in  September, 
1857,  to  Miss  Mary,  sister  of  Patrick  O'Donnell,  one 
of  the  leading  farmers  of  Central  Illinois,  and  whose 
biography  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mrs. 
McAsey  was  born  May  15,  1843,  in  Ireland,  and  of 
her  marriage  with  our  subject  there  has  been  born 
one  child,  James  H.,  Oct.  2,  1859.  This  son,  al- 
though now  approaching  the  thirtieth  year  of  his 
age,  remains  with  his  parents,  and  relieves  his  father 
of  a  large  part  of  the  care  and  management  of  the 
farm.  He  is  in  his  own  right  owner  of  191  acres 
of  land,  and  is  largely  interested  in  stock-raising. 
Mr.  McAsey,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  votes 
the  straight  Republican  ticket,  and  has  no  desire 
for  the  spoils  of  office.  He  and  his  family  belong 
to  the  Catholic  Church.  His  accumulations  are  the 
result  of  his  own  industry,  aided  by  the  good  man- 
agement of  a  prudent  and  intelligent  wife,  and  their 
hospitable  home  is  the  frequent  resort  of  the  many 
friends  whom  they  have  made  during  their  long 
residence  in  this  county. 


'"a-1  '-s^ 

•if)  AMES  DEWOLF.  Among  the  well-to-do 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Scott  County  is 
James  DeWolf,  who  owns  in  section  32, 
Winchester  Precinct,  one  of  the  finest  and 
most  productive  farms  to  be  found  in  this  sec- 
tion of  Illinois.  It  comprises  280  acres  of  very 
fertile  soil,  and  is  supplied  with  all  necessary  ap- 
pliances for  conducting  agriculture  to  the  best 
advantage.  Here  he  sows  and  reaps  as  the  seasons 
come  and  go  and  here  he  gathers  in  his  bountiful 
harvests  of  grain.  He  has  erected  a  handsome 
residence,  a  roomy,  substantially  built  barn,  and 
everything  about  the  well-ordered  place  is  indica- 
tive of  his  thrift  and  industry.  Our  subject  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  stock  raising  and 
has  some  valuable  dairy  cows,  usually  milking 
about  ten.  Mrs.  DeWolf  for  her  skill  in  butter 
making,  even  in  the  hottest  weather,  is  famous  in 
all  the  country  round,  and  makes  forty  pounds  a 
week  of  as  fine  butter  as  goes  into  the  market. 


-L- 

1    512 
h 


MORGAN   AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Our  subject  and  his  wife  both  come  of  good 
New  England  stock,  and  are  themselves  natives  of 
that  section  of  the  country.  Mr.  DeWolf  was 
born  in  Berkshire,  Vt.,  and  Mrs.  DeWolf  in  Wcst- 
boro,  Mass.  He  was  the  fifth  child  in  a  family 
of  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  (three  of  whom  are 
now  living)  born  to  Roswell  and  Henrietta  (Col- 
burn)  DeWolf,  natives,  respectively,  of  Vermont 
and  Massachusetts.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of 
the  famous  Haunah  Dustin  of  Haverhill,  Mass., 
who  won  historical  fame  on  account  of  her  capture 
by  the  Indians  in  the  winter  of  1697,  after  con- 
tinued wanderings  amid  the  gloomy  surroundings 
of  winter.  Threats  of  torture  aroused  her  and  her 
companions  to  desperate  action.  One  night  they 
beheaded  several  of  their  sleeping  captors,  and 
escaped  through  the  wilderness  to  their  friends.  A 
few  years  since  a  beautiful  monument  commemora- 
tive of  the  deed  was  erected  to  her  memory  in  the 
thriving  city  that  stands  on  the  site  of  her  former 
home.  The  parents  of  our  subject  never  came 
west,  but  lived  and  died  in  their  pleasant  New 
England  home.  The  father  passed  away  in  1829 
at  the  age  of  forty-eight,  and  the  mother  survived 
him  but  a  few  years.  Being  thus  early  orphaned 
James  DeWolf  was  obliged  to  do  what  he  could 
for  his  maintenance  when  he  was  only  seven  years 
old.  He  used  to  work  during  the  summer,  and  in 
the  winter  gleaned  a  fair  education  by  attending 
the  district  school.  As  soon  as  old  enough  lie 
commenced  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  in  Massa- 
chusetts, and  worked  at  it  steadily  until  he  came 
West.  Nov.  26,  1848  he  took  unto  himself  a  wife 
in  the  person  of  Miss  Hannah  Wadsworth,  in  whom 
he  has  found  a  true  helpmate,  one  who  has  actively 
assisted  him  in  the  upbuilding  of  their  pleasant 
home.  She  was  born  April  27,  1827  to  John  and 
Persis  (Kimball)  Wadsworth,  of  Grafton,  Mass., 
the  youngest  of  their  nine  children,  four  sons  and 
five  daughters.  Her  father  was  a  farmer  in  the 
old  Bay  State,  and  there  his  death  occurred  in 
1829  while  yet  in  life's  prime,  he  being  forty-eight 
years  old.  The  mother  survived  him  until  1858, 
when  she  too  passed  away  at  the  rii>e  old  age  of 
seventy-six  years. 

In  1855  Mr.  and   Mrs.  DeWolf  came  to   Illinois 
with  their  family  to  cast  their  lot  with  the  pioneers 


of  Scott  County.  He  bought  120  acres  of  his 
present  farm,  on  which  stood  an  old  log  cabin. 
Into  this  the  family  moved  and  began  the  hard 
struggle  to  develop  a  farm  from  the  wild  prairies. 
They  suffered  many  hardships  and  privations,  and 
had  to  sacrifice  much  to  gain  a  solid  footing  in 
their  new  home.  Mrs.  DeWolf  was  very  homesick 
at  first  and  her  regretful  thoughts  constantly  wan- 
dered to  the  comforts  of  her  old  Massachusetts, 
home.  She  became  thoroughly  convinced  that 
nothing  too  bad  could  be  said  about  the  country 
here,  and  that  the  old  saying  was  true  that  "  it  was 
death  to  women  and  horses  in  this  section."  By 
hard  work  our  subject  managed  to  break  up  his 
land  and  get  it  under  good  cultivation,  though  he 
often  had  to  figure  his  expenses  very  closely  to 
make  both  ends  meet,  being  compelled  at  times  to 
deprive  himself  and  family  of  many  things  that 
they  had  been  used  to  consider  the  actual  neces- 
sities of  life.  But  his  early  labors  have  been  duly 
rewarded,  and  lie  has  not  only  improved  his  original 
purchase  bnt  has  added  other  land  to  it  from  time 
to  time;  purchasing  at  one  time  thirty  seven  and 
one  half  acres  of  land  at  $40  an  acre,  at  another 
time  eighty  acres  at  $75  an  acre,  besides  some 
timber  land  and  a  tract  of  land  in  Greene  Countv. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  had  five  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living,  as  follows:  Persis  is 
the  wife  of  William  Mehrroff,  of  Greene  County, 
and  they  have  six  children;  Edwin  lives  with  his 
parents  on  the  homestead;  Mary  A.  wife  of  R.  H. 
Rousey,  and  mother  of  two  children,  also  lives 
under  the  parental  roof;  Henrietta  married  Stephen 
Cooper,  of  Greene  Count}-,  and  they  have  one  child. 
Their  daughter  Mary  is  a  fine  scholar  and  finished 
her  education  in  Jacksonville  at  the  Washington 
High  School.  She  has  a  first-grade  certificate  and 
has  taught  school  five  years  in  Greene,  Morgan  and 
Scott  counties,  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful teachers  of  this  section  of  the  Slate. 

Mr.  DeWolf  is  a  keen,  shrewd,  far-seeing  man 
and  seems  to  have  a  knack  for  making  money,  lie 
has  led  a  busy  life,  and  has  had  too  much  to  do  in 
attending  to  his  own  affairs  to  mingle  in  the  public 
life  of  the  precinct  and  assist  in  the  administration 
of  its  government,  the  only  oflice  that  he  has  held 
being  that  of  Road  Overseer.  He  is  a  live,  ener- 


MORGAN   AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


513 


getic  man,  who  has  carved  his  own  way  in  the  world 
from  the  daj'S  of  his  childhood  by  sheer  force  of 
will,  unremitting  industry,  and  prudent  manage- 
ment, and  to-day  stands  among  the  most  substantial 
and  prosperous  men  of  his  calling  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. He  takes  an  interest  in  all  political  matters 
and  votes  the  Republican  ticket,  being  a  firm  be- 
liever in  Republicanism. 

An  interesting  feature  of  this  volume  is  a  view 
of  Mr.  DeWolf's  residence,  with  its  pleasant 
surroundings. 


,  HARLES  FROST,  a  retired  citizen  of  Win- 
chester, is  a  native  of  Derbyshire,  England, 
and  was  born  March  14,  1825.  His  father 
was  Charles  Frost,  and  his  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Mary  Bagby.  The  latter  died  in  England  at 
the  advanced  ngc  of  eighty-one  years;  the  former 
a  farmer,  miner,  and  manufacturer's  agent,  died  at 
Winchester,  while  here  on  a  visit  to  his  son,  in 
1868. 

Charles,  Jr.,  the  one  of  whom  this  is  written,  is 
the  youngest  of  three  sons,  and  the  only  one  now 
living.  In  1842  the  desire  to  see  the  New  World 
seized  him,  and  accordingly  he  took  passage  for 
America,  and  landing  at  New  York  lie  made  his 
way  to  Winchester,  at  which  place  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  He  was  married  in  England  when 
hut  little  past  sixteen  years  of  age,  to  Charlotte 
Dale,  and  their  first  child  was  born  before  they  left 
the  mother  country.  He  now  has  four  children  liv- 
ing, and  has  buried  three.  The  living  are:  Eliza- 
beth, Mrs.  James  Edwards,  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Mary 
B.,  Mrs.  Charles  Ruark,  of  Winchester;  EllaS.,  Mrs. 
E.  E.  Watt,  of  Winchester;  Charles  Frost,  Jr..  an 
educated  gentleman  and  business  man,  now  en- 
gnged  as  bookkeeper  in  St.  Louis.  The  balance  of 
the  children  died  while  in  infancy. 

Arriving  at  Winchester  Mr.  Frost  engaged  first 
in  farming  and  dairying,  and  from  this  he  enlarged 
his  business  by  becoming  subsequently  interested 
in  coal  mining,  and  carried  on  these  several  enter- 
prises for  many  years.  In  1856  he  removed  from 
his  country  place  into  Winchester,  and  in  1859  laid 
off  the  town  of  North  Winchester.  Associated  with 


various  persons,  and  at  various  times,  he  was  for 
several  years  a  prominent  and  successful  mer- 
chant and  pork  packer,  and  for  some  time  after, 
1864  or  1865,  traded  extensively  in  live  stock.  In 
1871  he  furnished  the  capital  to  open  and  put  into 
successful  operation  the  Winchester  Coal  Mines, 
from  the  management  and  direction  of  which,  in 
1884,  he  retired.  His  last  active  operations  were  as 
a  grain  dealer,  from  which  he  finally  retired  to  pri- 
vate life  in  1887. 

A  perusal  of  this  brief  history  of  Mr.  Frost  will 
amply  demonstrate  that  as  a  business  man  his  ca- 
pacity was  almost  without  limit.  He  engaged  in  no 
business  that  did  not  prove  successful,  and  he  re- 
tires to  private  life  with  a  record  that  may  well  be 
emulated  by  the  younger  generation.  His  large 
fund  of  common  sense  has  led  him  on  to  success, 
and  his  integrity  and  business  character  are  virtues 
to  which  his  friends  point  with  pride.  His  career 
has  been  a  practical  illustration  that  a  diversity  of 
of  enterprises  may  be  carried  on  successfully  by 
any  man  to  whom  are  ascribed  the  virtues  of  in- 
dustry, integrity  and  intelligence. 


•»~^<K~. : 


ENJAMIN  T.  BRADLEY,  Clerk  of  the 
Scott  County  Court,  is  a  son  of  Robert 
Bradley,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  The  father 
located  in  Greene  County  in  an  early  daj-, 
where  Benjamin  T.  was  born  Dec.  8,  1846.  He 
lived  in  Greene  County  for  over  thirty-four  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Manchester,  where  he  spent 
the  last  years  of  his  life,  dying  in  1872,  at  the  age 
of  sixtj'-eight  years,  having  well  rounded  out  a 
busy  and  successful  life. 

Robert  Bradley's  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married 
in  Tennessee,  was  Lourana  Ozbim.  She  journeyed 
along  the  pathway  of  life  until  the  weight  of  eighty- 
four  years  carried  her  to  the  grave.  This  hardy 
couple,  composed  as  they  were  of  the  material  of 
which  pioneers  should  be  constructed,  reared  thir- 
teen children,  eight  sons  and  five  daughters.  Six 
sons  are  now  (1889)  living.  Five  of  them  served 
as  soldiers  in  the  War  for  the  Union,  two  of  them 
for  nearly  five  years  each,  two  for  about  three 


f 


514 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


years  each,  and  one  for  one  year.  Two  of  them 
were  members  of  the  6th  Illinois  Cavalry,  one  us 
Captain,  and  the  other  as  First  Lieutenant.  The 
five  old  soldiers  are  all  living,  and  only  one  of  them 
bears  upon  his  person  a  sear  received  in  battle, 
while  the  others,  though  on  duty  and  often  at  the 
front,  never  received  a  scratch.  Here  is  a  war  rec- 
ord of  a  single  family  that  is  hard  to  duplicate. 
The  boys  each  enlisted  because  they  thought  the 
North  was  right  and  the  South  wrong,  and  with 
that  idea  they  went  to  the  front,  and  came  back 
thinking  more  of  the  glorious  old  Stars  and  Stripes, 
if  such  a  thing  were  possible,  than  they  did  when 
they  enlisted  in  its  defence.  Great  and  free  re- 
publics are  made  of  such  men  as  these,  and  as  long 
as  such  nations  exist  their  foundation  will  rest 
upon  the  achievements  of  such  worthy  sons. 

Benjamin  T.,  the  one  to  whom  this  sketch  particu- 
larly refers,  was  the  youngest  of  the  family.  lie  was 
educated  at  the  common  schools, and  after  the  war 
graduated  from  Bloomington  (111.)  Business  Col- 
lege. He  entered  the  army  in  1864.  and  as  an  hon- 
ored member  of  Company  A,  59th  Illinois  Infantry, 
served  with  distinction  till  August,  1865.  The  con- 
scription  laws  of  those  dark  days  of  the  Rebellion 
were  rigid,  and  in  them  was  contained  no  senti- 
ment. The  hard,  stubborn  fact  confronted  the  Gov- 
ernment that  men  were  needed,  and  that  no  one 
who  was  physically  able  was  exempt  from  the 
draft.  A  brother  of  Benjamin  T.  was  drafted, 
and  although  four  of  the  brothers  were  in  the  army 
as  volunteer  soldiers,  the  strong  arm  of  the  Gov- 
ernment reached  out  for  the  fifth,  and  Benjamin 
enlisted  as  a  substitute  for  the  brother  who  had 
drawn  an  unlucky  number.  Leaving  the  army 
Mr.  Bradley  soon  afterward  located  in  Scott 
County,  and  subsequently  taught  school  for  four  or 
five  years.  He  was  elected  County  Clerk  on  the 
Republican  ticket,  in  the  fall  of  1886,  for  a  term  of 
four  years.  He  married  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
Clement,  at  the  town  of  Manchester,  in  1872.  Mi. 
Clement  now  lives  in  Manchester,  and  is  the  old- 
est man  in  Scott  County,  having  been  born  dur- 
ing the  time  George  Washington  was  President  of 
the  I'nited  States.  Me  has  four  children,  namely: 
Ada,  Charles.  Walter,  and  Lela. 

Mr.  Bradley  is  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of 


Scott  County,  and  is  ever  found  ready  to  do  his 
share  in  the  upbuilding  of  society,  or  in  the  works 
of  charity.  lie  is  a  Republican  of  the  stalwart  pro- 
clivities, that  are  born  of  the  conviction  that  the 
princples  of  that  party  are  founded  upon  the  right. 


EDWARD  GRIFFITH  MINER,  a  native 
of  the  State  of  Vermont,  was  born  Jan.  21, 
1809,  and  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  six 
children.  His  father,  William  Miner,  was  a  sea- 
faring man  a  greater  portion  of  his  life,  but  spent 
his  latteryears  on  land.  His  grandfather,  Clement 
Miner,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Continental  Army  dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  struggle  and  held  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant.  His  commission  is  now  held  as  a  val- 
ued heir- loom  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being 
issued  and  signed  by  Gov.  Trumbull,  the  famous 
Governor  of  Connecticut,  July  3,  1776.  E.  G. 
Miner's  purpose  and  aspiration  in  life  after  attend- 
ing school  several  terms  in  his  native  place,  was  to 
become  a  blacksmith.  This,  however,  was  found 
to  be  too  heavy  for  his  weak  physical  constitution, 
and  abandoned,  after  a  brief  trial.  He  then  went 
into  a  woolen  factory  and  worked  at  that  business 
for  some  years. 

In  the  fall  of  1832,  he  accepted  an  opportunity 
with  some  emigrants,  to  drive  a  team  from  the  vil- 
lage, where  he  was  located  in  Vermont,  through  to 
Scott  count}'.  Here  he  readily  procured  employment 
as  a  clerk  and,  as  such  sold  goods  until  his  em- 
ployer went  down  in  a  financial  crash,  thus  com- 
pelling a  cessation  of  business.  After  doing  busi- 
ness of  the  same  nature  as  that  in  which  he  was 
before  employed,  for  some  fime,  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits,  thereby  acquring 
considerable  money. 

All  old  settlers  of  Illinois  will  readily  recall  the 
financial  revulsion  of  1857.  It  was  in  this  year 
that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  organized  and  put 
into  operation  the  banking  house  of  E.  G.  Miner 
&  Co..  a  financial  concern,  which  through  being 
able  to  successfully  stem  the  adverse  tide  of  that 
period,  gained  quite  a  wide  reputation  for  solidity, 
prudence,  and  shrewd  management.  In  1865,  this 
banking  property  with  all  its  franchises  passed  by 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


515 


purchase  into  the  hands  of  the  then  newly  organized 
First  National  Bank  of  Winchester.  The  subse- 
quent failure  of  this  concern,  marked  an  unpleasant 
era  in  the  history  of  Winchester's  commerce  and  is 
well  remembered  by  many  with  feelings  of  regret 
bordering  on  anger.  Upon  the  failure  of  this  bank 
Mr.  Miner  again  entered  banking,  putting  into  life 
at  once,  the  now  popular  house  of  Miner,  Frost  & 
Hubbard — from  which  he  retired  to  private  life 
Jan.  1,  1886. 

In  glancing  over  this  hasty  retrospect  of  the  out- 
lines of  a  busy  life  we  discover,  that  like  too  many 
Americans  who  make  life  a  success,  Mr.  Miner 
remained  at  the  front  too  long.  Why  a  man 
should  devote  nineteen-twentieths  of  a  life — all  too 
short — to  the  acquirement  of  a  fortune  and  reserve 
to  himself  the  paltry  fraction  which  is  left  for  the 
enjoyment  thereof,  cannot  be  very  satisfactorily  ex- 
planed  to  the  reasoning  mind.  This  idea  has  often 
been  responded  to  with  the  assertion  that  a  man 
enjoys  the  acquisition  of  wealth.  This  is  true.  A 
man  may  be  somewhat  gratified  in  the  pursuit  of 
wealth  from  day  to  day,  that  is,  his  avarice  may  be 
appeased;  his  ambition  to  outstrip  his  competitors 
gratified  with  success,  but  enjoyment  has  a  differ- 
ent and  a  better  meaning.  The  most  charitable, 
and  probably  the  most  correct,  cause  to  be  assigned 
for  such  a  long  continued  and  persistent  chase  after 
riches,  by  many  even  unto  death's  door,  is  that  of 
industrious  habit.  The  man  so  habituates  himself  to 
industry  that  idleness  become  irksome  and  work  ap- 
pears to  him  the  only  medium  of  enjoyment. 

This  habit  of  business  industry  is  almost  daily 
seen  in  Mr,  Miner,  though  he  has  succeeded  far 
better  than  many  others  in  divorcing  himself  from 
the  tyrant  "business."  He  may  be  seen  almost  daily 
walking  from  his  elegant  suburban  home  to  the  old 
banking  house  of  Miner,  Frost  ife  Hubbard,  where, 
surrounded  by  the  familiar  scenes  of  a  past  busy 
Hie,  he  reads  the  daily  papers,  or  discusses  current 
events  with  his  old  patrons  and  friends. 

Mr.  Miner  was  a  member  of  the  State  Legisla- 
ture of  the  sessions  of  1846-8,  and  one  of  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  Insane  Hospital  at  Jacksonville  for 
twelve  years,  having  been  first  appointed  thereto  by 
Gov.  Bissell.  He  was  married  at  Edwardsville, 
111.,  April  19,  1834  to  Miss  Sophronia  Alden, 


daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Alden  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  of  Ashfield,  Ind.,  and  a  direct  descendant 
from  John  Alden,  who  did  Miles  Standish's  courting 
for  him,  in  the  old  Plymouth  days.  To  this  mar- 
riage six  children  have  been  born,  as  follows: 
James,  Henry,  Anna,  Lucy  A.  John  Howard,  and 
Mary  Ellen.  The  eldest  is  a  practicing  physician 
at  Winchester;  Henry  is  a  farmer;  Anna  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  B.  Hubbard,  a  banker  at  Winchester; 
Lucy  A.  died  in  August,  1887,  aged  about  forty- 
six  years;  John  H.,  born  May  24,  1844,  while  a 
member  of  the  33d  Illinois  Infantry,  was  killed 
by  bushwackers  in  Arkansas,  Sept.  14,  1862,  and 
Mary  E.,  born  Aug.  19,  1847,  died  Aug.  28,  1848. 
Mr.  Miner  is  now  sitting  in  the  twilight  of  a 
well-spent  life,  calmly  and  contentedly,  knowing 
that  he  has  done  the  best  he  could,  and  with  that 
record  he  looks  forward  without  fear  of  the  future. 

-« 8- 


LONGNECKER,  JK.,  is  numbered 
among  the  intelligent  and  enterprising  mem- 
bers  of  the  farming  community  of  his  na- 
tive  precinct,  Winchester,  and  is  in  good 
circumstances,  owning  considerable  valuable  pro- 
perty. He  resides  on  his  father's  old  homestead, 
where  he  was  reared  and  which  is  under  his  man- 
agement, and  here  he  is  devoting  himself  to  stock- 
raising,  and  his  fine  graded  cattle  and  horses  com- 
pare with  the  best  in  the  neighborhood. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Winchester,  Aug.  12, 
1847,  and  is  the  third  child  of  Joseph  and  Nancy 
(Barnhart)  Longnecker,  whose  sketch  appears  in 
this  work.  He  was  one  year  old  when  the  family 
moved  to  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  and  as  soon 
as  large  enough  he  used  to  assist  his  father  in  its 
cultivation,  and  then  attended  school  in  the  winter 
seasons.  He  was  an  ambitious,  bright  student,  and 
he  managed  to  fit  himself  for  a  teacher,  and  was 
engaged  at  that  profession  in  Scott  County,  five 
years,  but  with  that  exception  he  has  given  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits.  lie  began  for 
himself  when  he  was  twenty-one,  his  father  hiring 
him  to  assist  him  till  he  was  twenty-three,  when  he 
took  charge  of  the  home  farm,  his  father  retiring 
to  private  life,  our  subject  continuing  to  make  his 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


home  with  his  parents  until  he  was  married  and 
established  a  home  of  his  own.  That  auspicious 
event  in  Mr.  Longnecker's  life  occurred  March  25, 
1«75,  on  which  day  he  was  wedded  to  Miss  Ella 
Young,  a  woman  whose  amiable  and  lovely  dispo- 
sition has  won  her  many  warm  friends.  Their  home 
is  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most  attractive  in  the 
precinct,  and  to  any  one  crossing  its  threshold 
and  sharing  its  hospitality,  the  evident  union  of 
spirit  between  the  members  of  the  family  gives  the 
impression  that  happiness  and  love  dwell  here  and 
reign  supreme.  In  this  pleasant  dwelling  four 
children  have  blessed  the  parents,  of  whom  the 
following  is  the  record:  Carrie,  born  Feb.  17,  1876, 
is  an  apt  scholar  and  attends  school  in  Winchester; 
Mabel,  born  May  15,  1878,  is  also  a  promising 
pupil  in  the  same  school;  Emma,  born  Oct.  30,  1880, 
a  bright,  quick  little  scholar,  is  in  the  third  grade  at 
school;  Nancy,  the  youngest,  was  born  April  14, 
1884.  Besides  instruction  in  the  public  schools, 
Carrie  and  Mabel  receive  music  lessons  at  home, 
their  parents  being  anxious  that  they  shall  be  ac- 
complished and  well  educated. 

Mrs.  Longnecker  was  born  June  12,  1857,  on 
the  old  homestead  in  Scott  County,  that  was  the 
birthplace  of  her  father,  Alexander  Young,  sixty- 
two  years  ago,  and  which  is  still  his  dwelling  place 
and  that  of  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Emily  McGlassen,  she  also  being  a  native  of  Scott 
County.  Of  their  six  children,  two  are  dead  and 
the  remainder  are  married  and  have  left  the  old 
home.  Mrs.  Longnecker  was  their  fourth  child  in 
order  of  birth,  and  she  received  a  good  common- 
school  education,  and  remained  at  home  until  her 
marriage  with  our  subject. 

Our  subject  is  a  flue  representative  of  the  so- 
called  self-made  men  of  this  county,  as,  being 
well-endowed  mentally  and  physically,  by  energy, 
shrewdness,  and  sound  management,  he  has  made 
his  way  to  a  high  place  among  the  solid,  reliable 
citizens  of  the  community  with  whose  interests  his 
own  arc  bound  up,  and  while  working  hard  for 
himself  he  has  materially  aided  in  securing  the 
prosperity  of  the  precinct  and  county.  He  is 
active  in  politics,  lending  his  influence  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  general  elections,  but  in  local  elec- 
tions voting  for  the  man  rather  than  for  the  party, 


and  he  has  been  delegate  to  the  county  conven- 
tions repeatedly.  He  and  his  wife  are  prominently 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
as  two  of  its  most  valued  members.  He  is  a  Trus- 
tee of  the  church,  and  has  been  Secretary  of  the 
Sunday  school.  Mrs.  Longnecker  belongs  to  the 
W.  C.  T.  U.,  is  one  of  its  most  active  and  interested 
members,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ladies'  For- 
eign Missionary  Society.  Mr.  Longnecker  is  a 
member  of  Pioneer  Lodge  No.  70,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
has  been  Secretary  and  Trustee  of  this  lodge.  He 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Scott  County  Stock 
Breeders'  Association,  and  is  prominently  identified 
with  the  Anti-Horse  Thief  Association  of  Scott 
County,  and  has  served  as  Financial  Secretary  since 
its  organization. 


'ILLIAM  C.  DAY,  M.  D.,  a  prominent 
physician  and  surgeon,  of  Scott  County, 
was  born  at  Hopefield,  Ark.,  Jan.  24,  1837. 
His  parents,  Preston  J.  and  Agnes  (Boatman)  Da}', 
were  natives  respectively  of  the  States  of  Tennes- 
see and  Kentucky,  while  both  were  descendants 
from  Irish  parentage.  The  family  name  of  the 
former  was  originally  O'Day,  the  prefix  having 
been  dropped  since  coming  to  America.  Born  to 
the  senior  and  Mrs.  Day  were  two  sons,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  and  Dr.  James  L.  Day,  a  promi- 
ment  and  successful  physician  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Dr.  William  C.  Day,  was  thoroughly  educated 
in  a  full  literary  course  at  Lebanon  (Mo.)  Academy, 
the  senior  Day  having  removed  to  Missouri  in 
1840,  and  began  the  study  of  medicine  at  Ilart- 
ville,  Wright  County,  that  State,  when  about  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  In  1861  he  was  graduated  from 
Missouri  Medical  College,  as  a  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine; and  in  1871  received  the  ad-e-undem  degree 
from  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  and  in  1880  at- 
tended the  Chicago  Medical  College,  having  previ- 
ously listened  to  several  extra  lecture  courses  in 
St.  Louis.  Thus  it  will  be  discovered  that  as  a 
student  of  medicine  and  surgery,  Dr.  Da}'  im- 
proved his  opportunities,  and  that  he  has  profited 
therebj',  is  fully  confirmed  and  attested  by  his  high 
rank  and  standing  in  the  noble  profession  which  he 


I 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


517 


has  chosen.  He  began  practice  in  Texas  County, 
Mo.,  and  in  .June,  1802,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  region  in  which  lie  was  located  was  in 
sympathy  with  secession,  he  entered  the  army  fully 
determined  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  suppress  the 
Rebellion.  His  first  rank  was  that  of  Assistant 
Surgeon  of  the  'Missouri  S.  M.  Cavalry.  With 
this  command  lie  remained  until  March  23,  1863, 
at  which  time  he  was  mustered  into  the  Fourth 
Mo.  S.  M.  Cavalry,  and  with  that  organization  held 
the  rank  of  Assistant  Surgeon  until  mustered  out 
at  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  April  18,  1865.  During  the 
summer  and  fall  of  1862,  he  was  Post  Surgeon  at 
Springfield,  Mo.,  and  on  Jan.  8,  1863,  participated 
in  the  battle  fought  at  that  place.  During  the  year 
1863  he  was  five  months  on  detached  duty  as  Ex- 
amining Surgeon  and  personally  passed  upon  over 
8.000  negro  volunteers  that  were  accepted  into  the 
army.  While  in  the  service  the  command  with 
which  he  was  identified  fought  man}'  stubbornly 
contested  and  decisive  engagements  with  Shelby, 
Price,  and  CJuantrell,  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas, 
and  the  conclusion  may  be  easily  reached  that  those 
enterprising  leaders  furnished  the  active  young 
surgeon  an  abundance  of  work  to  do  in  the  line  of 
his  profession.  Dr.  Day's  record  as  a  medical  offi- 
cer in  the  army  is  one  to  which  his  friends  can 
proudly  point.  His  humanity  and  skill  will  long 
be  remembered  by  the  poor  fellows  who  were  un- 
fortunate enough  to  require  his  services,  during 
that  long  and  bloody  period.  Old  soldiers  as  a 
rule  were  prejudiced  against  all  surgeons  as  being 
heartless,  bluff  and  inconsiderate,  but  none  of  these 
faults  can  be  truthfully  ascribed  to  Dr.  Day.  He 
simply  rests  upon  his  record. 

In  May,  1865,  Dr.  Day  located  at  Palmyra,  111.. 
in  partnership  with  Dr.  R.  J.  Allmoisd  of  that 
place,  whose  daughter  he  married  on  the  20th  of 
February,  1866.  He  remained  at  I'almyra  nine 
years,  removing  to  Greenfield,  this  State,  in  May, 
1  874.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he  removed  to  Peoria, 
and  a  year  later  came  to  Winchester.  Here  he  at 
once  took  high  rank  in  his  profession,  and  that  he 
hn*  successfully  maintained  that  position,  is  easily 
proven  by  his  popularity  and  success.  Dr.  Day  is 
by  great  odds  the  leading  phj-sician  and  surgeon  of 
Winchester  at  this  time,  and  there  is  but  little  fear 


that  he  will  in  the  near  future  see  a  successful  rival. 
His  conscientious  devotion  to  duty,  coupled  with 
monumental  industry,  make  it  impossible  for  him 
to  have  much  apprehension  of  competitors.  He 
devotes  his  time  to  his  practice,  which  is  general 
and  extends  for  miles  around. 

Dr.  Day  is  identified  with  various  medical  socie- 
ties, is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason;  Surgeon  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  Post  of  this  place;  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Winchester  Literary  Union,  and  the  author 
of  several  able  scientific  papers  read  before  medi- 
cal societies  and  published  in  leading  medical  jour- 
nals. By  his  wife,  who  died  in  1879,  Dr.  Day  has 
four  children,  to-wit:  Lewis  R.,  a  student  of  medi- 
cine; James  A.,  also  a  student  of  medicine;  Anna 
A.,  and  Gertrude  L.  The  present  Mrs.  Day,  to 
whom  the  doctor  was  married  at  Greenfield,  July 
2,  1880,  was  Miss  Bessie  E.  Harris,  a  lady  of  su- 
perior educational  attainments,  and  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania. 


OSIAH  PERKINS,  son  of  an  early  pioneer 
of  Scott  County,  was  born  on  his  father's 
homestead,  a  half  mile  southeast  of  Win- 
chester, Oct.  9,  1836.  Nearly  the  whole  de- 
velopment of  the  township  and  county  has  taken 
place  within  his  lifetime,  and  he  has  assisted  in  pro- 
moting their  growth  both  as  boy  and  man,  and 
now  owns  a  good  farm  that  is  under  excellent  till- 
age, and  yields  him  a  profitable  income.  In  the 
place  of  his  nativity  he  and  his  wife  have  labored 
hard  in  the  upbuilding  of  a  comfortable  home,  and 
they  have  reared  a  large  family  to  become  honor- 
able and  useful  members  of  society. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  William  Perkins,  was 
a  native  of  Cumberland  County,  Ky.,  as  was  also 
his  mother,  Polly  Ann  (Groce)  Perkins.  In  1829 
they  emigrated  to  Illinois,  and  the  father  purchased 
an  80-acre  tract  of  wild  land  from  the  Government 
in  Winchester  Precinct,  and  became  one  of  its 
original  settlers,  not  a  habitation  being  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  the  town  at  that  time.  After  a  year  he  en- 
tered eighty  more  acres  of  land,  and  in  the  course 
of  time,  by  prudence  and  hard  labor  accumulated  a 
very  good  property,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death, 


518 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


which  occurred  in  1880,  at  a  ripe  old  age,  owned 
230  acres  of  fine  fanning  land.  His  original  pur- 
chases were  covered  with  brush,  and  it  required 
considerable  toil  to  clear  the  land  and  prepare  it 
for  cultivation,  but  he  was  equal  to  the  task,  and 
developed  a  valuable  farm.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  died  in  the  same  year  as  his  father,  she  be- 
ing sixty-nine  years  old,  and  he  about  seventy- 
three.  To  that  worthy  couple  eight  children  were 
born,  three  sons  and  five  daughters,  and  two  sons 
and  two  daughters  are  still  living. 

Josiah,  of  this  biographical  sketch,  received  the 
most  of  his  limited  education  in  a  subscription 
school,  which  he  did  not  attend  very  much,  as  the 
most  of  his  time  was  spent  in  cutting  and  burning 
brush.  He  stayed  at  home  with  his  parents,  work- 
ing hard  to  help  his  father  until  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  old.  He  then  established  a  home  of  his 
own,  having  invited  Miss  Martha  Jane  Hopper,  the 
eldest  of  the  twelve  children  of  Joshua  Hopper,  an 
old  settler  of  Morgan  County,  formerly  from  Ken- 
tucky, to  assist  him  in  its  upbuilding,  their  mar- 
riage occurring  Nov.  17,  1859.  Mrs.  Perkins' 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Greene,  and  who 
was  born  in  Kentucky  about  seventy  years  ago,  is 
still  living.  After  their  marriage,  our  subject  and 
his  wife  began  their  wedded  life  on  a  part  of  his 
father's  farm,  living  thereon  six  years.  Mr.  Per- 
king then  bought  sixty  acres  of  the  land  where  he 
now  resides,  and  has  since  added  to  his  original  pur- 
chase until  he  owns  a  farm  of  143  acres,  nearly  all 
under  cultivation,,  and  fertile  and  productive,  for 
which  he  paid  $50  an  acre  inl86C.  He  devotes 
himself  to  mixed  husbandry,  raising  grain  and 
live-stock  with  good  success,  as  he  well  deserves, 
he  having  toiled  with  persevering  industry  and 
good  judgment. 

To  him  and  his  good  wife  twelve  children  have 
been  born  in  their  happy  home,  nine  of  whom  are 
living,  as  follows:  Albert,  William,  Emmeline, 
Mary  Ann,  Frances  C.,  Ida  Belle,  Geneva,  Nettie, 
and  Daniel  D.,  and  all  are  in  good  health,  being 
well  endowed  mentally  and  physically.  Albert, 
Kmmeline,  and  Mary  Ann  are  married  and  well 
situated. 

Mr.  Perkins  is  of  a  mild,  amiable  disposition,  un- 
obtrusive in  his  conduct,  paying  strict  attention  to 


his  own  business,  and  not  meddling  with  other  peo- 
ple's affairs,  and  lie  is  well  spoken  of  and  liked  by 
the  whole  neighborhood.  He  is  a  good,  law-abid- 
ing citizen,  and  has  done  good  service  in  his  native 
precinct  as  School  Director  and  as  Road  Commis- 
sioner of  township  14.  range  12,  of  which  office  he 
is  at  present  an  incumbent.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Anti-Horse  Thief  Association.  In  general  elec- 
tions he  stands  with  the  Democrats,  but  in  local 
elections  he  votes  for  the  man  irrespective  of  party. 
He  is  a  temperate  man,  and  a  believer  in  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  though  not  a  church  member.  Mrs. 
Perkins,' a  truly  kind  and  good  woman,  belongs  to 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  is  zealous  in  its  support. 


OSEPH  HODGKINSON,  who  is  numbered 
among  the  prosperous  and  enterprising  far- 
mers of  Scott  County,  has  risen  to  his  pres- 
V  ent  honorable  position  through  the  quiet 
force  of  persistent  labor  and  indomitable  will,  that 
has  overcome  all  obstacles  that  lay  in  the  pathway 
of  success.  He  owns  a  fine,  well-stocked  farm  on 
section  11,  township  13,  and  a  pretty,  comfortable 
home  pleasantly  located  just  outside  the  corporate 
limits  of  the  city  of  Winchester.  He  is  mostly 
engaged  in  stock  raising,  and  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Scott  County  Stock  Breeders'  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  has  been  a  director  for  six  years, 
and  now  has  entire  charge  of  the  horses  belonging 
to  the  Association.  These  animals  are  the  finest  in 
the  count3r,  and  consist  of  two  Percherons,  one 
Clydesdale,  and  one  French  coach  horse.  Mr. 
Hodgkinson  is  eminently  fitted  for  the  responsibili- 
ties of  such  a  position,  as  he  is  a  dear  lover  of  the 
horse,  has  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  animal,  knows 
all  their  best  points,  and  understands  the  best 
methods  of  handling  them. 

On  Christmas  Day,  1832,  in  Kirk  Ireton,  Eng- 
land, the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  to  George 
and  Fanny  (Dale)  Hodgkinson,  both  natives  of 
Derbyshire,  England.  His  ancestors  were  a  race  of 
yeomen  in  old  England,  and  the  father  and  grand- 
father of  our  sublect  were  also  tillers  of  the  soil  in 
their  native  land.  In  the  fall  of  1843  the  family 
emigrated  to  America,  and  coming  directly  to  Illi- 


f 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


519 


nois  bought  a  place,  comprising  forty  acres  of  wild 
land,  about  five  miles  southeast  of  Winchester.  But 
the  father  and  mother  were  not  destined  to  enjoy  the 
new  home  long,  for  the  former  was  killed  by  being 
thrown  out  of  a  wagon,  in  the  winter  of  1844-45, 
and  six  weeks  later  the  poor  mother  died  from  the 
shock  of  the  dreadful  blow  that  had  befallen  her  and 
her  little  ones  in  a  strange  country  so  far  from  their 
old  English  home.  The  six  children  born  to  that 
worthy  couple,  comprising  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  are  all  living,  and  on  the  death  of  their 
parents  they  were  separated,  and  bound  out  till 
they  came  of  age:  Fannie,  now  Mrs.  Megginsou, 
of  Morgan  County,  was  bound  to  Adam  Alliuson  till 
she  was  eighteen  years  old ;  Hannah,  now  Mrs. 
Jones,  of  Scott  County',  was  bound  out  to  James 
Coultas  till  she  was  eighteen;  George,  who  lives  in 
Republic  County,  Kan.,  was  bound  out  to  Robert 
Woodall,  Sr.,  till  he  was  twenty-one;  Robert,  who 
has  lived  in  Vallejo,  Cal.,  since  1861,  was  bound 
out  to  his  uncle,  Charles  Frost;  Ann,  who  lives  in 
Macoupin  County,  111.,  and  our  subject,  were  bound 
out  to  William  Ronksley,  of  Scott  County,  till  they 
became  of  age. 

The  latter  was  to  work  on  a  farm  and  to  attend 
school  occasionally.  He  had  to  work  very  hard,  re- 
ceived a  limited  education,  and  was  poorly  clad, 
having  the  ordinary  experience  of  such  boys.  He 
left  those  people  before  his  time  was  up,  in  the  fall 
1852,  and  began  to  look  out  for  himself,  being 
a  young  man  of  an  ambitious,  energetic  disposition. 
He  was  employed  by  his  uncle,  Charles  Frost,  who 
•gave  him  $12  a  month,  and  he  remained  with  him 
till  February,  1853.  He  then  went  to  Morgan 
County,  and  was  there  working  on  a  farm  when  the 
war  broke  out,  and  he  Mien  returned  to  his  uncle 
again,  and  was  engaged  on  his  farm  and  other 
farms,  and  also  in  shipping  horses  to  St.  Louis  for 
some  time.  October  11,  1865,  Mr.  Hodgkinson 
took  one  of  the  most  important  steps  of  his  life  in 
his  marriage,  on  that  date,  to  Miss  Louisa,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Reuben  and  Martha  (Adkisson) 
Howard,  natives  of  Tennessee,  who  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Scott  County.  The  father,  who 
was  a  practical,  successful  farmer,  died  Jan.  17, 
1884,  and  the  mother  died  Feb.  22,  1877.  They 
had  six  children,  four  daughters  and  two  sons,  one 


son  and  one  daughter  now  being  dead.  Their  son 
Newton  gave  up  his  life  in  the  late  war.  He  was  a 
private  in  Company  II,  129th  Illinois  Infantry,  was 
taken  sick  and  died  in  the  hospital  in  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  Oct.  2,  1863.  Mrs.  Hodgkinson  was  the 
youngest  child,  and  was  born  Feb.  21,  1837,  in 
Scott-  County.  Of  the  three  children  that  has 
blessed  the  happy  wedded  life  of  herself  and  hus- 
band, two  are  now  living:  George  R.,  born  May 
27,  1878;  Viola  A.,  May  31,  1880.  They  are 
bright  and  intelligent  children,  and  are  receiving 
good  educational  advantages.  The  greatest  sorrow 
in  the  wedded  life  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  was 
occasioned  by  the  death  of  their  little  daughter, 
Martha  F.,  who  was  born  May  17,  1867,  and  died 
April  23,  1871. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Hodgkinson  settled  on  fifty 
acres  of  land,  four  and  three-fourth  miles  southeast 
of  Winchester,  on  the  Manchester  Road,  which  he 
bought  Sept.  8,  1865,  and  still  owns.  He  has  added 
to  it  since,  having  bought  sixty  acres  in  1867,  and 
ten  acres  in  1882,  besides  two  and  ninety-eight 
one-hundreth  acres  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city, 
where  he  has  built  his  home.  He  has  greatly  in- 
creased the  value  of  his  farm  since  it  came  into  his 
hands,  has  set  out  shade  trees,  built  two  barns, 
sheds,  etc.,  and  made  many  other  improvements. 

Mr.  Hodgkinson  is  a  frank,  warm-hearted  man, 
with  a  pleasant  manner,  that  wins  him  esteem  from 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  either  in  a  busi- 
ness or  social  way.  He  is  gifted  with  firmness,  sa- 
gacity and  natural  tact  to  a  large  degree,  and  so 
manages  his  affairs  as  to  produce  the  best  results 
financially.  His  fellow-citizens  rightly  judge  him 
to  be  a  good  man  for  office,  and  wished  him  to 
serve  as  County  Commissioner,  but  he  refused  to 
allow  his  name  to  be  used  for  that  position.  He 
has,  however,  been  School  Director  and  Road  Su- 
pervisor of  the  precinct,  and  in  both  cases  did  good 
work  for  the  community.  He  occasionally  takes 
part  in  politics,  and  uses  his  influence  in  favor  of 
the  Democratic  party.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
zealous  members  of  tke  Christian  Church,  he  being 
an  Elder  in  the  same.  Mrs.  Hodgkinson  is  pro- 
nounced by  those  who  know  her  well,  to  be  a  very 
fine  woman,  kind,  S3rmpathetic,  and  motherly,  and 
a  true  Christian.  When  her  parents  became  infirm 


520 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


through  age  she  and  Mr.  Hodgkinson  kindly  under- 
took the  responsibility  of  caring  for  them,  and  ful- 
filled this  duty  faithfully,  and  after  the  death  of 
the  mother  Mrs.  Ilodgkinson  took  entire  care  of  her 
father,  till  his  death  from  a  cancer  relieved  his  suf- 
ferings. 


THOMAS  P.  COULTAS,  a  native-horn  citizen 
of  Winchester  Precinct  is  a  grandson  of 
one  of  its  earliest  settlers  and  the  son  of 
one  of  its  well-known  citizens,  and  on  the  old 
homestead  south  of  Riggston  which  his  grand- 
father had  purchased  from  the  Government  nearly 
sixty  years  ago  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement 
of  Scott  County,  he  was  born  Oct.  8,  1842.  Since 
attaining  manhood  he  has  identified  himself  with 
the  agricultural  interests  of  his  native  county  and 
township,  and  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  240  acres 
of  rich  arable  land  l3-ing  on  section  24,  which  is 
under  excellent  cultivation,  has  a  neat  and  cosy 
dwelling,  ample  barns,  and  other  necessary  build- 
ings, besides  good  machinery  for  carrying  on  the 
farm  so  as  to  produce  the  best  results  with  the  least 
expenditure  of  time  and  labor.  There  are  about 
fifty  acres  of  timber  on  the  place  and  a  fine  orchard. 
Mr.  Coultas  has  his  farm  stocked  with  more  cattle 
than  it  can  support  and  he  has  to  buy  feed  for  them 
every  year.  He  began  three  years  ago  to  intro- 
duce full-blooded  Red-Polled  cattle,buying stock  of 
Gen.  L.  F.  Ross,  the  noted  cattle  breeder,  of  Iowa 
City,  and  he  now  has  six  fine  specimens  of  that 
breed. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  Oct.  20,  1815,  and  in  1830  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  and  other  members  of  the  family 
to  the  United  States,  and  settled  with  them  in 
Illinois,  on  section  3,  this  precinct.  That  winter 
was  a  memorable  one  to  the  early  settlers  of  this 
state  as  the  "Winter  of  the  Deep  Snow,"  which  fell 
to  the  depth  of  four  feet  on  a  level,  and  in  contrast 
with  that  he  can  compare  the  mild  winter  of  thirty- 
seven  years  later,  when  the  weather  was  so  warm 
that  the  corn  actually  sprouted  in  the  fields  an  inch 
on  Christmas  Day,  as  witnessed  by  our  subject  and 
two  companions,  and  doubtless  by  many  others. 


While  the  snow  was  lying  on  the  ground  to  such 
great  depth,  Mr.  Coultas  and  three  others  went  out 
one  day  on  a  deer  hunt,  and  by  ten  o'clock  had 
killed  fourteen  of  the  wild  animals,  the  deep  snow 
having  impeded  their  movements.  The  hunters 
stripped  the  hides  off  of  their  game,  took  the 
shoulders  and  hams  and  left  the  remains  to  a  very 
large  pack  of  wolves  who  had  been  hungrily  eyeing 
them  while  they  worked.  Times  were  very  hard 
then  for  the  pioneers  of  Illinois,  prices  were  low 
and  markets  were  far  distant.  They  had  to  haul 
their  wheat  to  the  Illinois  River,  after  having 
threshed  it  by  having  the  horses  trample  it  out  on 
the  ground,  and  then  they  obtained  only  twenty- 
five  cents  a  bushel  for  it.  Hogs  that  weighed  175 
pounds  only  brought  seventy-five  cents  a  hundred 
weight  when  marketed. 

Mr.  Coultas,  our  subject,  inherited  120  acres 
of  his  father's  homestead,  and  by  unremitting 
toil,  and  judicious  management  of  his  affairs,  he 
has  increased  its  value  and  has  added  to  its 
original  acreage  till  he  owns  a  300-acre  farm  that 
is  classed  among  the  best  in  Ibis  part  of  Scott 
County,  and  he  is  considered  one  of  the  substantial, 
reliable  citizens  of  the  township  which  he  has 
helped  to  build  up.  He  still  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  politics,  and  stands  by  the  Democratic  party 
as  firmly  as  in  days  of  yore  when  it  was  his  privilege 
to  cast  his  vote  for  "Old  Hickory"  the  first  presi- 
dent that  he  helped  to  elect  after  he  obtained  his 
majority,  and  he  also  had  the  honor  of  voting 
for  Cleveland,  the  last  Democratic  president.  He 
received  his  education  partly  in  England  and  part- 
ly in  America,  leaving  school  when  about  eighteen 
years  old,  and  when  twenty-one  years  old  lie  began 
life  for  himself,  his  father  hiring  him  to  assist  him 
in  the  management  of  his  farm.  He'  has  been 
twice  married.  His  first  wife,  who  died  in  1855, 
was  Mary  Pickering,  daughter  of  Thomas  Picker- 
ing of  Yorkshire,  England.  Our  subject  was  the 
eldest  of  the  six  children  born  of  that  marriage, 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  five  of  whom  are 
still  living,  and  the  names  of  the  others  are  Robert, 
Mary,  Henry  and  George.  Mr.  Coultas  was 
married  to  his  second  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Mary  Dean,  April  10,  1856.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Robinson)  Dean,  of 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


521 


Cheshire,  England,  and  her  death  occurred  Sept.  4, 
1876.  Of  the  ten  children  born  of  that  marriage 
nine  are  now  living,  as  follows:  Isaac  James, 
Mattie  May,  wife  of  Edward  Chrisman;  Adela, 
wife  of  Garland  Overtoil;  Alice  Hardwick,  wife  of 
John  Kirkland;Sallie  Belle,  wife  of  John  A.  Ober- 
meyer,  William  Edgar,  Charles  Burr,  Samuel  John, 
Florence  Lulla,  and  David  Brengle. 

Thomas  P.  Coultas  of  this  biography  received  a 
common  education  in  the  local  district  school,  com- 
pleting his  studies  when  about  eighteen  years  old, 
and  after  that  devoted  his  time  to  assisting  his  father 
on  his  farm.  He  remained  at  home  till  he  was 
twenty-one,  and  then  married,  taking  unto  himself 
as  a  wife  and  companion  Miss  Lizzie  F.  Hawk, 
their  marriage  being  solemnized  Feb.  25,  1863. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  A.  J.  and  Jane  (Frame)  Hawk. 
Robert  Hawk,  her  grandfather,  was  an  early  pioneer 
of  Illinois,  and  his  home  was  three  miles  northeast 
of  Winchester,  and  there  he  died  many,  years  ago. 
His  wife  died  only  fourteen  years  ago,  having 
attained  extreme  old  age.  He  took  an  active  part 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  figured  prominently 
in  all  the  scenes  of  pioneer  times.  His  son  A.  J., 
Mrs.  Coultas's  father,  was  a  prominent  farmer  in 
his  day  and  owned  several  hundred  acres  of  land. 
He  died  in  June,  1863,  and  his  wife  survived  him 
eight  years,  when  she  too  passed  away.  They  had 
six  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living.  Mrs. 
Coultas  was  the  second  child  of  the  family,  and 
she  was  born  in  Scott  County,  Nov.  29,  1842.  She 
was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  remained 
an  inmate  of  the  parental  household  till  her 
marriage  with  our  subject.  They  have  had  nine 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  of  whom  the 
following  is  the  record:  Clayton  E.,  residing  half 
a  mile  northeast  of  the  paternal  homestead,  was 
born  Aug.  6,  1864,  and  is  married  to  Alice 
Stainsby;  Minnie  L.  was  born  June  13,  1866;  John 
A.,  Feb.  7,  1868;  Annie  B.,  Sept.  29,  1870;  Allie  R., 
Dec.  10,  1872,  and  died  July  28,  1873;  David  F. 
was  born  Oct.  18,  1874;  Nellie  F.  was  born 
16,  1876;  Raymond  W.,  Jan.  26,  1880;  Mary 
Ella,  March  2,  1883,  and  died  August  12,  of  the 
same  \-ear.  There  has  been  considerable  sickness 
in  the  family,  and  the  beloved  wife  and  mother 
was  stricken  with  paralysis  in  her  left  side  six 


years  ago,  and  is  still  suffering  much  from  it,  but 
bears  this  affliction  nobly  and  with  cheerfulness. 

After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coultas  settled  on 
a  farm  belonging  to  his  father  that  had  been  pur- 
chased of  William  Cox,  and  the  young  couple 
began  housekeeping  in  an  old  frame  house,  in 
which  they  lived  three  years.  Mr.  Coultas  then 
purchased  240  acres  of  land  where  his  present 
home  stands,  and  on  it  was  a  good  house  and 
barns,  and  all  but  twenty  acres  of  the  land  was 
broken.  He  has  been  prospered  in  his  calling  and 
is  comfortably  well-off. 

Our  subject  is  prominent  among  the  farmers  of 
this  locality,  and  possesses  pleasing  social  qualties 
that  make  him  personally  popular  with  all  in  the 
community.  He  is  a  skillful  manager  and  brings 
a  clear  head  and  sound  common  sense  to  bear  on 
his  work.  He  has  held  public  office  with  credit, 
and  has  always  worked  for  the  highest  interests  of 
his  natitve  precinct.  He  has  been  School  Director 
and  Road  Overseer.  In  politics,  he  is,  a  decided 
Democrat  and  has  always  acted  with  that  party, 
with  the  exception  of  the  time  when  he  wo.-ked  for 
the  election  of  Peter  Cooper,  the  Greenback  candi- 
date for  the  presidency.  He  is  a  valued  member 
of  Saladin  Lodge,  No.  48,  K.  of  P.  Mrs.  Coultas 
has  been  connected  with  the  Christian  Church  as 
one  of  its  most  consistent  members. 


F^OBERT    J.  WOODALL,   of    township  13, 
\gff    range  12,  being  a  native  of  Scott  County  is 


consequently  closely  identified  with  every- 
thing concerning  its  welfare  and  prosperity. 
He  owns  and  occupies  a  good  farm  on  section  1 , 
near  the  old  homestead  of  his  father  and  where  he 
was  born,  Jan.  6,  1839.  He  is  the  son  of  Robert 
Woodall.  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  this  region,  a 
native  of  Yorkshire.  England,  and  now  a  resident 
of  Winchester. 

Our  subject  received  the  advantages  of  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  at  an  early  period  in 
in  his  life  chose  farming  for  his  occupation.  He 
grew  up  familiar  with  this  occupation,  and  was 
trained  to  habits  of  industry  and  economy  which 
are  the  surest  basis  of  success.  Just  before  the 


522 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


age  of  twenty-one  he  was  married  in  February, 
1860,  to  Miss  Sarah  Jones,  daughter  of  William 
Jones,  also  a  pioneer  of  this  county.  Of  this  union 
there  were  born  three  children,  the  eldest  of  whom 
a  son,  William,  was  first  married  to  Miss  New,  who 
died  soon  afterward,  and  he  was  then  married  to 
Miss  Lizzie  Burk,  and  is  now  living  in  Winchester. 
lie  is  the  father  of  one  child,  a  daughter.  Annie 
became  the  wife  of  Frank  Dolen,  of  Winchester, 
and  has  two  children — Addie  and  Vincent.  Sam- 
uel married  Miss  Bridget  Lollis,  and  lives  near  his 
father  on  the  old  Thomas  Mason  place;  they  have 
one  child,  a  daughter.  Mrs.  Sarah  (Jones)  Wood- 
all  departed  this  life  at  the  homestead  May  14, 
1  869. 

Our  subject  Jan.  18,  1870.  contracted  a  second 
matrimonial  alliance  with  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  James  Bell  of  this  county.  This  union  resulted 
in  the  birth  of  eight  children,  viz:  Ella,  Eliza, 
James,  Lee,  Charles,  Olive,  Jesse  and  an  infant 
daughter,  Lillian  Bell.  The  farm  of  our  subject 
embraces  400  acres  of  choice  land  which  is  largely 
devoted  to  stock-raising — graded  short-horn  cattle, 
Poland-China  swine,  and  Norman,  Clydesdale  and 
English  coach  horses.  In  this  industry  Mr.  Wood- 
all  has  been  more  than'  ordinarily  successful  and 
devotes  to  his  farm  his  best  efforts,  paying  little 
attention  to  politics  and  carefully  avoiding  the 
responsibilities  of  office.  He,  however,  keeps  him- 
self posted  upon  matters  of  general  interest  and 
votes  the  straight  Republican  ticket. 


-4- 


i  OSI  AH  II.  McDONALD.  Among  the  home- 
steads that  adorn  the  landscape  of  township 
13,  range  12,  Scott  County,  that  belong- 
ing  to  the  subject  of  this  notice,  invariably 
attracts  the  eye  of  the  passing  traveler.  The  first 
glance  reveals  it  as  the  abode  of  cultivated  tastes, 
and  ample  means.  The  farm,  177£  acres  in  extent 
has  been  brought  to  a  thorough  state  of  cultivation 
and  in  the  fall  of  1888,  Mr.  McDonald  completed  a 
line  new  residence.  The  main  building  is  two  sto- 
ries in  height,  48x18  feet  in  dimensions  and  there 
is  a  one-story  "L"  26x32  feet.  The  barn  and 
other  outbuildings  are  creditable  alike  to  the  good 


taste  and  judgment  which  have  evidently  been 
exercised  in  all  the  appointments  of  the  premises. 

In  addition  to  general  agriculture  Mr.  McDon- 
ald makes  aspecialty  of  fine  stock,  including  graded 
Short-horn  cattle  and  Poland-China  swine. 

Franklin  County,  Mo.,  was  the  early  tramping- 
ground  of  our  subject,  and  where  his  birth  took 
place  Aug.  21,  1843.  His  father,  Jesse  McDonald, 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  died  when  his  son, 
Josiah  II.,  was  two  years  old.  The  mother,  Mrs. 
Ann  (Horr)  McDonald,  was  subsequently  married 
to  Benoni  Sappington,  by  whom  she  had  four  child- 
ren— Samuel,  Julia,  Belle  and  Emma.  In  1855,  the 
whole  family  emigrated  to  Morgan  County,  111., 
and  the  following  year  changed  their  residence  to 
this  county.  They  sojourned  here  until  1859, 
then  removed  to  Greene  County,  where  they  lived 
until  1863,  then  returned  to  Scott. 

While  a  resident  of  Greene  County,  this  State, 
the  Civil  War  being  in  progress,  our  subject,  en- 
listed in  Company  C,  6th  Illinois  Cavalry  in  which 
he  served  three  years,  four  months  and  seven  days. 
He  participated  in  the  battle  at  Ft.  Donelson.  the 
Grearsou  raid,  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson,  the  en- 
gagements at  Buck  River,  Franklin  and  Nashville, 
(Tenn.),besides  meeting  the  enemy  at  other  points. 
He  fortunately  escaped  wounds  and  capture  and 
considering  the  hardships  and  exposure  to  which  he 
was  subjected  while  on  duty,  came  out  in  compar- 
atively good  health.  He  then  returned  to  his  old 
haunts  in  this  count}'  where  he  has  since  lived. 

Upon  his  return  from  the  army,  Mr.  McDonald 
for  three  years  was  engaged  as  a  conductor  on  what 
was  then  the  Rockford  &  Rock  Island  Railroad. 
Later  he  established  himself  at  the  livery  business 
in  Winchester  which  occupied  him  one  year.  In 
the  spring  of  1876,he  located  on  his  present  farm, 
and  since  that  time  has  given  to  it  his  undivided 
attention,  as  its  condition  indicates.  lie  took  unto 
himself  a  wife  and  helpmate — Miss  Jennie  Dawson 
— Sept.  29,  1870,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  at 
the  bride's  home  in  Scott  County.  Mrs.  McDon- 
ald was  born  in  1 844,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Jesse 
and  Ann  Dawson,  the  latter  being  deceased.  Four 
children  completed  the  household  circle  of  our  sub- 
ject and  his  estimable  wife,  only  three  of  whom 
are  living,  viz:  Jesse,  Clarence  and  Lecy  Belle. 


T 


"* 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


523 


Mr.  McDonald  has  troubled  himself  ver}'  little 
about  political  matters  although  he  keeps  himself 
posted  upon  current  events  and  uniformly  votes 
the  straight  Republican  ticket.  He  is  identified 
with  the  G.  A.  R.  at  Winchester,  and  both  in  so- 
cial and  business  circles  is  highly  esteened  among 
his  fellow  citizens.  His  property  has  been  accum- 
ulated by  his  own  industry  and  frugality,  and  he  is 
now  far  beyond  the  reach  of  want,  having  sufficient 
for  his  declining  years.  He  has  witnessed  with 
warm  interest  the  great  changes  which  have  oc- 
curred in  Central  Illinois  during  his  sojourn  here 
and  in  building  up  one  of  its  finest  homesteads  has 
added  thus  much  to  the  value  of  its  real  estate. 


'AMES  F.  CRAWFORD,  a  representative 
man  of  Scott  County,  and  an  ex-county  offi- 
cial, is  a  native  of  Lincoln  County,  Tenn., 
where  he  was  born  March  25,1832.  His  father, 
Samuel  Crawford,  was  a  native  of  Augusta  County, 
Va.,  while  his  paternal  grandfather  was  born  in  the 
fame  State,  and  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  serv- 
ing seven  years  as  a  Lieutenant  in  that  memorable 
struggle.  He  died  in  Virginia. 

Samuel  Crawford,  the  father  of  James,  was  a 
young  man  when  the  War  of  1812 commenced,  and 
enlisting  he  served  through  until  peace  was  de- 
clared. He  later  moved  to  Tennessee,  where  he 
married  and  settled  down  as  a  farmer.  In  1836  he 
came  to  Scott  County,  and  located  where  Bluffs  is 
now  situated.  He  bought  a  tract  of  land,  broke  it 
up,  anil  commenced  farming  on  a  prosperous  basis. 
His  farm  contained  480  acres.  Later  he  gave  up 
active  pursuits  and  removed  to  Pike  County,  III., 
where  he  lived  in  retirement  until  the  8th  of  Octo- 
ber, ]  870,  when  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  had 
belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  fifty  years. 
His  wife,  the  mother  of  the  one  of  whom  this  sketch 
is  written,  was  named  Janet  Gibson.  She  was  a 
native  of  Rockingham  County,  N.  C'.,  and  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  Like  her  husband  she  was  ,1  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  She  died  in  1854, 
at  the  age  of  fifty -four  years,  and  was  the  mother 
of  fourteen  children,  whose  names  are  herewith 


given:  John  G.,  Rachael  C.,  William  C.^  Margaret 
S.,  Levi  P.,  Polly  A.,  Felix  M.,  George  W.,  Samuel, 
Eliza,  James  F.,  Harriet  N.,  Alexander  N.  and  Mar- 
tha A.  Levi  P. was  the  chaplain  of  the  105th  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  enlisted  in  18(52,  but  resigned  before 
the  close  of  the  war. 

James  F.,  whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of 
this  sketch,  was  four  years  old  when  he  came  to 
Illinois.  The  journey  from  Tennessee  was  made  by 
ox  team,  and  occupied  about  four  weeks.  At  this 
time  all  kinds  of  wild  game  was  plenty,  and  espec- 
ially deer,  which  afforded  meat  in  abundance  for 
the  pioneers.  Common  schools  were  the  only 
means  of  gaining  an  education,  and  they  were  of 
the  most  primitive  kind.  James  remained  at  home 
until  he  became  of  age,  when  he  began  operating  a 
farm  for  himself  by  renting  land  from  his  father. 
lie  was  thus  occupied  until  he  enlisted,  in  August, 
1862.  He  joined  the  129th  Infantry,  and  was  ten- 
dered a  captain's  commission  by  Gov.  Yates,  which 
he  declined  and  accepted  that  of  First  Lieutenant. 
His  regiment  was  mustered  into  service  at  Pontiac, 
on  September  8,  from  which  point  it  was  ordered 
to  Louisville,  just  in  time  to  participate  in  a  raid 
conducted  by  Buell.  The  hardships  surrounding  a 
soldier's  life  completely  broke  down  Lieut.  Craw- 
ford's health,  and  he  was  therefore  obliged  to  re- 
sign, lie  was  discharged  at  Howling  Green,  in  De- 
cember, 1862,  and  on  account  of  his  severe  di?r- 
bilities  was  sent  home  to  die.  He  was  confined  to 
his  room  fora  long  time  after,  but  slowly  recovered, 
when  he  again  engaged  in  farming  for  a  short  time, 
after  which  he  was  employed  as  a  stonemason,  which 
he  followed  for  over  twenty  years,  being  a  master 
at  the  business.  In  the  meantime  he  carried  on 
farming  on  a  small  scale,  and  in  1872  purchased 
his  present  homestead,  with  no  improvements,  but 
by  degrees  he  has  brought  his  farm  up  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  and  has  erected  thereon  comfortable 
buildings. 

Lieut.  Crawford  has  been  married  twice,  his  firs', 
wife  being  Miss  Martha  E.  Peoples,  who  was  born 
in  Guilford  County,  N.  C.  The  marriage  occurred 
Sept.  29,  1853,  and  resulted  in  the  birth  of  one 
child.  May,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Lincoln,  a  mer- 
chant of  Naples.  On  the  8th  of  June,  1856,  he  was 
again  married,  this  time  to  Miss  Eliza  Grady,  a  na- 


524 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


live  of  Bluffs,  and  whose  birth  occurred  Dec.  23, 
1836.  She  is  the  mother  of  thirteen  children,  as 
follows:  Royal,  Edward  E.,  William  G.,  Samuel 
G.,  Clara  J.,  Margaret  E.,  John  F.,  Rachael  A., 
Martha  E.,  Annie  E.,  Grace  F.,  Fannie  and  James 
Blaine.  Of  these  Royal,  Rachael  and  Annie  are  de- 
ceased. Edward  E.  is  a  farmer  of  Clayton  County, 
Kan.,  as  is  also  Samuel  G.;  Clara  J.  married  Charles 
Bloyd,  a  farmer  of  Clay  County,  Kan.;  Margaret 
married  William  Murphy,  also  a  fanner  of  the  same 
place.  The  rest  are  at  home. 

Mr.  Crawford  has  held  the  office  of  County  Coro- 
ner, the  term  of  which  extended  from  1881  to 
1883.  He  was  Township  Trustee  for  eight  years, 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  six  years,  and  School  Di- 
rector for  twelve  years.  He  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Naples,  and  has  been 
Master  of  his  lodge.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  at  Bluffs,  and  has  filled  all  the  Chairs  in 
that  organization.  He  has  also  held  the  office  of 
Post  Commander  of  the  G.  A.  R.,of  Bluffs.  Politi- 
cally, he  is  a  stanch  and  reliable  Republican.  He 
is  particularly  proud  of  the  fact  that  President 
Harrison  was  his  brigade  commander  during  his 
service  in  the  army.  Mr.  Crawford's  record  as  a 
citizen  and  soldier  is  perfect. 


VATR1CK  O'DONNEL.  In  Township  13, 
Range  12,  Scott  County,  there  is  no  man 
more  favorably  known  than  the  subject  of 
this  notice.  He  is  self-made  in  the  broadest 
sense  of  the  term,  having  begun  life  with  literally 
nothing  and  by  his  industry  and  perseverance  has 
become  wealthy.  He  owns  and  operates  a[fine  farm 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  thorough-bred  horses, 
being  able  to  exhibit  in  this  line  some  of  the  best 
stock  in  Central  Illinois.  He  is  a  man  who  has 
been  prompt  to  meet  his  obligations,  is  upright  and 
honorable  in  his  dealings,  and  numbers  his  friends 
by  the  score  among  the  people  who  have  watched 
his  career  with  admiring  interest. 

A  native  of  County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  Mr. 
O'Donnell  was  born  March  17,  1836,  and  is  the 
son  of  Patrick  O'Donnell,  Sr.,  a  native  of  the  same 
county  as  his  son  and  who  spent  his  entire  life  in 


Erin's  Green  Isle,  dying  when  middle-aged.  Our 
subject,  in  1848,  after  the  death  of  his  father,  came, 
with  his  widowed  mother,  to  the  United  States, 
and  the  family  settled  in  New  Jersey  where  Patrick, 
Jr.,  commenced  working  on  a  farm  at  the  munifi- 
cent wages  of  $5  per  month.  Shortly  afterward, 
however,  he  changed  his  occupation  to  that  of  clerk 
on  the  steamer  "Ocean  Wave,"  plying  the  Shrews- 
bury river.  Later  he  officiated  as  fireman  on  the 
same  boat  and  in  due  time,  having  made  good  use 
of  his  opportunities  for  learning  the  art,  was  pro- 
moted to  assistant  engineer. 

Our  subject  was  thus  occupied  three  years,  then 
changing  his  employment,  engaged  in  gardening 
with  his  brother,  Dennis,  for  the  New  York  market. 
He  followed  this  two  years,  then  in  1856,  set  his 
face  westward  and  coming  to  Winchester,  this 
county,  had  charge  of  an  engine  in  the  Harlan  Mill 
three  years  and  the  latter  part  of  the  time  was  both 
miller  and  overseer  of  the  establishment.  In  the 
meantime  he  purchased  120  acres  of  land  three 
miles  south  of  Winchester  upon  which  he  placed 
his  brother,  Dennis,  who  worked  it  for  him  one 
year  then  Patrick  took  it  in  charge  himself.  He 
soon  purchased  additional  land  and  the  brothers 
farmed  in  partnership  four  years.  Dennis  snbse 
quently  began  buying  land  for  himself  and  is  now 
the  owner  of  700  acres,  while  Patrick  holds  the 
warrantee  deeds  to  637  acres. 

Mr.  O'Donnell  commenced  his  stock  operations 
about  1861.  His  favorites  are  the  Norman  horses, 
both  draft  and  roadsters,  among  them  "Flying 
Dutchman,"  who  has  attained  to  great  popularity 
in  this  part  of  the  county.  Mr.  O'Donnell  has  one 
pony  which  paces  a  mile  in  a  little  over  three 
minutes.  In  the  cattle  line  he  operates  mostly 
with  Short-horns.  Our  subject  while  in  New 
Jersey  was  the  chief  support  of  his  mother  and 
educated  his  sisters.  The  mother  came  to  the 
West  with  her  children  and  died  at  the  home  of  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Stephen  Moore,  in  Alsey,  in  1883. 

The  31st  of  March,  1862,  witnessed  the  marriage 
of  our  subject  with  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Jesse 
and  Lizzie  Young,  who  were  among  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  this  county  and  a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mr.  Young  dug 
the  first  well  upon  the  present  site  of  Winchester. 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


525 


He  was  mostly  engaged  as  a  farmer  and  departed 
this  life  at  his  home  in  Scott  county,  April,  1889. 
The  mother  of  Mrs.  O'Donnell  is  still  living.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  O'Donnell  there  were  born  eleven 
children,  nine  of  whom  are  living.  The  eldestson, 
John,  married  Miss  Emma  Roberts,  is  the  father  of 
two  children — Lena  and  an  infant  named  Gracie — 
and  lives  on  a  farm  near  the  old  homestead.  Lizzie 
B.  became  the  wife  of  Lincoln  McLaughlin  of 
Cerre  Gordo,  Piatt  County,  this  State,  and  is  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Jesse.  Olive,  Mrs.  James 
Doyle,  lives  in  township  14  and  has  no  children; 
Charles,  Mary  Nannie,  Nellie,  Thomas,  Lilly  and 
Susie,  remain  under  the  home  roof. 

Our  subject  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
extensive  stock-raisers  in  Scott  County.  During 
the  Civil  War  he  purchased  horses  for  the  Union 
Army,  his  transactions  in  this  line  yielding  him 
handsome  profits.  He  also  during  those  da3's  ac- 
cumulated a  snugsum  of  money  in  buying  cattle 
and  selling  to  the  farmers  of  this  region.  He  is  a 
democrat  politically  and  has  officiated  as  road 
supervisor  and  school  director  but  prefers  to  be 
relieved  from  the  responsibilities  of  office.  He 
and  his  children  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

In  the  fall  of  1888  Mr.  O'Donnell  returned  to 
the  Atlantic  coast,  visiting  his  old  haunts  in  New 
Jersey  and  finding  things  greatly  changed.  He 
also  visited  Long  Branch  and  the  National  race 
course  at  Monmouth  Park.  The  farm  whereon  he 
first  [labored  after  coming  to  America  is  now  a 
beautiful  park,  upon  which  the  owner  spent 
$250,000  in  the  beautifying  of  the  ground  alone, 
before  erecting  any  buildings.  Mr.  O'Donnell 
crossed  the  famous  Brooklyn  bridge  and  saw  the 
great  St.  Patrick's  cathedral  on  Fifth  Avenue, 
opposite  the  mansion  of  William  H.  Vandcrbilt  in 
New  York  city.  He  also  looked  upon  the  statue 
of  '-Liberty  enlightening  the  World,"  on  Bedloe 
Island.  He  crossed  the  Suspension  Bridge  to 
Sandy  Hook  and  other  points,  which  with  all 
these  other  wonderful  structures  had  been  brought 
into  existence  since  he  left  there  in  1856.  He  had 
a  pleasant  interview  with  his  old  boat-captain,' 
Henry  Parker,  formerly  of  the  "Ocean  Wave, "and 
who  now  commands  the  steamer  "Sea  Bird"  plying 


between  Shrewsbury  and  New  York  city.  He 
wisely  considers  the  time  and  money  employed  on 
that  trip  well  spent.  He  also  visited  Niagara  Falls 
and  had  a  very  fine  time. 


II.  PALMER,  senior  proprietor  and 
editorof  the  Winchester  Standard^  bright, 
newsy  and  aggressive  sheet,  noticed  else- 
where in  this  volume,  first  saw  the  light  in  the  his- 
toric city  of  Limerick,  Ireland,  on  the  9th  of 
March,  1827.  His  father,  David  Palmer,  and  fam- 
ily crossed  the  sea,  and  landed  at  Kingston,  Can- 
ada, in  1836.  He  remained  in  Canada  about  two 
years,  when  he  went  to  New  York  State,  and  in 
1843  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Carroll  County 
in  1845,  being  then  thirty-seven  years  of  age.  The 
educational  advantages  of  George  H.  were  com- 
paratively meagre,  and  lie  was,  when  ten  years  of 
age,  apprenticed  to  learn  a  trade,  that  of  a  tailor. 
He  commenced  this  vocation  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  and,  after  coming  to  Illinois,  he  gave  many 
years  of  assiduous  and  painstaking  application  to 
his  business  in  the  towns  of  Exeter  and  Winches- 
ter, 111. 

In  August,  1861,  our  subject  saw  that  his  coun- 
try needed  his  services,  and,  therefore,  enlisted,  at 
Exeter,  this  county,  as  a  musician  in  Company  B, 
27th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  served  to  the  full  end 
of  the  term  of  enlistment.  He  rose  to  the  rank  of 
Orderly  Sergeant  in  Company  34,  2d  Battalion, 
Invalid  Corps,  this  promotion  being  fnllv  de- 
served.  His  war  record  is  one  of  which  he  should 
be  proud,  as  he  took  part  in  all  the  battles  in  which 
his  regiment  participated,  among  which  was  the 
siege  and  capture  of  Island  No.  10;  battle  of  Farm- 
ington,  Miss.,  May  9,  1862;  siege  and  capture  of 
Corinth,  Miss.,  May  28,  1862;  battle  of  Slone 
River,  Dec.  31,  1862,  and  Jan.  1,  1863.  Being  in- 
capacitated for  active  service  in  the  field,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  and 
May  27,  1864,  was  promoted  to  the  peculiarly  re- 
sponsible position  of  Orderly  Sergeant  of  Company 
34,  2d  Battalion.  He  was  discharged  at  Paducah, 
Ky.,  Aug.  17,  1864,  and  returned  to  Exeter.  In 
November.  1865,  he  removed  to  Winchester,  and  in 


'    526 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


October,  1866,  was  appointed  Postmaster  of  that  city 
and  held  that  position  until  July,  1868,  from  which 
time  up  to  January,  1886,  he  was  the  Postmaster's 
Deputy,  filling  that  office  with  rare  fidelity  and  in- 
telligence. Since  leaving  the  postal  service  he  has 
devoted  his  whole  time  to  the  advancement  of  the 
interests  of  his  newspaper. 

Prior  to  the  war  Mr.  Palmer  was  Postmaster  at 
Exeter.  He  has  also  held  the  office  of  City  Clerk 
of  Winchester ;  has  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace 
four  years,  and  as  Notary  Public  for  the  same 
length  of  time.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church;  of  Pioneer  Lodge  No.  70,  I.  O.  O.  F.; 
Saladin  Lodge  No.  48,  K.  of  P.;  Scott  Lodge  No. 
30,  I.  O.  M.  A.;  Hesse  Post  No.  203,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
Winchester  Encampment  No.  66,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of 
which  he  is  serving  his  twelfth  year  as  Scribe  of 
said  encampment.  He  was  three  years  Commander 
of  Hesse  Post  No.  203,  G.  A.  R.,  and  is  now  In- 
spector of  the  last-named  order  for  the  Twelfth 
Illinois  District. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  married  at  Jacksonville,  Sept. 
12,  1849,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  F.  Covington,  and 
there  have  been  born  to  them  two  children — Frank 
M.  and  Frederick  E.  The  latter  died,  in  1852,  at 
the  age  of  nine  months.  To  this  list  may  be  added 
the  name  of  a  much  beloved  adopted  daughter,  Ma- 
dora  E.,  now  Mrs.  J.  S.  Wilson.  Mr.  Palmer's 
varied  experience  has  been  one  to  which  he  can 
proudly  refer.  His  positive  convictions,  his  in- 
domitable will  and  singleness  of  purpose  may  well 
be  emulated  by  the  rising  generation. 


HS.  ELLEN  TIIARPE.  In  1830  William 
and  Frances  (Richardson)  Wilkinson,  of 
Yorkshire,  England,  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  seek  a  new  home  in  the  Western  World. 
Coining  directly  to  Illinois,  they  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Morgan  County,  where  they  became  the  owners 
of  250  acres  of  land.  The  third  daughter  of  this 
pioneer  couple  is  the  subject  of  the  present  sketch. 
Her  mother  died  in  185  Land  her  father  in  1856. 
Ellen  Wilkinson  was  born  in  Morgan  County,  Feb. 
6,  1833.  Educated  in  the  branches  usually  taught 
in  the  subscription  schools  of  those  early  days,  and, 


no  doubt  thoroughly  instructed  by  her  mother  in 
all  domestic  duties,  she  remained  an  inmate  of  the 
parental  household  till  she  went  forth  to  preside 
over  a  home  of  her  own  on  her  marriage  with 
Sanders  Tharpe,  which  took  place  Oct.  28,  1 849. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tharpe  immediately  rented  a  farm 
in  Morgan  County,  on  which  they  lived  till  March, 
1854,  when  they  bought  their  present  homestead 
of  120  acres  in  Scott  County,  on  section  25,  Win- 
chester precinct,  No.  14,  range  12.  The  work 
of  improving  the  farm  went  on  till  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  War,  when,  responding  to  his 
country's  call,  Mr.  Tharpe  enlisted,  in  August, 
1862,  in  Company  H,  129th  Illinois  Infantry.  He 
was  with  his  regiment  three  months  and  five  days, 
taking  part  in  its  toilsome  marches  and  other  act- 
ive duties  till  disabled  by  illness.  Congestion  of 
the  lungs  caused  his  death  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
Dec.  10,  1862,  and  thus  early  a  brave  and  efficient 
soldier  was  lost  to  the  cause.  Mrs.  Tharpe  by  this 
sad  event  was  left  a  widow  with  five  children  of 
tender  age,  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  She 
proved  an  excellent  manager  of  the  farm  as  well  as 
her  household,  conducting  her  affairs  with  marked 
success.  A  part  of  the  land  she  rented  out  for 
two  years.  With  this  exception,  she  attended  to 
its  cultivation  herself,  when  her  boys  were  small, 
often  accompanying  them  to  the  field  and  shnring 
in  the  actual  labors  of  seed-time  and  harvest.  Her 
son  Cornelius  and  his  wife  Ilebe,  nee  Reed,  live  on 
Henry  Todd's  place;  they  have  seven  children. 
Her  daughter,  Martha  A.,  wife  of  William  D. 
Wells,  of  Scott  County,  is  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
dren. Her  other  children — Frances  A.,  Lyman, 
and  William  W.,  as  yet  unmarried — live  witli 
their  mother  in  the  pleasant  home  built  by  her  two 
years  ago.  Lyman  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  at  Winchester.  The  Tharpes 
are  a  family  of  readers.  Thus,  in  a  measure,  self- 
educated,  they  have  thriven  by  their  own  indus- 
try and  intelligence. 

Mrs.  Tharpc  is  of  a  deeply  earnest,  religious 
nature,  but  no  bigot.  Blessed  with  a  sound  con- 
stitution, a  cheerful  disposition,  and  an  object  in 
tife  stimulating  her  to  generous  exertions,  she 
has  enjoyed  good  health  and  ;i  fair  share  of 
worldly  prosperity.  A  Penelope  in  faithfulness 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


to  the  memory  of  her  patriotic  husband,  she  has 
untiringly  devoted  herself  to  her  children,  of  whom 
it  is  little  to  say  that  they  do  credit  to  their  ances- 
try and  their  training. 


^I/AMES  W.  SIX,  one  of  the  enterprising 
farmers  of  his  community,  and  one  who,  by 
industry  and  intelligence,  occupies  a  high 
place  as  a  successful  agriculturist,  is  a  native 
of  Scott  County,  and  was  born  near  Winchester. 
Oct.  25,  1829. 

His  father,  Abraham  Six,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  in  1826,  when  but  a  young  man,  came  to 
Illinois,  and  located  in  Winchester.  Here  he  en- 
tered a  quarter  section  of  land,  which  he  improved 
and  resided  upon  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
June  6.  1849.  John  Six,  the  grandfather  of 
James  W.,  was  born  in  Germany,  but  when  quite 
young  cnme  to  America  and  located  in  Virginia, 
later  removing  to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers.  In  1  830  he  came  to  Scott 
County,  and  purchased  a  farm  near  Kxeter,  where 
he  lived  as  long  as  he  was  actively  engaged  in  busi- 
ness. He  died  near  Perry,  Pike  County,  III. 

As  indicated,  the  ancestors  of  James  W.  Six  were 
farmers,  and  to  this  occupation  .lames  W.  was  at- 
tracted. He  was  educated  at  good  schools,  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  attained  his  majority, 
when  lie  commenced  farming  for  himself  on  rented 
land.  He  finally  bought  the  old  homestead,  and 
after  passing  a  few  years  there,  sold  out  and  removed 
to  Morgan  County,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
200  acres,  near  Waverly.  This  he  operated  for 
two  years,  but  not  liking  prairie  land,  he  sold  it 
and  went  back  to  Winchester,  buying  200  acres  of 
land  four  miles  from  town.  He  continued  the 
farming  business  until  August,  1862,  when  he  en- 
listed in  Company  D,  of  the  12!tth  Illinois  In- 
fantry. He  was  mustered  into  service  at  Pontiac. 
and  immediately  sent  to  the  front  and  took  part  in 
all  the  battles  in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged. 
He  saw  service  on  the  fields  of  Resaca,  Peach  Tree 
Creek,  Snake  Creek  Gap.  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, and  was  with  Gen.  Sherman  in  his  march  to 
the  sea.  His  regiment  operated  before  Atlanta,  and 


4 

529  1 


was  in  the  innumerable  skirmishes  that  occurred 
previous  to  the  capitulation  of  that  town.  At 
Nashville  he  was  taken  ill  with  rheumatism,  a  re- 
sult of  the  exposures  incident  to  a  soldier's  life, 
and  was  in  the  hospital  for  two  months,  but  in  a 
measure  recovered,  and  then  served  until  the  close 
.of  the  war.  He  participated  in  the  Grand  Review 
at  Washington,  after  which  he  received  his  honor- 
able discharge,  and  came  back  to  Winchester  to  en- 
gage in  farming. 

But  the  result  of  the  exposures  that  surrounded 
his  army  life  was  such  that  he  was  unable  to  per- 
form a  great  deal  of  manual  labor,  and  he  was 
therefore  compelled  to  do  light  work.  In  1879  he 
bought  his  present  place,  improved  it,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  raising  stock,  grain  and  small  fruit.  He  was 
married  twice,  the  first  time  to  Miss  Mary  Ray,  on 
Dec.  27,  1850.  She  was  a  native  of  Scott  County, 
and  died  in  1857,  leaving  two  children — Warren 
and  George  (the  latter  deceased);  Warren  is  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  in  Macon  County, 
this  State.  Mr.  Six  was  married  the  second 
time  to  Miss  Louisa  Hale,  on  the  24th  of  De- 
cember, 1858.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Allison 
Hale,  and  was  born  in  Tennessee.  Her  father  came 
to  Illinois  and  located  in  Scott  County  as  a  farmer, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1875.  He  was  a  Class-Leader  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  and  Superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-School. The  mother  of  Mrs.  Six,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Abigail  Ford,  was  born  in  Tennessee  and 
died  in  1844,  leaving  six  children — William,  John, 
James,  Thomas,  Louisa  and  George.  James  was  a 
soldier  in  the  late  Rebellion,  and  served  in  the 
129th  Illinois  from  1861  until  hostilities  ceased. 
George  was  also  in  the  same  regiment,  and  served 
from  1862  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Mrs.  Six  was  born  in  Oxville,  Scott  Count}-. 
Aug.  29,  1842.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was 
two  years  old.  She  remained  with  her  father  for 
ten  years,  when  she  began  to  fight  her  own  way  in 
the  world.  She  was  the  mother  of  nine  children 
by  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Six.  Their  names  are: 
Allison,  Mary,  Laura,  Haws,  Thomas,  Clara,  Har- 
vey, William  and  Stella.  Allison  is  married,  and  is 
a  merchant  at  Warrensburg,  this  State;  Mary  mar- 
ried Willard  Little,  a  farmer  of  Bluffs;  Laura  mar- 


•*•- 

530 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


ried  George  T.  York,  also  a  farmer  of  Bluffs;  Clara 
is  attending  High  School  at  Macon,  and  the  rest  of 
the  children  are  at  home. 

Mr.  Six  has  a  splendid  war  record,  and  is  now 
drawing  a  pension  of  $50  a  month,  as  a  partial 
recompense  for  the  services  he  rendered  and  for 
the  sacrifices  he  made  for  his  country.  HTs  disa- 
bility— rheumatism — lias  steadily  increased,  and  for 
the  last  eight  or  ten  years  has  left  him  entirely 
helpless,  being  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  limbs. 
He  is  called  in  the  neighborhood,  "  Uncle  Jimmy," 
which  is  an  evidence  of  the  respect  borne  him  by 
the  community.  He  belongs  to  the  G.  A.  R.  of 
Bluffs,  and  is  a  Republican. 

A  full  page  lithographed  portrait  of  Mr.  Six  ap- 
pears in  this  volume,  and  forms  a  valuable  addition 
to  the  work. 


ffi  AMES  M.  WARD.  Soon  after  the  advent  of 
the  pioneers  in  Central  Illinois,  and  their 
discovery  of  a  soil  more  than  usually  pro- 
ductive, the  establishment  of  a  nursery  be- 
came a  necessity  among  the  other  industries  inau- 
gurated by  the  enterprising  men  who  drifted  thith- 
erward. Among  these  latter  was  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  who  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the 
largest  nurserymen  and  fruit  growers  in  Scott 
County.  He  has  eighty  acres  of  finely  cultivated 
land  on  section  35,  township  15,  range  14,  and  has 
for  some  years  given  nearly  all  of  his  attention  to 
the  propagation  of  choice  nursery  stock.  He  is  of 
that  genial,  courteous  and  obliging  disposition, 
which  has  not  only  gained  him  many  personal 
friends,  but  which  has  been  the  means  of  securing 
him  a  large  patronage,  both  in  this  and  adjoining 
counties. 

An  Ohio  man  by  birth  and  training  mostly,  our 
subject  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  in  Newark 
Township,  Licking  Co.,  Dec.  3,  1831.  His  father, 
Stewart  Ward.  Esq.,  was  born  in  Beaver  County, 
Pa.,  in  1792,  and  was  the  son  of  John  W.  Ward,  a 
native  of  England,  who  came  to  America  in  1790. 
lived  for  a  time  in  the  Keystone  State,  [and  then  in 
1800  emigrated  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Licking  County, 
before  the  Territory  had  been  transformed  into  a 


State.  He  improved  a  farm  from  the  wilderness, 
and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  amid  the 
wild  scenes  of  pioneer  life,  in  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  received  a  limited  education,  but 
grew  up  healthy  in  mind  and  body,  and  like  his 
father  before  him,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
His  life  passed  uneventfully  (with  the  exception  of 
serving  as  a  Corporal  in  the  War  of  1812)  until 
1 830,  when  he  set  out  for  the  farther  West,  and 
located  first  in  Putnam  County,  this  State,  near  the 
present  site  of  Magnolia.  Two  years  later  he  re- 
moved to  the  vicinity  of  the  Fox  River,  in  Kendall 
County,  where  he  entered  a  claim,  but  was  driven 
out  by  the  Indians,  and  took  up  his  abode  near 
Ottawa. 

In  the  fall  of  1832,  Stewart  Ward  changed  his 
residence  to  a  point  near  the  present  site  of  Bloom- 
ington,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1841. 
That  year,  crossing  the  Mississippi  with  his  family, 
he  took  up  his  abode  in  Gentry  County,  Mo.,  re- 
peated the  experiment  of  reclaiming  a  portion  of 
the  wilderness,  and  built  up  a  comfortable  home- 
stead, where  he  remained  until  his  decease,  in  July, 
1841.  He  possessed  all  the  sturdy  elements  of  the 
pioneer,  and  for  a  long  period  officiated  as  a  Dea- 
con in  the  Baptist  Church.  He  married  Miss  Anna 
McGinley,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  in 
1843,  aged  fifty  years. 

James  McGinley,  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  and 
upon  emigrating  to  America,  located  first  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  then  like  the  Ward  family  pushed 
further  westward  into  Ohio.  He  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  that  region,  and  engaged  as  a  contractor 
during  the  construction  of  the  Ohio  and  Erie  Canal 
from  Cleveland  to  Portsmouth.  In  1830,  however, 
he  made  another  removal,  coming  to  Illinois  and 
locating  near  what  was  then  the  hamlet  of  Bloom- 
ington,  and  where  his  death  took  place  in  1836. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there  were  born  six 
children,  viz. :  James  M..  our  subject,  who  is  the 
eldest;  Martha  A.,  and  Catherine,  who  are  resi- 
dents of  Bloomington ;  Rebecca,  who  died  when 
four  years  of  age;  Orlando,  who  died  in  1839,  and 
Henry,  a  resident  of  Daviess  County,  Mo. ;  James 
M.  with  his  brothers  and  sisters  spent  his  life  in  a 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES 


31 


i 


manner  common  to  the  sons  of  pioneer  farmers,  ac- 
quiring his  education  in  the  district  school.  He 
was  a  lad  of  nine  .years  when  the  family  set  out 
from  Ohio  to  Illinois,  overland  by  team,  and  still 
remembers  many  of  the  incidents  of  the  journey, 
the  settlement  near  Bloomington  and  Fox  Lake, 
and  how  the  Black  Hawk  Indians  frequently  passed 
through  the  country.  He  also  recollects  the  agita- 
tion which  culminated  in  the  removal  of  the  family 
to  Ottawa  for  safety  from  the  Indians.  Later  in 
life  he  attended  the  High  School,  which  was  estab- 
lished in  Bloomington,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years  engaged  as  a  teacher,  which  profession  he  fol- 
lowed about  three  years. 

Mr.  Ward,  in  1845,  made  his  first  purchase  of 
land  about  eight  miles  west  of  Bloomington,  and 
the  improvement  of  which  he  carried  on  very  suc- 
cessfully. In  due  time,  by  additional  purchases,  he 
became  the  owner  of  360  acres,  the  whole  of  which 
he  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  This 
accomplished,  and  desirous  of  more  land  to  con- 
quer, he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  McLean  County, 
and  in  April  1866,  emigrated  across  the  Missis- 
sippi into  Macon  County,  Mo.  There  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  first,  and  afterward  became  owner  of 
300  acres  in  Randolph  County,  all  of  which  he  im- 
proved, and  lived  there  until  1869.  In  January  of 
that  year  he  came  to  Scott  County,  and  purchased 
the  land  which  he  now  owns  and  operates. 

Upon  this  place  Mr.  Ward  has  effected  fine  im- 
provements, and  is  well  equipped  with  all  the  ap- 
pliances necessary  for  carrying  on  the  nursery  busi- 
ness. About  thirty  acres  is  devoted  to  the  grow- 
ing of  apple,  peach  and  evergreen  trees,  while  he 
has  a  large  assortment  of  flowering  and  other  choice 
plants.  His  specialty,  however,  is  the  smaller 
fruits,  great  quantities  of  which  he  ships  annually 
to  Peoria,  Chicago,  and  other  points.  A  portion 
of  his  land  is  devoted  to  farming  on  a  small  scale, 
and  he  raises  !)  goodly  number  of  Poland -China 
swine. 

Near  Bloomington.  McLean  County,  this  State, 
on  the  6th  of  February,  1842,  our  subject  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clarinda  Barker. 
This  ladj"  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Oct.  16, 
1823,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Samuel  Barker,  who 
located  near  Bloomington  in  the  spring  of  1  S32. 


being  among  its  earliest  settlers.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ward  there  were  born  eight  children,  only  four  of 
whom  are  living.  Charles  died  in  1858,  when  a 
promising  youth  of  sixteen  years. 

George  Ward,  during  the  late  Civil  War,  enlisted 
in  the  94th  Illinois  Infantry,  wis  mustered  in  at 
Bloomington,  in  the  fall  of  1862,  and  participated 
in  all  the  battles  in  which  his  regiment  engaged, 
serving  until  the  close.  Then  returning  home,  he 
is  now  engaged  in  farming.  Albert  is  married  and 
engaged  in  the  commission  business  at  Saulsbury, 
Mo.;  Levi  died  at  the  age  of  eleven;  Alice  be- 
came the  wife  of  Amos  W.  Harrison,  of  McLean 
County,  and  died  April  12,  1881 ;  Samuel  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Canton,  Mo.,  and  is  engaged  in  teaming; 
Henry  died  when  a  little  lad  of  five  years;  Daniel 
was  graduated  from  the  Christian  University,  at 
Canton,  Mo.,  and  is  Principal  of  the  Fountain 
school  in  Pueblo,  Colo. 

Mr.  Ward  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
William  H.  Harrison.  He  is  now  a  lively  Prohibi- 
tionist, and  frequently  is  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the 
County  Conventions.  He  has  served  on  the  Grand 
and  Petit  Juries,  and  as  School  Director,  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  and  Township  Clerk.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Christian  Church  at  Naples,  in  which 
he  has  been  an  Elder  for  the  long  period  of  thirty 
years,  also  served  as  Clerk,  Trustee  and  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school  at  Naples,  twenty 
years.  Socially,  he  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at 
Naples,  and  has  represented  his  lodge  in  the  Grand 
Lodge  at  Springfield.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  are 
proud  in  the  possession  of  twenty-eight  grandchil- 
dren, and  one  great-grandchild. 


EV.  HORACE  SPALDING,  an  ordained 
minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
was  also  for  many  years  identified  with  the 
educational  interests  of  this  part  of  Illinois, 
for  a  long  time  as  principal  of  Howard  Academy. 
Jacksonville,  and  subsequent!}'  as  principal  of 
other  schools  in  the  city,  besides  teaching  in  other 
places  outside  of  the  county.  He  held  high  rank 
among  the  members  of  his  profession  here,  was  well 
known,  and  was  respected  for  his  learning,  while 


t 


532 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


his  simple,  unostentatious,  pleasing  manner,  com- 
bined with  gentle  dignity,  made  him  beloved 
wherever  he  went. 

Our  subject  was  of  New  England  birth  and  edu- 
cation, born  May  27,  1802,  in  Moretown,  among 
the  beautiful  hills  of  Vermont.  There  the  thought- 
ful, studious  lad  passed  his  boyhood,  and  by  his 
own  exertions  gleaned  a  substantial  education,  and, 
at  the  youthful  nge  of  fifteen  years,  entered  upon 
his  career  as  a  teacher.  He  taught  some  little 
time  in  New  York  State,  and  thence  went  to  the 
city  of  Lynn,  Mass.,  where  he  engaged  in  his  voca- 
tion some  years.  June  19,  1825,  the  young  teacher 
was  united  in  marriage  with  one  of  his  profession, 
Miss  Elvira  M.  Ladd,  and  in  her  sweet  companion- 
ship he  found  intelligent  encouragement  and  aid 
in  his  life-work  as  an  instructor  and  preacher.  She 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Abigail  (Spalding)  Ladd,  who  were  also 
natives  of  that  State,  and  there  married,  Jan.  20, 
1795.  They  had  ten  children,  two  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  and  the  other  eight,  who  grew  to  ma- 
turity, received  excellent  educations,  and  at  some 
period  of  their  lives  were  teachers.  Two  of  the 
sons,  Laban  and  Azel  P.,  both  adopted  the  medical 
profession,  and  the  latter  became  an  eminent  phy- 
sician in  Wisconsin,  where  he  died.  The  names  of 
the  other  members  of  the  family  are  Levi,  Will- 
iam, Martha,  Cynthia,  Maria,  Abigail,  and  Elvira. 
Our  subject  and  his  wife  both  taught  school  in 
New  Hampshire  prior  to  their  marriage,  and  after 
that  they  pursued  the  profession  in  Lynn  six 
years,  and  from  there  went  to  the  city  of  New 
Bedford,  also  in  Massachusetts,  where  he  had 
charge  of  a  school  four  years.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  time  he  was  called  on  to  preside  over  How- 
ard Academy,  in  Jacksonville,  and,  as  before  noted, 
served  as  its  Principal  for  several  years,  and  also 
was  connected  with  other  of  the  city  schools. 

During  that  time  he  represented  the  State  Bible 
Society  some  nine  years  as  State  Agent,  and  also 
acted  often  as  local  preacher.  In  his  early  child- 
hood his  earnest  mind,  religiously-inclined,  had 
taken  a  bent  toward  Methodism,  and  he  had  joined 
the  church,  and  from  that  day  till  the  hour  of  his 
death  he  was  a  faithful  worker  in  the  cause  of  his 
beloved  Master,  commencing  his  ministerial  career 


in  his  native  Green  Mountain  State.  In  the  year 
1856  Mr.  Spalding  removed  with  his  family  to 
C'ass  County,  this  State,  and  taught  school  the 
three  ensuing  years  in  Virginia,  his  daughter 
Martha  acting  as  his  assistant  the  first  j'ear,  till  she 
accepted  a  position  in  a  district  school,  and  then 
her  adopted  sister  Harriet  supplied  her  place  as 
her  father's  assistant  in  the  village  school.  From 
Virginia  the  family  returned  to  Jacksonville,  and 
they  taught  in  the  town  schools  several  years.  In 
1876  our  subject  and  his  wife  removed  to  this 
farm,  where  Mrs.  Spalding  is  still  living  with  her 
daughter  and  son-in-law,  Samuel  Jumper,  her 
gracious  and  kindly  presence  making  her  a  vener- 
ated and  loved  member  of  the  household.  From 
this  peaceful  abode,  where  loving  care  had  smoothed 
the  pathway  to  the  grave,  he  entered  upon  the 
life  eternal  Jan.  10,  1881,  in  the  fullness  of 
time,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy -eight  years  and 
eight  months.  His  memory  is  held  in  sacred  re- 
membrance by  all  who  ever  came  under  his  influ- 
ence, to  whom  he  had  acted  as  teacher,  guide  and 
friend.  Of  his  happy  wedded  life  of  nearly  fifty- 
six  years  two  children  were  born,  namely:  William 
W.,  who  died  of  consumption,  in  Virginia,  in  the 
opening  years  of  manhood,  when  only  twenty- 
three  years  old;  and  Martha,  now  Mrs.  Samuel 
Jumper.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spalding  also  adopted  a 
daughter  of  his  deceased  sister,  Abigail  Smith, 
Harriet  A.  Our  subject's  great-grandfather,  Crary, 
was  for  many  years  one  of  the  leading  jurists  of 
the  Connecticut  bar,  and  Judge  of  the  Probate 
Court  in  that  State.  Back  another  generation  is  the 
ancestor  of  that  name  who  came  from  Ireland  to 
America  very  early  in  its  colonial  history. 

We  cannot  better  close  this  sketch  of  our  vener- 
ated subject  than  by  giving  an  outline  of  the  life 
of  his  well-loved  and  highly-respected  son-in-law, 
Samuel  Jumper.  This  gentleman  is  a  veteran  of 
the  late  war,  and  on  Southern  battlefields  fought 
nobly  for  his  country,  and  bravely  endured  suffer- 
ings and  hardships  in  her  behalf,  lie  is  now  iden- 
tified with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Morgan 
Count}-,  as  a  practical  fanner  of  township  16, 
range  9  west.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in 
Hichland  County,  in  December,  1832,  to  Abraham 
and  Catherine  (Shaffner)  Jumper.  They  were  both 


I 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


533 


natives  of  Pennsylvania,  where  the  former  was  born 
Aug.  12,  1798,  and  the  latter  Nov.  4,  1801.  They 
were  united  in  marriage  Feb.  1,  1820.  Four 
years  later  they  professed  religion,  and  became 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren. 
Soon  after  uniting  with  this  church,  the  father, 
Abraham  Jumper,  commenced  to  preach  in  the 
German  language.  In  this  he  was  very  successful, 
but  it  was  a  matter  of  much  regret  among  his 
friends  that  he  was  unable  to  speak  the  English 
language  with  the  fluency  necessary  for  public- 
speaking.  Therefore  he  began  to  study  under  the 
instruction  of  an  English  teacher,  and,  in  the  course 
of  four  months,  could  address  both  English  and 
German  audiences.  He  spent  thirty-five  years  in 
the  ministry,  and  passed  from  his  labors  on  earth 
April  13,  1869.  The  wife  and  mother  died  July 
22,  1883,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Samuel  Jumper  accompanied  his  parents  when 
they  removed  to  Illinois.  They  located  first  in 
Alexander  County,  but  soon  after  removed  to 
Union  County,  of  which  they  thus  became  pio- 
neers. Our  subject  was  reared  in  that  county, 
and  was  educated  in  the  subscription  schools.  In 
the  fall  of  1851  he  went  to  Texas,  with  several 
others,  and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  there  a  few 
months,  and  was  then  employed  in  a  blacksmith 
shop  a  short  time.  After  that  he  began  to  learn 
to  make  saddle-trees,  and  subsequently  plied  that 
trade  there  two  and  one-half  years.  In  the  summer 
of  1854  he  returned  to  Illinois,  bringing  a  herd  of 
cattle  with  him,  and  settled  in  Jacksonville.  He 
remained  here  until  Nov.  20,  1858,  when  he  married 
and  moved  onto  a  farm  near  by.  A  year  later  he 
went  to  Cass  County,  and  lived  in  Virginia  till  the 
fall  of  1861,  when  he  located  on  his  present  farm 
on  section  1(J,  and  has  made  his  home  here  ever 
since,  with  the  exception  of  the  years  spent  in  the 
South  aiding  his  brave  fellow-soldiers  to  save  their 
country  from  dishonor  and  disruption.  His  farm 
of  seventy  acres  is  under  fine  tillage  and  is  well- 
improved,  and  his  beautiful  orchard  of  choice 
varieties  of  fruits  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. His  happy  marriage  with  the  daughter 
of  our  subject  has  proved  the  wisdom  of  his  se- 
lection, as  she  is  as  wise  and  good  as  she  is  true, 
and  none  know  her  but  to  value  her  for  her  great 


worth.  Six  of  their  nine  children  are  still  spared 
to  bless  the  home  circle — Hattic  M.  L.,  William 
H.  A..  Samuel  M.,  Edward  G.,  John  A.,  and  Sarah 
E.  Three  of  their  children  have  been  called  to 
the  higher  life — Frank  H.,  Alice  Carey  and  Clar- 
ence H. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  1862,  Mr.  Jumper  laid 
aside  all  private  duties  to  take  an  active  part  in 
the  great  war  then  waging  in  this  country,  and  en- 
rolled his  name  among  the  gallant  members  of 
Company  D,  101st  Illinois  Infantry.  From  that 
time  till  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  in  the  spring 
of  1865,  he  did  good  service  in  many  engage- 
ments with  the  enemy.  While  on  the  ironclad 
gunboat  "Cricket,"  at  Greenville,  Miss.,  his  regi- 
ment had  a  hot  contest  with  the  enemy,  and  was 
then  dispatched  on  a  foraging  expedition  to  the 
country  in  the  vicinity  of  Vicksburg,  our  subject 
being  with  the  party  who  on  one  occasion  confis- 
cated 3,500  bales  of  cotton.  They  then  went  up  the 
Mississippi,  and  had  a  very  heavy  engagement  at 
Greenville.  After  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg, 
Mr.  Jumper  and  his  comrades  were  sent  up  the 
White  River  to  Clarrinton,  where  they  made  a  pon- 
toon bridge  for  the  boys  to  cross  the  river  to  cap- 
ture Little  Rock.  They  proceeded  up  the  White 
River  to  the  Little  Red  River  in  Arkansas,  in  search 
of  two  rebel  boats,  supposed  to  be  in  that  stream, 
and  they  finally  overhauled  and  captured  them  fif- 
teen miles  above  where  the  river  is  usually  consid- 
ered navigable.  At  that  place  the  Confederates  had 
built  a  pontoon  bridge,  which  they  destroyed  on 
the  approach  of  the  Union  soldiers.  Our  men 
succeeded  in  capturing  some  of  the  horses  and 
some  of  the  guards,  and.  returning  down  the  river 
to  West  Point,  the}'  managed  to  secure  the  two 
boats  for  which  they  had  been  searching,  though 
Gen.  Marmaduke  had  stationed  his  men  at  that 
place,  and.  as  soon  as  our  men  got  within  range, 
opened  fire  on  them,  wounding  nine  men,  one  of 
whom  died.  The  captured  boats  were  taken  to 
Napoleon,  where  the  Red  River  empties  into  the 
Mississippi  River.  At  that  place  Mr.  Jumper  was 
taken  sick  and  sent  to  the  hospital  in  Columbus, 
Ivy.,  where  he  remained  six  weeks,  and  was  then 
transferred  to  Mound  City,  111.  Four  months 
later,  having  sufficiently  recovered,  he  joined  his 


534 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


regiment  at  Cassville,  Ga.,  April  15,  1864.  Kive 
days  thereafter  he  took  part  in  the  hotly-waged 
contest  at  Dallas  or  Good  Hope  Church,  his  corps 
losing  1,800  men  in  that  battle,  and  there  his 
brother  William  was  shot  through  the  left  thigh. 
He  next  engaged  with  his  regiment  in  the  battle  at 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  and  in  other  contests  and  skir- 
mishes with  the  rebels  prior  to  the  capture  of  At- 
lanta, his  regiment  being  the  first  to  enter  that 
city.  Thence  the  men  proceeded  to  Savannah, 
Ga.,  where  they  captured  the  fort  and  held  it  sev- 
eral weeks.  After  that  they  went  through  the 
Carolinas,  and  at  Bentonville  had  their  last  pitched 
battle.  From  there  they  went  to  Goldsboro,  thence 
to  Rolla,  from  there  to  Richmond,  and  onward  to 
Washington,  D.  C.,  where  our  subject  and  his 
brave  fellow-soldiers  were  honorably  discharged, 
June  7,  1865,  having  served  with  credit  to  them- 
selves and  to  the  everlasting  honor  of  their  country. 
After  his  military  experience  Mr.  Jumper  lived 
for  awhile  in  Jacksonville,  but  Jan.  1,  1866,  moved 
on  his  farm,  and  has  lived  here  ever  since.  He 
and  his  family  are  deservedly  held  in  high  estima- 
tion in  this  community,  and  are  people  of  good 
standing  in  religious  and  social  circles.  He  and 
his  wife  are  among  the  leading  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  actively  aid 
their  pastors  and  fellow-members  in  all  good  works. 
He  is  a  modest,  unassuming  man,  although  possess- 
ing judgment,  resolution  and  capacity  to  do  what- 
soever he  attempts.  He  interests  himself  in  the 
welfare  of  his  township,  and  has  served  it  faith- 
fully and  well  for  years  as  Road  Supervisor  and 
School  Director,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  all 
concerned,  although  he  is  by  no  means  an  office- 
seeker.  He  is  a  firm  Republican,  and  uses  his  in- 
fluence in  support  of  his  party. 


ON.  HENRY  DRESSER.  No  one  has  con- 
ferred greater  benefits  on  that  section  of 
Scott  and  Morgan  Counties  near  where  he 
^  resides  than  the  subject  of  this  notice.  It 
was  through  him  more  than  all  others  that  the  Scott 
and  Morgan  levee  and  drainage  district  was  organ- 
ized, bri-iging  large  areas  of  waste  laud  into  cultiva- 


m 


tion,  adding  greatly  to  the  wealth,  as  well  as  healtli- 
fulncss  of  that  section  of  the  two  counties.  When  first 
proposed,  the  scheme  was  regarded  as  visionary  by 
most  persons,  and  was  met  by  a  factious  opposition 
from  some  who  were  most  benefited  in  the  end. 

Judge  Dresser,  from  his  observation  and  knowl- 
edge of  the  kind  of  engineering  required,  was  con- 
fident of  success  from  the  first,  and  the  result  will 
be  a  living  monument  to  his  energy,  tact,  and 
judgment,  as  enduring  as  bronze  or  marble. 

Most  any  intelligent  individual  having  the 
slightest  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Dresser,  would  ac- 
knowledge at  once  that  he  is  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  abilities.  He  is  thoroughly  well-informed 
upon  all  general  topics,  and  has  been  endowed  by 
nature  with  that  temperament  which  seldom  yields 
to  any  obstacle  or  abandons  any  project  which  he 
has  conceived.  By  his  own  enterprise  and  industry 
he  has  accumulated  a  fine  property,  being  the 
owner  of  over  1,000  acres  of  land,  situated  in 
Scott  and  Morgan  counties.  He  is  a 'Democrat, 
politically,  and  has  represented  Scott  county  in  the 
Illinois  Legislature  two  terms  with  credit  to  himself 
and  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 

The  descendant  of  a  good  family,  our  subject 
was  born  in  Pomfret,  Conn.,  on  the  27th  day  of 
December,  1813,  and  is  the  son  of  the  Hon.  Nathan 
Dresser,  a  native  of  the  same  place,  and  born  in 
1774.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Nathan  Dresser, 
Sr.,  was  likewise  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  represented  an  old 
New  England  family,  which  traced  its  an- 
cestry to  England,  and  was  first  represented  in 
America  during  the  Colonial  days,  and  settled  on 
Narragansett  Bay.  Nathan  Dresser,  Jr.,  was  a 
tailor  by  trade,  which  he  chose  rather  from  nec- 
essity than  otherwise,  having  been  a  cripple  and 
unable  to  follow  other  than  a  light  pursuit.  He 
kept  gentlemen's  furnishing  goods,  and  in  connec- 
tion with  his  trade,  conducted  a  store  in  Pomfret, 
and  there  spent  his  entire  life,  departing  hence  in 
1834,  at  the  age  of  sixty -four  years.  He  was  a 
prominent  man  in  his  community,  and  represented 
the  town  in  the  Connecticut  Legislature  in  1828-29. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Mrs.  Rebecca 
(Leffingwell)  Dresser,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
whose  father  followed  farming  and  was  of  English 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


535 


descent.  She  came  west  after  the  decease  of  her 
husband,  and  died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Stone,  in  Springfield,  111.  The  parental  fam- 
ily included  live  children — Lucretia,  Charles,  Na- 
than, Mary,  and  Henry,  our  subject.  The  latter  is 
the  only  survivor.  He  was  reared  in  his  native 
town,  and  given  the  advantages  of  a  practical  edu- 
cation. At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  entered 
upon  an  apprenticeship  as  architect  and  builder, 
serving  three  years  and  becoming  master  of  the 
profession.  About  the  time  of  reaching  his  major- 
ity he  repaired  to  Massachusetts,  where  he  engaged 
as  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  from  which  State 
he  removed,  in  1838,  to  Illinois. 

The  journey  of  our  subject  to  this  then  pioneer 
region  was  made  via  the  Hudson  River  and  Erie 
Canal  to  Buffalo,  thence  by  lake  steamer  to  Chi- 
cago, and  from  there  overland  to  Springfield,  111. 
At  this  latter  point  he  sojourned  until  1848,  con- 
tinuing to  operate  as  an  architect  and  builder. 
That  year  he  changed  his  residence  to  Scott  county, 
and  purchased  the  land  from  which  he  has  built 
up  one  of  the  finest  homesteads  within  its  limits. 
In  the  meantime  he  was  employed  by  the  directors  of 
the  Sangamon  and  Morgan  Railroad  Company,  to 
facilitate  and  furnish  material  for  the  reconstruction 
of  a  portion  of  what  was  then  known  as  the  North- 
ern Cross  Railroad,  situated  between  the  Illinois 
River  and  Springfield,  and  he  was  thus  occupied 
most  of  his  time  until  the  fall  of  1850,  when  he 
purchased  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  improve- 
ment of  his  present  homestead,  although  he  contin- 
ued operating  as  a  contractor  and  builder  for 
several  years. 

In  1854-55  Mr.  Dresser  followed  the  river  as 
captain  of  a  steamboat,  and  thereafter,  in  addition 
to  his  business  of  contractor,  was  carpenter,  mason 
and  bridge-builder.  Later  he  was  Superintendent 
of  the  building  of  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum  at 
Jacksonville.  But  the  great  enterprise  in  which  he 
was  mostly  interested  was  the  draining  of  the  lands 
already  spoken  of,  so  that  now  a  portion  of  the 
vast  area  of  useless  marsh  has  given  way  to  cul- 
tivated and  productive  fields. 

Mr.  Dresser  was  first  married  in  Brooklyn.  Conn., 
Dec.  19,  1836,  to  Miss  Phebe  Stone,  who  was  born 
in  that  State,  and  who  died  in  July,  1853.  He  was 


married  a  second  time  in  Barry,  Pike  Co.,  this  State, 
to  Miss  Martha  Ileseman,  a  native  of  Sussex,  Eng- 
land. She  died  in  December,  1857.  Mr.  Dresser 
contracted  a  third  matrimonial  alliance  in  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  with  Miss  Elizabeth  P.  Work,  who 
was  born  in  Eastford,  Conn.,  and  who  died  in 
March,  1880.  Mr.  Dresser  has  no  living  children. 
He  was  first  elected  to  the  Illinois  Legislature  in 
the  fall  of  1868,  and  the  second  time  in  1875.  In 
November,  1861,  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
County  Court,  holding  the  office  four  years.  lie 
was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Naples,  and 
in  religious  matters  adheres  to  the  doctrines  of  the 
Episcopal  Church.  In  early  manhood  he  belonged 
to  the  old  Whig  party,  voted  for  Henry  Clay,  and 
erected  the  highest  C'lay  pole  in  the  State  at  Spring- 
field, and  which  reared  its  top  to  the  height  of  226 
feet  from  the  ground.  In  1858  Mr.  Dresser  be- 
came a  Democrat.  He  has  been  active  in  the  coun- 
cils of  his  party  in  this  section,  and  officiated  as 
Chairman  of  the  Central  Committee,  besides  hold- 
ing other  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility. 


DWARD  COULTAS,  an  honored  veteran  of 
the  late  war,  representing  one  of  the  earl}' 
pioneer  families  of  Scott  County,  is  now 
one  of  its  skilled  and  highly  prosperous  tillers  of 
the  soil,  and  is  contributing  his  share  to  its  material 
welfare,  and  to  its  advancement  socially  and  relig- 
iously. On  section  26,  Winchester  Precinct,  range 
12,  the  broad  acres  of  his  highly  cultivated,  well- 
stocked  farm,  with  its  fine  commodious  brick  dwell- 
ing and  other  substantial  buildings,  form  a  pleasant 
picture  in  the  landscape. 

Our  subject  was  born  lime  3,  1  839,  in  the  humble 
pioneer  home  that  his  parents,  George  and  Eliza 
(Wilson)  Coultas,  had  established  here.  They  were 
natives  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  migrating  to 
America  in  1830,  came  directly  to  Morgan  County. 
They  did  not  become  acquainted  with  each  other 
until  after  that  time,  and  they  were  married  in 
1835.  They  then  settled  in  Scott  County,  which 
was  then  a  part  of  Morgan  Count}'.  They  located 
on  a  farm  entered  from  the  Government  and  were 
the  first  settlers  in  this  section,  their  nearest  neigh- 


536 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


1 

i 


bors  being  Qvc  miles  distant.  Before  his  marriage 
and  shortly  after  landing  here,  the  father  had  en- 
listed in  the  army  which  was  raised  to  prosecute 
the  Black  Hawk  War.  He  did  valiant  service 
throughout  that  conflict  and  took  an  active  part  in 
several  engagements.  Some  years  later  he  received 
a  land  warrant  for  what  he  did  in  that  war.  After 
settling  here  he  was  obliged  to  go  to  Morgan 
County  to  earn  money  to  help  support  his  family, 
while  his  wife  was  left  all  alone  with  their  babe  in 
their  windowless,  cheerless  log  cabin,  and  often  at 
night  she  was  annoyed  by  the  wolves  howling  out- 
side, and  in  the  morning  as  she  stood  at  her  door 
was  startled  often  by  the  deer  dashing  past  close 
to  her.  It  must  indeed  have  been  a  lonely,  wild 
scene  that  greeted  her  eyes,  with  no  signs  of  the 
advancing  civilization  beyond  her  threshold.  But 
the  brave  woman  kept  up  her  courage  for  the  sake 
of  husband  and  little  one,  and  in  the  years  of  toil 
and  hardship  that  followed  she  was  ever  ready  to 
sympathize  with  and  aid  her  husband,  and  was,  in- 
deed, his  right  hand  in  the  work  of  upbuilding  a 
home.  To  that  worthy  couple  were  born  eight 
children,  five  boys  and  three  girls.  Of  their  sons, 
three  are  farmers,  one  is  a  professor,  and  one  is  a 
minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination. 
The  father  departed  this  life  June  10,  1859.  Fif- 
teen years  later  the  mother  closed  her  eyes  in  death. 
He  of  whom  we  write  was  their  second  child. 
His  schooling  was  necessarily  limited,  but  he  made 
good  use  of  his  time  when  the  district  school  was 
in  session,  and  by  observation  and  reading  has 
gleaned  a  fair  education.  He  remained  at  home 
assisting  his  father  in  the  support  of  the  family 
until  1862.  He  had  watched  the  course  of  public 
events  that  had  culminated  in  bloody  strife  with 
intense  interest,  and  in  the  month  of  August,  that 
year,  he  laid  aside  his  home  duties  at  the  higher 
call  of  his  country,  and  cast  his  lot  with  his  brave 
fellow-men  who  had  preceded  him  to  Southern 
battle  fields.  He  enlisted  in  Company  H,  129th 
Illinois  Infantry,  and  went  with  his  regiment  to 
Louisville,  Ky.,  where  it  was  assigned  to  Gen. 
Nelson's  division  of  Gen.  BuelPs  army;  Benjamin 
Harrison  became  his  Brigade-General.  Our  subject 
and  his  comrades  were  set  to  guard  a  railroad  in 
Tennessee,  until  they  were  placed  in  the  20th  Army 


Corps,  and  then  they  took  an  active  part  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign.  Mr.  Coultas  took  part  in  all 
the  battles  in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged,  and 
was  always  found  in  his  place  in  the  ranks  in  the 
most  hotly  waged  contest.  He  was  with  Sherman 
in  his  march  through  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas, 
and  for  his  good  conduct  he  was  promoted  to  be 
Corporal,  and  was  detailed  all  through  the  cam- 
paign as  a  scout  and  forager,  acting  so  well  in  those 
capacities  as  to  merit  the  commendation  of  his 
superiors.  He  took  part  in  the  grand  review  at 
Washington,  and  was  subsequently  discharged  with 
his  regiment,  having  proved  himself  a  daring,  cour- 
ageous and  efficient  soldier. 

After  his  experiences  of  the  hardships  and  pri- 
vations of  army  life,  Mr.  Coultas  returned  to  his 
Illinois  home,  and  once  more  resumed  the  peaceful 
vocation  to  which  he  had  been  bred,  gladly  laying 
down  the  sword  for  the  pruning  hook.  After 
farming  on  the  old  homestead  awhile  he  bought  a 
small  farm,  and  marrying  Miss  Ruth  Southwell, 
Feb.  24, 1867,  the}'  began  their  wedded  life  thereon. 
Mrs.  Coultas  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  Southwell, 
who  is  now  a  prominent  grocer  in  Winchester.  She 
was  born  Sept.  22,  1844,  the  third  child  in  her  par- 
ents' family.  She  was  well  educated  in  the  old 
academy  at  Winchester.  After  marriage  she  and 
Mr.  Coultas  made  their  home  in  a  little  log  house 
of  three  rooms,  and  had  to  struggle  hard  to  get  a 
good  start  as  they  had  nothing  but  their  hands  and 
brains  and  stout  hearts.  But  by  quiet  and  persistent 
efforts,  directed  by  sound  common  sense  and  con- 
stant attention  to  the  practical  every  day  affairs  of 
life,  they  have  succeeded  beyond  their  expecta- 
tions, and  are  now  in  prosperous  circumstances. 
Besides  the  fine  brick  residence  on  his  home  place, 
Mr.  Coultas  has  purchased  a  substantial  frame 
house  just  east  of  it,  that  is  now  cccupied  by  a 
renter,  together  with  a  commodious  •  barn,  40x00 
feet,  and  other  necessary  outbuildings.  His  farm 
comprises  250  acres,  well  adapted  to  the  needs  of 
a  stock-raiser,  and  he  raises  medium  grades  for  the 
market,  and  is  gradually  introducing  a  higher  grade 
of  horses  in  his  place. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  C'oultas  have  had  eight  children. 
of  whom  the  following  four  are  living:  Mabel, 
born  Aug.  17,  1868.  is  at  home;  Charles  E.,  born 


4 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


539     < 


Sept.  5,  1870,  is  preparing  to  ente>'  college  next 
year;  Bertie  M.,  born  Oct.  23,  1877;  Chester,  Aug. 
31,  1883.  This  pleasant  household  was  sadly  be- 
reaved by  the  death  of  two  daughters,  twins,  who 
were  bright,  promising  girls,  who  died  in  July, 
1882,  and  their  memories  are  still  cherished  in  the 
hearts  of  the  father,  mother,  sister  and  brothers. 

"It  singeth  low  in  every  heart, 
We  hear  it  each  and  all; 

A  song  of  those  who  answer  not, 
However  we  may  call. 

***** 

'Tis  hard  to  take  the  burden  up 
When  these  have  laid  it  down  ; 

They  brightened  all  the  joys  of  life, 
They  softened  every  frown. 

"But  oh,  'tis  good  to  think  of  them 

When  we  are  troubled  sore; 
Thanks  be  to  God  that  such  have  been, 

Although  they  are  no  more." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coultas  and  their  two  eldest  child- 
ren are  active  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
take  a  lively  interest  in  the  Sunday-school,  and 
carry  their  religion  into  their  every  day  lives.  Mr. 
Coultas  has  served  his  precinct  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace  four  years,  and  as  School  Director  several 
years,  and  in  whatsoever  capacity  he  may  act  he  is 
always  found  to  be  the  right  man  in  the  right  place. 
He  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the  genus  homo  denomi- 
nated the  self-made  man,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
perusal  of  this  brief  life-record.  He  has  always 
been  a  stalwart  Republican,  and  never  fails  to  vote 
at  elections  and  to  use  his  influence  for  the  benefit 
of  his  party.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  elec- 
tion of  his  old  brigade  commander,  Gen.  Benja- 
min Harrison,  to  the  presidency. 


tu 

|        S, 

4J 


cfM>HN  W.  FINNEV.     This  gentleman  has  the 
management  of  a  fine  farm   of   357    acres, 
pleasantly  located  on  sections  8  and  9.     He 
was  born  near  Oxville,  Scott  county,  Sept.  26, 
1845,  and   was  the  only  child  of  James  Finney,  a 
native    of    Ohio.     His    paternal    grandfather    was 
Samuel    Finney,  a  native  of  Germany,  who,  upon 
emigration  to  America  settled  in  Ohio,  where  he 
probably  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 


James  Finney  left  the  Buckeye  State  in  early 
manhood,  and  coming  to  Illinois  located  on  a  tract 
of  land  in  Oxville  Precinct,  where  he  lived  until 
1851,  then  went  to  California  overland  with  an  ox 
team  and  engaged  in  mining.  The  mother,  Mrs. 
Hannah  Finney,  was  born  in  Illinois  and  died  when 
our  subject  was  quite  young.  He  was  reared  by 
his  grandparents,  with  whom  he  lived  until  Febru- 
ary, 1864.  He  then  enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier  in 
Company  I,  129th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  going 
South  joined  the  army  of  Gen.  Sherman,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Resaca  was  wounded  by  a  gunshot  in  the 
hip.  He  was  sent  to  the  field-hospital  first,  then  to 
Nashville  and  Louisville,  and  as  soon  as  able  started 
to  rejoin  his  regiment  at  Atlanta.  He  was  taken  ill 
and  sent  to  Quincy,  but  finally  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment at  Alexandria  and  was  transferred  to  the  16th 
Illinois  Veteran  Regiment.  He  did  not  take  an 
active  part  in  any  more  fighting  but  went  with  his 
comrades  to  Washington  and  participated  in  the 
Grand  Review,  after  which  he  was  mustered  out  at 
Louisville,  July  8,  1865,  and  received  his  honora- 
ble discharge  at  Camp  Butler,  near  Springfield. 
He  had  enlisted  when  a  youth  of  seventeen,  and 
upon  his  return  home  engaged  in  farming  in  Bluffs 
Precinct.  While  in  service  he  had  received  no 
further  injury  than  having  his  arm  considerably 
crushed  by  falling  from  a  train  of  cars. 

The  marriage  of  John  W.  Finney  and  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Green  took  place  on  the  21st  of  April, 
1 886.  This  lady  was  born  in  Delaware,  March  26, 
1826,  and  was  a  mere  child  when  she  was  brought 
by  her  parents,  in  1830,  to  Illinois.  It  thus  appears 
that  Mrs.  Finney  was  among  the  younger  children 
of  her  parents'  family :  she  was  reared  upon  a  farm 
and  acquired  her  education  in  the  district  school 
which  was  taught  in  a  log  cabin  at  a  long  distance 
from  her  home.  The  settlers  were  few  and  far  be- 
tween, and  all  kinds  of  wild  animals  were  plentiful. 
Her  mother  died  soon  after  the  family  settled  here, 
and  she  was  then  taken  to  the  home  of  James  Mor- 
rison, with  whom  she  had  lived  five  years.  She  was 
married,  in  his  house  near  ()xville,in  October,! 843, 
to  Joseph  Marsh,  a  native  of  New  York  State.  He 
was  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Marsh,  also  natives 
of  the  Empire  State,  and  with  them  came  to  111- 
nois  in  1829.  The  father  then  engaged  in  farming  ' 


540 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


t 


until  failing  health  compelled  him  to  abandon  act- 
ive labor,  when  he  removed  to  Naples  and  ran  a 
boat  on  the  Illinois  River.  He  died  of  cholera  in 
1853. 

Of  this  marriage  there  were  born  three  children 
— Edward,  Etta  and  Sarah.  Edward  is  now  occu- 
pied as  a  druggist  in  Naples;  during  the  Civil  War 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Government  as  clerk 
on  a  boat,  which  was  connected  with  the  Red  River 
Expedition.  Etta  remains  at  home  yvith  her  mother; 
Sarah  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  W.  C.  Coner,  a  practicing 
physician  of  Bluffs,  and  has  one  child — Jennie. 

Mrs.  Marsh  contracted  a  second  marriage  in 
185'J  with  Mr.  John  Green,  who  was  a  native  of 
Yorkshire,  and  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Green. 
The  Green  family  emigrated  to  America  at  an  early 
day,  and  coming  directly  to  Scott  County  entered 
land  in  township  15,  range  13,  where  they  carried 
on  farming  until  the  death  of  the  father.  John 
succeeded  to  the  homestead,  embracing  240  acres 
of-  land,  and  his  wife's  land  adjoining  until  he  had 
357  acres.  He  became  a  prominent  man  in  the 
community,  taking  an  active  part  in  politics  and 
doing  good  service  as  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
party.  He  served  as  County  Commissioner,  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  School  Director,  and  was  Judge  of 
the  County  Court  for  a  period  of  eight  years. 
After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  (Marsh)  Green 
assumed  the  management  of  the  fariu,  which  she 
operated  successfully,  and  also  engaged  in  general 
merchandising  in  Bluffs  for  six  or  seven  years.  She 
owns  two  residences  there  and  160  acres  of  land  in 
Osborne  County,  Kan.  Her  marriage  with  Mr. 
Finney  has  been  before  noted. 

Mrs.  Finney  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Chance, 
a  native  of  Delaware.  He  occupied  himself  in 
farming  pursuits  and  removed  from  Delaware  to 
Ohio  at  an  early  day.  From  there  he  came  to  Ill- 
inois, as  already  stated,  and  later  engaged  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War.  He  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
land,  and  made  his  home  in  Naples  Precinct  until 
his  death.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat.  The 
mother,  Mrs.  Frances  (Anderson)  Chance,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Delaware,  and  died  in  Oxville  Precinct, 
Scott  County.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Andrew 
Anderson,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  upon  emigrat- 
ing to  America  settled  in  Delaware,  where  he  owned  j 


slaves  and  carried  on  a  large  plantation.  To  the 
parents  of  Mrs.  Finney  there  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren, viz:  William,  now  a  resident  of  Bluffs  Pre- 
cinct; Albert,  of  Oxville  Precinct;  Garrison,  who 
is  living  in  Boone,  Mo.;  Eli,  a  resident  of  Web- 
ster County,  Neb. ;  Margaret,  who  died  after  mar- 
riage; Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Finney,  and  Emeline,  de- 
ceased. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Finney  differ  somewhat  in 
their  political  views,  he  being  a  Republican  and  she 
a  Democrat.  The  farm  embraces  one  of  the  most 
valuable  and  fertile  tracts  of  land  in  the  county, 
and  is  well  improved  with  handsome,  modern 
buildings,  the  dwelling  amply  adapted  to  all  the 
comforts  of  rural  life,  and  the  outbuildings  furn- 
ish the  necessary  storage  for  grain  and  shelter  for 
stock.  There  is  a  fine  orchard  in  bearing  condi- 
tion, and  a  goodly  assortment  of  peach  trees  and 
trees  of  the  smaller  fruits. 

There  is  probably  no  ladj'  in  the  county  better 
known  or  more  highly  respected  than  Mrs.  Finney. 
She  is  at  once  recognized  as  possessing  much  culti- 
vation and  refinement,  and  has  surrounded  herself 
and  her  family  with  all  the  belongings  of  modern 
life.  The  dwelling  is  handsomely  furnished  and 
stands  amid  well-kept  grounds,  surrounded  by 
shade  trees  and  flower  beds.  A  view  of  it  appears 
on  another  page.  Miss  Etta,  a  mute,  was  graduated 
from  the  Institution  at  Jacksonville,  and  is  an  ac- 
complished young  lady,  excelling  in  painting,  em- 
broidery and  all  the  gentler  arts.  Botli  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Finney  are  highly  popular  among  their  neigh- 
bors, and  in  their  pleasant,  congenial  union  are 
apparently  enjoying  life  to  its  fullest  extent,  as 
they  deserve  to  do.  Their  home  is  the  frequent 
resort  of  the  refined  and  cultivated  people  of  their 
township,  and  they  are  general  favorites  in  the 
social  circles. 


RLANDO  WHITNEY.  Prominent  among 
the  leading  farmers  of  Central  Illinois  may 
be  mentioned  the  gentlemen  with  whose 
name  we  introduce  this  biographical  notice.  He 
is  thorough  and  skillful  in  the  management  of  his 
affairs,  highly  successful  and  well-to-do,  and  is  a 
great  lover  of  fine  horses,  numbers  of  which  may  i 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


541 


always  be  seen  at  his  well-regulated  homestead  on 
section  36,  township  1 3,  range  12,  Scott  County.  He 
has  for  the  prosecution  of  this  industry  all  modern 
conveniences  and  buildings,  and  in  consideration 
of  his  close  attention  to  business  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  he  has  attained  to  his  present  position. 

Mr.  Whitney  was  born  at  the  homestead  where 
he  now  lives,  June  8,  1836  and  is  the  son  of  Jonah 
Whitney,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  emigrated 
to  Illinois  as  early  as  1835,  and  settled  in  this 
county,  when  a  large  portion  of  the  land  was  still 
the  property  of  the  Government.  He  entered 
eighty  acres  from  ''Uncle  Sam"  and  subsequently 
purchased  several  hundred  acres,  the  greater  part 
of  which  he  brought  to  a  good  state  of  cultivation, 
and  built  up  a  good  homestead  upon  which  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  (Wadsworth)  Whitney,  the  mother 
of  our  subject  was  the  daughter  of  John  Wadsworth, 
a  descendant  of  William  Wadsworth.  Jt  was  this 
loyal  patriot,  who  immortalized  himself  by  hiding 
the  charter  of  the  Colonists  in  the  old  oak  tree 
when  Andros  was  endeavoring  to  gain  possession 
of  it  and  thus  deprive  the  people  of  their  liberties. 
For  years  afterward  this  oak  tree  stood  a  monu- 
ment to  the  deed,  and  was  ever  reverenced  as  the 
"Charter  Oak."  To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there 
were  born  three  children,  those  besides  Orlando 
being  Amelia  and  Albert,  who  died  when  about 
eighteen  and  twenty  years  of  age  respectively. 

Orlando  Whitney  was  reared  to  man's  estate  at 
the  old  homestead  and  became  familiar  with  farm 
pursuits.  lie  studied  his  lessons  in  the  log  cabin 
with  seats  made  of  slabs  and  desks  made  of  boards 
fastened  to  the  wall.  The  roof  was  covered  with 
clapboards  and  weight-poles  held  them  down  ;  a  log 
was  cut  out  at  one  end  of  the  structure  and  filled 
in  with  a  row  of  window  panes,  this  constituting 
the  only  window.  The  system  of  education  was 
quite  in  keeping  with  the  architecture  of  the  temple 
of  learning,  but  the  bo\'s  of  that  period  grew  up 
almost  without  exception,  strong  of  muscle  and 
healthy  in  mind,  well  fitted  to  perform  their  part 
in  the  drama  of  life. 

Young  Whitney  at  an  early  age  developed  fine 
musical  talents  and  taught  singing  school  before 
reaching  manhood.  He  also  gave  lessons  on  the 


violin  and  cornet  and  was  the  leader  of  the  Cornet 
Band  of  Manchester  for  four  years,  On  the  llth 
of  September,  1862,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Sophia,  daughter  of  James  F.  Curtis  of  Man- 
chester Precinct.  The  young  people  commenced 
their  wedded  life  together  at  his  present  home, 
and  Mr.  Whitney  followed  his  chosen  vocation  of 
fanning  from  that  time  onward.  Six  children  in 
due  time  came  to  the  fire-side,  five  of  whom  are 
now  living,  namely:  George,  Nellie,  Kate,  Albert, 
and  Frank.  George  married  Miss  Nannie  Ray. 
They  live  on  his  father's  place,  and  have  four  chil- 
dren—Earl, Richard,  May,  and  an  infant  son  un- 
named. Nellie,  (Mrs.  Edward  L.  Smith)  also  lives 
near  her  childhood's  home,  and  is  the  mother  of 
three  children — Kenneth,  Morris,  and  an  infant 
daughter  named  Nellie  C.;  Kate  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Hubble,  of  Manchester  Precinct.  The  wife 
and  mother  departed  this  life  May  31,  1886. 

Our  subject  contracted  a  second  marriage,  Oct. 
28,  1888,  with  Mrs.  Mary  (Dunn)  Wines,  widow 
of  Andrew  Wines  and  daughter  of  Andrew  Dunn, 
deceased.  Of  her  first  marriage  there  were  born 
three  children,  none  of  whom  are  living.  Mr  .Whit- 
ney is  the  owner  of  800  acres  of  land,  while  his 
wife  owns  180  acres  in  Neosha  County,  Kan.  His 
horses  are  graded  Normans,  Hambletonians,  and 
Almonts.  and  he  is  able  to  exhibit  some  of  the 
finest  specimens  of  the  equine  race  in  this  part  of 
Illinois.  He  has  a  race-track  on  his  farm,  where  he 
does  his  own  training,  and  as  a  result  of  judicious 
purchases  and  wise  management  he  has  several 
colts,  which  trot  a  mile  in  three  minutes  and  one 
thatcould  make  it  in  2:30.  He  also  gives  consider- 
able attention  to  graded  Holstien  and  Short-horn 
cattle  and  Poland-China  swine.  He  keeps  a  num- 
ber of  goats  among  his  pigs  and  chickens,  believing 
them  to  be  a  preventive  of  cholera. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Whitney  usually  sup- 
ports the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  Nat- 
urally his  extensive  farming  interests  absorb  the 
greater  part  of  his  time  and  attention  so  that  he  has 
little  inclination  to  enter  upon  the  responsibilities 
of  official  life.  He  and  his  excellent  wife,  together 
with  their  son,  George,  and  daughter,  Mar}',  be- 
long to  the  Christian  Church  at  Manchester. 
Their  hospitable  home  is  the  frequent  resort  of  the 


542 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


many  friends  whose  confidence  and  esteem  they 
enjoy  in  a  marked  degree.  Mr.  Whitney  occupies 
no  secondary  position  among  the  extensive  and 
successful  agriculturists  of  Scott  County. 


R.  LUKE  CHANDLER  HIGGINS.  The 
name  of  this  successful  and  popular 
practitioner  is  familiar  to  the  leading 
residents  of  Naples,  where  he  has  labored 
for  many  years  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  with 
phenominal  success.  He,  however,  is  fond  of  farm- 
ing puisuits,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  stock-raising 
— an  industry  in  which  he  takes  great  pride — and 
has  bred  some  of  the  finest  animals  in  this  part  of 
Scott  County.  He  is  popular  in  his  community,  con- 
scientious and  straightforward  in  his  dealings,  and 
in  all  respects  a  praiseworthy  citizen. 

Dr.  Higgins  represents  an  excellent  family,  being 
the  son  of  Samuel  C.  Higgins,  a  native  of  Elixa- 
bethtown,  N.  J.,  and  the  grandson  of  Capt.  Luke 
II.  Higgins,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  fol- 
lowed the  sea.  The  latter  was  of  Scotch  descent, 
and  met  his  death  by  drowning  off  the  coast  of 
Brooklyn.  Samuel  Higgins  learned  shoe-making 
in  his  native  State,  whence  he  removed  in  his  youth 
to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  married  and  en- 
gaged in. the  shoe  business.  He  finally,  in  1844, 
traded  the  property  which  he  had  accumulated  for 
an  80-acre  far  in.  in  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  still  resides,  and  is  now  eighty  years  old  (Sep- 
tember, 1888).  Our  subject  boasts  of  twin  uncles, 
eighty-one  years  old  in  July,  1888.  These  remark- 
able old  gentlemen  were  residents  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.;  one  died  in  October,  1888,  and  the  other  is 
living.  The  father  of  onr  subject  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  a  supporter  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  which  his  wife  had  been  a  member  over 
forty  years. 

Mrs.  Mary  (Godby)  Higgins,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Bristol,  Mass.,  and  was  the 
(laughter  of  Seth  Godby,  a  descendant  of  English 
ancestry,  and  a  carpenter  by  trade.  She  lived  to 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  and  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  She  spent 
her  last  years  in  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.  They 


I 


lived  on  the  same  farm  forty-two  years.  The  par- 
ental household  included  five  children,  the  eldest 
of  whom,  Isaac  M.,  is  a  resident  of  Macon  County, 
this  State,  where  lie  prosecutes  farming  and  the 
breeding  of  full  blooded  horses;  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Horse  Breeder's  Association.  Mae  J.,  Mrs. 
Richards,  lives  in  Macon  County,  where  her  hus- 
band is  engaged  as  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  deal- 
ing largely  in  horses  and  cattle  of  fine  grades; 
Roberts,  is  farming  in  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.; 
Sarah  died  at  the  age  of  three  years.  Our  subject 
was  the  youngest. 

Dr.  Higgins  was  born  in  Corfu,  Genesee  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Jan.  4,  1845,  and  was  reared  a  farmer's 
boy,  attending  the  common  school  until  eighteen 
years  old.  He  then  engaged  in  the  study  of  medi- 
cine under  Dr.  Isaiah  Rayno,  for  four  years,  during 
which  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
Buffalo  University,  attending  three  school  sessions, 
making  a  three  years'  course,  and  was  graduated 
with  honors  in  the  spring  of  1868,  receiving  his 
diploma,  signed  by  Millard  Fillmore,  ex-President 
of  the  United  States.  He  came  Wfst  and  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Macon,  this  State, 
in  April,  1868.  He  continued  here  until  Septem- 
ber, 1869,  then,  coming  to  Naples,  pursued  his 
practice  with  the  same  fidelity  as  heretofore,  and 
was  soon  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  large  and  lucrative 
business.  He  for  some  time  labored  under  con- 
siderable disadvantage,  but  has  come  off  with  flying 
colors.  His  practice  extends  throughout  Pike, 
Morgan  and  Scott  counties,  but  he  makes  his  head- 
quarters at  Naples,  where  he  has  two  residences 
and  four  lots.  He  also  owns  160  acres  of  land  at 
Bernard  post-office,  in  Lincoln  County,  Kan.  He 
is  also  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  keeping  about 
fifteen  to  twenty  head  of  good  road  horses.  In 
the  cattle  line  his  favorites  are  blooded  Holsteins, 
which  he  obtained  from  different  parts  of  this  State 
and  Ohio,  and  which  he  grax.es  on  the  Illinois 
bottoms.  He  pursues  this  industry  simply  for  the 
love  of  it.  He  has  one  magnificent  thorough-bred 
Ilambletonian  trotting  stallion,  "Robert  Bonner," 
who  has  made  a  fine  record,  and  also  has  other  full- 
blooded  trotting  stock,  mostly  colts. 

Not  content  with  the  interests  already  men- 
tioned, Dr.  Higgins  is  quite  an  apiarist,  having 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


543 


about  fifty  stands  of  bees,  the  largest  collection  in 
his  precinct.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  excellent  edu- 
cation, especially  in  his  profession — a  close  student 
and  of  regular  habits.  He  votes  the  Democratic 
ticket,  and,  socially,  belongs  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at 
Naples.  He  has  served  as  President  of  the  School 
Board  four  years,  and  is  now  serving  his  fourth 
term  as  a  member  of  the  same.  He  has  also  been 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  Connected 
with  his  profession,  he  is  the  examiner  for  fifteen 
different  Insurance  Companies. 

Dr.  Higgins  was  married  in  Naples,  May  8, 1869, 
to  Miss  Louie  W.  Weed.  Mrs.  Higgins  was  born 
in  Sandusky,  Ohio,  March  a,  1849.  She  came  to 
this  county  with  her  mother  and  stepfather  when 
quite  young.  Sue  was  partially  reared  in  Madison, 
Wis.  She  was  educated  at  Oberlin  College,  Ohio, 
and  completed  her  studies  in  the  State  Normal 
School  of  Missouri.  Of  this  union  there  have  been 
born  two  children — Samuel  C.,  Jr.,  and  Jennie  W. 


fir  AMES  WATT.  In  the  subject  of  this  notice 
we  recognize  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of 
Morgan  County — a  man  who  at  one  time  en- 
joyed the  personal  friendship  of  Douglas 
and  Lincoln,  and  who  has  been  the  interested  wit- 
ness of  the  remarkable  changes  which  have  occur- 
red in  this  country  during  the  period  of  fifty-six 
years.  He  is  at  present  engaged  as  a  furniture  dealer 
at  Winchester,  among  whose  people  lie  enjoys  a 
lucrative  trade  and  is  recognized  as  an  unnassum- 
ing,  straightforward  citizen,  popular  in  both  bus- 
iness and  social  circles. 

A  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  our  subject  was 
born  July  17,  1820,  and  is  the  son  of  David  Watt, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  who  as  a 
member  of  the  '-Pittsburg  Grays,"  served  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  War  of  1812.  He  traveled  through 
Northern  Illinois  at  that  time  and  later  in  1833, 
brought  his  family  to  Scott  County,  via  a 
river  steamer  which  was  more  than  a  week  making 
a  trip  from  Cincinnati  to  Montezuma.  He  put  up 
the  first  steam  saw-mill  in  Scott  County,  complet- 
ing it  in  the  spring  of  1 834,  but  three  or  four  years 
later  sold  this  and  purchased  a  water-power  mill  on 


Big  Sandy  Creek,  one  mile  east  of  Winchester. 
This  latter  he  rebuilt  and  put  in  machinery  for 
grinding  wheat  and  from  that  time  on  until  his 
death,  in  1848,  operated  it  successfully,  running  it 
by  water  when  the  latter  was  plentiful  and  by 
steam  when  the  streams  were  low. 

The  mother  of  our  subject,  Mrs.  Jane  (Ander- 
son )Watt,  was  a  native  of  Coal  Hill,  Pa.,  and  the 
parental  family  included  nine  children,  four  of 
whom  are  living,  viz:  James  our  subject;  David  B., 
of  Winchester;  Jane,  Mrs.  Gwin,  of  Chicago;  and 
Oliver  S.,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  five  deceased, 
all  lived  to  mature  years  and  were  named  respect- 
ively, Henry,  Euphemia  A.  (Mrs.  Nash),  Robert  A. 
William  II.,  and  Isabel,  Mrs.  Sells  of  Baldwin 
City,  Kan.  The  mother  died  of  cholera  in 
1851,  in  Winchester,  111.,  being  the  first  victim  of 
this  terrible  scourge  which  she  contracted  without 
being  exposed  to  the  disease.  The  father  of  our 
subject,  was  killed  in  1848,  by  the  explosion  of 
the  boilers  of  the  steamer  "Planter"  when  on  his 
way  to  St.  Louis,  and  at  which  time  several  other 
persons  also  lost  their  lives. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  entered  upon  his  educa- 
tion in  his  native  city  and  completed  his  studies  in 
Winchester.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  he  be- 
gan learning  the  carpenter's  trade  and  later,  took 
up  mill-wrighting  which  he  followed  about  five 
j-ears.  He  put  up  a  wool-carding  mill  in  1847, 
and  subsequently  added  to  it  a  flouring  mill.  He 
sold  this  property  in  1852,  and  began  the  manufac- 
of  threshers  and  reapers,  while  he  also  carried  on 
at  the  same  time  the  general  repairing  of  machinery. 
He  finally  drifted  into  the  manufacture  of  buggies, 
wagous,and  other  vehicles,  which  he  prosecuted 
until  1876,  together  with  the  manufacture  of  fur- 
niture. He  failed  in  business  at  that  time  ami 
turned  over  all  of  his  property  to  his  creditors  jii.d 
started  anew.  He  then  began  selling  furniture  on 
a  small  scale,  in  1878,  and  has  gradually  increased 
his  business  until  he  now  operates  with  a  consider- 
able capital  stock,  and  has  also  stoves  and  tinware. 
He  has  become  widely  and  favorably  known  to  the 
people  of  this  region  among  whom  he  has  built  up 
a  lucrative  trade. 

The  l()th  of  March,  1841,  witnessed  the  marriage 
of  our  subject  with  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 


544 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


David  MeConnell,  deceased,  and  who  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  Scott  County.  Of  this 
union  there  were  born  four  children — Orville  M., 
Edwin  E.,  John  M.,  and  David  K.  Orville  and 
David  are  residents  of  Washington,  D.  C.;  John 
lives  in  Anthony,  Kan.;  and  Edwin  in  Winchester, 
Scott  County.  The  wife  and  mother  departed 
this  life  in  May,  1865,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year, 
Mr.  Watt  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Longnecker. 
The  present  wife  of  our  subject,  is  the  daughter 
of  Joseph  Longnecker  of  Winchester,  and  is  now 
the  mother  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, viz:  Joseph  C.,  James  O.,  George  F.,  Mary  E., 
and  Peter  C.  Mr.  Watt  is  occupying  for  his  ware- 
rooms  the  building  in  which  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
taught  school  during  the  winter  of  1833-34.  In 
politics,  he  is  independent,  voting  for  measures 
rather  than  men,  and  he  has  steadily  avoided  be- 
coming an  office-holder.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  in  religious  matters  is  a 
pillar  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  Win- 
chester. 

.   oc-x>   . 


kAFAYETTE  ARNOLD,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Scott  County,  and  one  of  its  natives,  was 


born  April  12,  1836.  His  father,  Michael 
Arnold,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  a  vet- 
eran of  the  War  of  1812.  He  served  with  distin- 
guished bravery  under  Gen.  Jackson,  participating 
in  most  of  the  battles  of  that  war,  and  serving 
through  until  its  close.  In  1 827  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  located  in  Scott  County.  His  farm  origi- 
nally contained  240  acres  of  land,  which  he  im- 
proved in  a  good  manner.  He  was  ranked  as  a 
good  business  man,  and  consequently  made  a  suc- 
cess of  agricultural  pursuits.  He  died  in  1862,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  Politically,  he  was 
a  Democrat,  and,  religious!}',  affiliated  with  the 
Universalist  Church.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  La- 
fayette, before  her  marriage  was  named  Fann3' 
Funk.  She  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  an  early 
settler  of  this  State.  She  died  in  Exeter  at  the  age 
of  eighty-nine  years.  She  was  the  mother  of  twelve 
children,  the  following  six  of  whom  are  living: 
Polly,  Lavina,  Julia,  Louisa,  Lafayette  and  Adalinc. 
Lafayette  Arnold  grew  up  to  manhood  on  a 


farm,  and  secured  a  very  good  education,  when  his 
advantages  for  procuring  such  are  considered.  He 
worked  on  the  farm  until  Aug.  8,  1862.  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  129th  Illinois  Infantry.  His  regi- 
ment was  mustered  in  at  Pontiac,  and  went  imme- 
diately to  the  front,  where  it  was  soon  engaged  in 
the  stern  realities  of  war.  Mr.  Arnold  was  en- 
gaged in  many  battles,  among  some  of  which  may 
be  mentioned  Crab  Orchard,  Buzzard's  Roost, 
Snake  Creek  Gap,  Chattahoochie  River,  Resaca, 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Atlanta  and 
Jonesboro,  and  was  under  Hooker  when  Sherman 
left  Atlanta  and  marched  to  the  sea.  On  his  re- 
turn from  the  sea  the  battles  of  Bentonville,  Golds- 
boro  and  Averysboro  were  participated  in  by  Mr. 
Arnold,  and  later  he  was  present  at  the  surrender 
of  Johnson,  which  was  one  of  the  closing  scenes  of 
the  war.  He  marched  to  Washington  City,  and 
there  took  part  in  the  grand  review.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Chicago  in  June,  1865,  and  thus  closed 
a  most  brilliant  war  record. 

After  the  war  was  over  Mr.  Arnold  accepted  a 
position  as  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  John  C.  Hag- 
ler,  of  Exeter,  a  business  in  which  he  continued  for 
three  years,  when  he  .was  offered  a  school  to  teach, 
which  offer  was  accepted,  and  he  continued  teach- 
ing for  four  or  five  years.  He  then  purchased  a 
small  farm  near  Exeter,  and  beginning  in  a  modest 
way,  he  soon  accumulated  enough  to  purchase  his 
present  property,  a  beautiful  farm  of  160  acres  of 
well-improved  land.  He  has  done  the  most  of  the 
work  of  improving  his  farm  with  his  own  hands. 
He  has  erected  buildings  that  are  a  credit  to  the 
place,  his  house  being  notably  roomy  and  con- 
venient. Upon  his  farm  are  springs  which  supply 
clear,  sparkling  water  the  year  round,  and  lovely 
groves  and  orchards  assist  in  making  up  a  grand 
landscape.  Small  fruit  in  abundance  and  of  the 
finest  quality  is  produced  on  this  farm;  indeed,  it 
possesses  all  the  requisites  that  the  most  exacting 
farmer  could  desire.  He  takes  great  pride  in  rais- 
ing the  different  varieties  of  wheat,  thus  benefiting 
his  brother  farmers,  as  by  so  experimenting  he  is 
enabled  to  ascertain  the  seeds  which  are  best 
adapted  to  this  part  of  the  country.  He  has  pro- 
duced seven  varieties  of  wheat,  finding  a  market 
i  for  it  in  different  States,  and  from  which  he  has 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


345 


made  money.  He  has  a  fine  herd  of  cattle,  and 
raises  many  hogs. 

Mr.  Arnold  has  been  married  twice.  His  first 
wife  was  Miss  Maggie  I).  Creel,  a  native  of  Green 
County,  Ky.  They  were  married  Aug.  29,  1867, 
and  she  died  Aug.  6,  1873.  To  this  union  was 
born  one  child — Cordell.  Mr.  Arnold  was  married 
a  second  time,  July  11,  1876,  to  Miss  Mamie 
Thompson,  a  native  of  this  county.  This  mar- 
riage produced  three  children — George,  Clyde  and 
Fannie. 

Mr.  Arnold  ranks  among  the  prominent  and 
influential  farmers  of  Bluffs,  and  is  at  present  at 
the  head  of  the  School  Board,  and  has  been  for 
years.  He  has  also  been  Superintendent  of  roads. 
He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
has  been  since  1861.  He  is  Post  Commander  of 
the  G.  A.  R.  at  Bluffs,  and  takes  great  pride  in  this 
organization. 


HARLES  K.  LEE,  of  Naples,  represents  the 
firm  of  Keener  <fe  Pike,  one  of  the  largest 
firms  dealing  in  grain  in  Scott  County.  Mr. 
Lee  is  a  gentleman  whom  to  meet  once  is  not  soon 
forgotten.  He  is  of  commanding  presence,  of  fine 
address,  intelligent,  well  informed,  genial  and  com- 
panionable, a  man  making  friends  wherever  he 
goes.  He  has  seen  much  of  life  and  made  the 
most  of  his  opportunities,  becoming  well  informed 
upon  the  general  topics  of  the  day  and  possessing 
more  than  ordinary  intelligence.  He  was  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources  at  an  early  period  in  his 
life  and  thus  there  were  developed  in  him  the  best 
qualities  of  a  self-reliant  and  vigorous  manhood. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  of  Scott  County,  having 
been  born  in  Naples,  June  26,  1848,  and  is  the  only 
child  of  Dr.  Warren  and  Frances  A.  (Keener)  Lee, 
both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Doctor  Lee  came 
to  Scott  County  during  its  pioneer  da3~s  and  prior 
to  his  marriage,  locating  in  the  embryo  town  of 
Naples  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  had  built 
up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  The  paternal 
grandfather  Hon.  Charles  F.  Keener  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  merchandising,  milling  and  farming  prior  to  his 


removal  to  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  well-educated 
man,  a  graduate  of  Dickinson  College  at  Carlisle, 
Pa.  After  settling  in  Adams  County,  Pa,  he 
served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  many  years  and  also 
officiated  as  Postmaster.  He  accumulated  a  large 
property  and  owned  the  Keener  Mills  where  he 
manufactured  both  lumber  and  flour. 

Grandfather  Keener  in  1838  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  the  Keystone  State  and  coming  to  Scott 
County  took  charge  of  the  Keener  Mills,  Kilmar- 
nock,  Scott  Co.,  111.,  which  he  operated  four  3'ears 
and  then  established  himself  at  Naples.  In 
the  East  he  had  been  a  captain  of  militia.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  milling  operations  in  Naples  he  also 
conducted  a  hotel  and  besides  holding  many  other 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility,  was  made  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature  in  which  he  served 
two  terms.  He  also  represented  the  Etna  Insur- 
ance Company  for  a  number  of  years.  Politically, 
he  was  a  stanch  Democrat  and  in  religious  matters 
a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  He  traced 
his  ancestry  to  Germany.  His  wife,  Frances  (Hem- 
ing)  Keener  was  a  native  of  Shippensbnrg.  Pa.,  and 
the  daughter  of  Charles  Heming.  The  latter  was  a 
gentleman  of  English  birth  and  parentage  and  after 
coming  to  America  settled  in  Pennsylvania  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  died  at  Naples,  Scott  County,  in  1851; 
she  like  her  father  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  being  orphaned  when 
little  more  than  a  babe  was  reared  by  his  maternal 
grandparents  and  given  a  common-school  educa- 
tion. Later  he  spent  six  months  at  the  Commercial 
College  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

When  but  a  youth  of  sixteen  years  young  Lee 
enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier  in  Company  C,  110th 
Illinois  Infantry  which  rallied  at  Camp  Butler  and 
after  being  mustered  into  service  he  went  South 
with  his  comrades  and  joined  Sherman's  Army  at 
Atlanta.  Thence  they  made  the  memorable  march 
to  the  sea,  skirmishing  all  the  way  to  Savannah. 
The  story  of  that  campaign  is  too  well  known  to 
need  repetition  here.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  private 
Lee  endured  bravely  the  hardships  and  privations 
incident  to  army  life.  He,  fortunately,  escaped 
wounds  and  capture  and  went  with  his  regiment  up 


f 


'     546 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


through  the  Carolinas  to  the  city  of  Washington 
and  took  part  in  the  Grand  Review.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  and  received  his  honorable  discharge  at 
Springfield,  111.,  in  July,  1865. 

Our  subject  now  repairing  to  St.  Louis  engaged 
as  clerk  on  different  boats  plying  the  Illinois, 
Missouri  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  he  followed 
that  occupation  until  1870.  The  year  following, 
Nov.  1,  1871,  he  was  married  at  Naples,  to  Miss 
Fanny  E.  Critzer.  Mrs.  Lee  was  born  in  Naples, 
September  1851,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Peter  D. 
Critzer,  one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  Scott  County 
who  engaged  in  general  merchandising  at  Naples 
and  also  operated  the  ferry.  In  1879  he  removed 
to  Geneva,  Ohio,  where  he  now  lives  retired  from 
active  business.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Matilda  A.  Lodwick. 

Mr.  Lee  in  June  of  1871  established  himself  at 
Winchester  where  he  wns  made  Teller  and  Assistant 
Cashier  of  the  People's  Bank.  He  retained 
this  position  until  1880  and  then  accepted  that 
which  he  now  holds  and  resumed  his  residence  in 
Naples.  His  firm  ships  extensively,  both  by  river 
and  rail,  and  the  responsible  position  which  Mr. 
Lee  is  holding  is  sufficiently  indicative  of  the  esti- 
mation in  which  he  is  held. 

Our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  are  the  parents 
of  two  children,  Minnie  F.  and  Carrie  L.  Mr.  Lee 
votes  the  straight  Democratic  ticket,  is  a  Trustee  of 
the  city  School  Board  and  has  served  as  County 
Commissioner.  Mrs.  Lee  is  a  member  of  the 
Episcopal  Church. 


eOL.  THOMAS  M.  KILPATRICK,  deceased, 
met  his  death  on  the  battlefield  of  Shiloh 
during  the  late  war,  and  was  one  of  those 
few  of  whom  it  may  truthfully  be  said,  "none 
knew  him  but  to  love  him;  none  named  him  but 
to  praise."  He  was  born  in  Crawford  County, 
Pa.,  Oct.  30,  1807,  and  when  approaching  man's 
estate,  went  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  later — 
March  22,  1829 — he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Catharine  Sells.  Three  years  afterward,  in 
the  spring  of  1833,  they  came  to  Scott  County, 
and  settling  in  Winchester  when  it  was  little  more 


than  a  hamlet,  Mr.  Kilpatrick  established  a  pottery 
factory  which  he  conducted  until  1849. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  above  mentioned  our 
subject  returned  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  visiting  there 
two  months.  Returning  to  Illinois,  he  re-en- 
gaged in  the  pottery  business,  and  was  soon  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  most  valued  citizens  of  this 
community — a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  capaci- 
ties and  intelligence.  After  occupying  other  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  responsbility,  he  was  elected  to 
the  Lower  House  of  the  Legislature,  in  which  he 
served  one  term,  and  later  was  elected  to  the  Sen- 
ate, in  which  he  served  one  term.  Subsequently 
he  became  the  candidate  of  the  Whig  party  for  Gov- 
ernor, and  was  defeated  by  Augustus  C.  French.  He 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  Scott  County,  and 
at  all  times  was  distinguished  by  that  public-spir- 
itedness  and  liberality  which  was  ever  willing  to 
lay  aside  personal  plans  and  interests  whenever  he 
could  be  of  service  to  the  people. 

Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  late  war,  our  subject 
enlisted  in  Company  E,  28th  Illinois  Infantry,  of 
which  he  was  elected  Captain,  and  subsequently 
given  the  commission  of  Colonel.  lie  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  regiment,  acting  as  General  at  the 
time  of  being  killed.  In  politics  he  was  at  first  a 
Whig,  later  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  matters 
a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Both  in  his  public  and  private  life  he 
was  distinguished  for  that  kindness  of  heart  which 
prompted  him  ever  to  respond  to  the  call  of  dis- 
tress, and  he  was  most  essentially  the  poor  man's 
friend  from  whom  none  were  ever  turned  away 
empty.  His  remains  fill  a  soldier's  grave  in  the 
cemeteiy  at  Winchester,  and  his  name  is  held  in 
kindly  remembrance  by  all  who  knew  him. 

To  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Kilpatrick  there  were  born 
eight  children,  only  one  of  whom  is  living,  namely: 
Mattic  I.,  the  wife  of  Judson  Dayen,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.  Mrs.  Kilpatrfck  lias  three  grandchil- 
dren— Ella  (Dayen)  Overacker,  Viola  Clemmons 
and  Lovey  (McPherson)  Barb,  wife  of  Angelo  B. 
Barb,  of  Winchester;  the  latter  has  one  child— 
Burrell.  Burrell  McPherson,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Barb,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  late  war  with  Col. 
Kilpatrick  as  Second  Lieutenant,  and  was  afterwards 
promoted  to  First  Lieutenant.  lie  went  all  through 


t 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


549  ,  , 


the  war,  and  escaped  unharmed,  never  receiving  a 
scratch.  He  is  familiarly  known  as  "Uncle  Joe," 
and  is  now  living  in  Gold  Hill,  Col.,  where  he 
owns  mining  property. 


EV.  FRANK  C.  BRUNER,  A.  M.,  pastor  of 
the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Winchester,  came  to  this  part  of  Illinois  as 
pearly  as  1 854,  when  a  child  six  years  of  age, 
from  his  birth  place  in  Switzerland  County,  Ind. 
He  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  April  24, 1848, 
and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Harriet  (Branden- 
burgh)  Bruner,  who  upon  their  removal  from  In- 
diana in  the  year  above  mentioned,  settled  in  Rock 
Island  County,  this  State,  where  the  father  fol- 
owed  farming,  and  where  our  subject  was  reared 
to  man's  estate. 

Mr.  Bruner  received  his  education  mostly  in  the 
district  school,  and  was  a  youth  of  more  than  or- 
dinary intelligence,  bright  and  ambitious  to  do 
something  for  himself  in  the  world.  During  the 
progress  of  the  Civil  War,  he,  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier  in  Company  A, 
'Jtli  Illinois  Cavalry,  being  the  youngest  member 
of  his  regiment.  He  participated  in  many  import- 
ant battles,  was  at  Guntown,  Miss.,  on  the  10th  of 
June,  1864,  at  Ilurrioane  Creek,  Tupelo  and  Nash- 
ville, and  was  promoted  for  his  gallantry  in  the 
noted  Hood  campaigns.  He  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  and  received  his  honorable  discharge 
at  Springfield,  Nov.  25,  1865. 

After  leaving  the  army,  young  Bruner  entered 
Westfield  College  (III.),  where  he  spent  over  four 
years.  In  1886  he  received  the  Master's  degree, 
and  at  commencement  he  delivered  the  Master's 
oration,  which  was  highly  commented  upon  by  the 
press.  He  joined  the  Illinois  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Conference,  the  fall  of  the  year  1875,  and 
subsequently  presided  over  several  different  charges, 
among  them  Blue  Mound,  Clayton,  Mason  City, 
Beardstown — coming  to  Winchester  in  the  fall 
of  1888.  He  is  what  might  be  properly  termed 
a  natural  evangelist,  having  a  fine  command  of 
language,  and  being  able  to  hold  the  attention 
of  his  audience,  convincing  them  by  his  logic,  and 


awakening  a  profound  interest.  At  Beardstown, 
in  1886-7,  during  one  series  of  meetings,  he  gath- 
ered in  about  200  converts,  and  150  at  Winchester 
during  the  winter  of  1888-9. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  married  in  Mar- 
shall, 111.,  June  14,  1874,  to  Miss  Tina  Smith. 
Mrs.  Bruner  was  born  Feb.  25,  1855,  in  Ohio,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  Samuel  Smith,  who  now  re- 
sides in  Marshall,  111.  This  union  resulted  in 
the  birth  of  two  children — Mabel,  born  April 
16,  1875,  and  Ethel,  born  Feb.  24,1877.  Mr. 
Bruner  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post, 
Beardstown,  and  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  is  also  identi- 
fied with  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 


HE  HON.  SYLVESTER  ALLEN,  who  is 
one  of  the  most  prominent  public  men  of 
Scott  County,  was  born  in  Athens  County, 
Ohio,  Sept.  2,  1847.  His  father,  William  Allen, 
was  also  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  of  Scotch  descent. 
He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and  followed  this 
business  in  Ohio  for  a  great  many  years,  until  he 
died  in  1855.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Sylvester, 
was  also  a  native  of  Ohio.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Elida  A.  Beatty. 

Sylvester  Allen  was  seven  years  old  when  his 
father  died.  After  this  sad  event  he  went  to  live 
with  his  grandpareuts,  who  gave  him  a  good  com- 
mon-school education,  supplemented  by  a  term  at 
the  High  School  of  Jackson..  Ohio.  He  worked  on  a 
farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old.  In  the  spring 
of  1863  he  enlisted  in  the  7th  Ohio  Cavalry,  but 
was  rejected  on  account  of  his  youth,  coupled  with 
a  vigorous  protest  from  his  mother.  But  young 
Allen  was  not  to  be  defeated  in  his  laudable  pur- 
pose of  serving  his  country,  and  so  he  entered  the 
army  again,  this  time  as  a  teamster.  He  went  on 
duty  at  Camp  Nelson.  Ivy.,  where  lie  engaged  in  the 
transportation  of  supplies  from  that  point  to  Cum- 
berland Gap,  Tenn.  This  work  was  extremely 
hazardous,  as  the  country  was  infested  with  guer- 
rillas, whose  sole  aim  was  to  secretly  assassinate, 
and  whose  tactics  consisted  chiefly  in  sneaking  up 
behind  their  opponents,  and  cowardly  shooting 


i. 


550 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


them  down.     Mr.  Allen  smelled  gunpowder  many 
times,  and  particular!}'  at  Crab  Orchard. 

Mr.  Allen  served  his  country  for  eighteen 
months,  when  he  returned  to  Jackson,  Ohio,  and  in 
September,  1864,  he  left  for  Saline  County,  Mo., 
where  he  occupied  himself  in  farming  and  attend- 
ing school.  After  remaining  in  Missouri  for  a 
year  he  came  to  Oxville,  this  county.  Here  he 
again  worked  on  a  farm  and  attended  school  dur- 
ing the  winter.  In  September,  1869,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Duenna  S.  Jeffords,  who  was  born  in 
Portsmouth,  Ohio.  Her  parents  removed  here  in 
1860  and  were  farmers.  After  his  marriage  Mr. 
Allen  rented  land  until  1872  when  he  wentto  Kan- 
sas, locating  near  Humboldt,  where  he  followed 
farming  for  three  years.  He  then  returned  to  Illi- 
nois and  purchased  his  present  far;n.  From  time  to 
time  he  has  made  additions  to  his  original  purchase, 
until  he  now  owns  200  acres  of  excellent  land,  and 
by  good  management  has  succeeded  in' gaining  a 
just  reputation  as  one  of  the  leading  stock-raisers 
and  general  farmers  of  his  community.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  breeding  graded  Short-horned  and 
Jersey  cattle.  He  has  five  acres  devoted  to  the  culti- 
vation of  small  fruits,  an  investment  which  has  been 
well  rewarded.  Full-blooded  Berkshire  hogs  and 
draft  horses  also  claim  his  attention,  and  he  is  a 
live-stock  shipper  to  the  principal  markets. 

Mr.  Allen  is  a  self-made  man.  He  is  now  rep- 
resenting Scott  County  in  the  Legislature,  and  as  a 
law-maker  and  an  incorruptible  man  his  record  is 
perfect.  He  has  never  been  an  office-seeker,  but  the 
people  have  recognized  his  fitness  for  public  station 
and  have  verified  their  confidence  in  him  by  electing 
him  to  many  local  offices.  As  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  he  is  industrious,  painstaking,  and  is 
ever  found  seeking  the  best  interests  of  his  constit- 
uents. His  portrait  on  another  page  will  be  prized 
by  all  his  friends.  Mr.  Allen  began  active  life  with- 
out a  dollar,  but  by  sheer  force  of  character  and 
indomitable  industry  he  has  reached  the  top  rounds 
of  the  ladder  of  success.  His  domestic  life  is  pecu- 
liarly happy.  Mrs.  Allen  is  more  than  an  ordinary 
woman  and  is  one  to  whom  a  great  deal  of  respect 
is  shown  by  her  neighbors. 

Since  Mr.  Allen  came  to  Oxville  his  fellow-citi- 
zens  have    insisted   upon   his  holding  some    local 


office  a  majority  of  the  time.  He  has  been  Post- 
master, School  Director  and  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  sixteen  years,  and  for  his  own  amusement  has 
read  law.  In  1888  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Leg- 
islature on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  was  placed 
upon  the  important  Committees  of  Public  Chari- 
ties, Roads  and  Bridges,  Retrenchments,  and  Public 
Printing.  Mr.  Allen  has  four  children  living — 
Arlina  B.,  Mary  E.,  Lila  and  Thurman. 


ERMAN  lIOBROCK,oneof  the  most  prom- 
inent and  influential  German  farmers  of  his 
township,  is  the  proprietor  of  over  603 
acres  of  land,  lying  in  Scott  and  Morgan 
counties.  He  rents  a  part  of  this,  and  has  in  his 
homestead  320  acres  under  a  fine  stale  of  cultiva- 
tion and  embellished  with  modern  buildings.  The 
residence  is  especially  fine  and  stands  in  the  midst 
of  beautiful  grounds,  making  one  of  the  most 
delightful  homes  that  heart  could  wish.  The  barns 
and  other  outbuildings  are  in  keeping  with  the 
the  well  known  enterprise  and  ample  means  of  the 
proprietor.  Mr.  Hobrock  is  a  man  popular  in  his 
community,  and  his  amiable  wife  is  a  lady  of  more 
than  ordinary  intelligence  and  fine  traits  of  charac- 
ter. Their's  is  apparently  a  model  home,  where 
affection  may  bid  defiance  to  the  outside  world, 
being  in  itself  a  safeguard  amid  the  troubles  and 
afflictions  of  life. 

Mr.  Hobrock  was  born  in  what  was  at  that  time 
the  Kingdom  of  Hanover,  Germany,  June  8, 1842, 
and  at  an  early  age  was  placed  in  school  and  pur- 
sued his  studies  quite  uninterruptedly  until  a  youth 
of  fourteen  years.  A  year  later,  in  the  fall  of  1857, 
he  and  his  parents  started  for  America,  taking  pass- 
age on  the  sailing  vessel  "Industry"  at  Bremen, 
which  landed  them,  after  a  voyage  of  eleven  weeks 
and  five  days,  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans.  Thence 
they  made  their  way  to  the  vicinity  of  Beardstown, 
Illinois,  where  the  father  secured  a  tract  of  land, 
and  in  the  cultivation  of  which  our  subject  assisted 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old. 

Young  Hobrock  at  this  time,  having  in  view  the 
establishment  of  a  home  of  his  own,  commenced 
farming  on  rented  land  in  C'a-ss  County,  where  he 


% 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


551 


remained  two  years.  He  had  in  the  meantime,with 
genuine  German  thrift  and  prudence,  saved  a  snug 
little  sum  of  money,  and  now  purchased  160  acres 
of  land  in  Meredosia  Precinct,  upon  which  he 
operated  until  1870.  Then  selling  this  he  pur- 
chased 120  acres  which  he  still  owns.  He  brought 
about  all  the  improvements  upon  his  farm,  and  one 
year  operated  a  sawmill  in  Meredosia.  This,  how- 
ever, he  soon  abandoned,  it  not  being  congenial  to 
his  tastes,  and  thereafter  gave  his  whole  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits. 

In  the  spring  of  1887  Mr.  Hobrock  purchased 
the  improved  farm  of  320  acres  which  constitute  his 
present  homestead  and  to  which  he  soon  afterward 
removed,  renting  his  other  land.  This  farm  is 
beautifully  located  and  is  mostly  level  ground, 
lying  about  four  miles  from  Naples  and  the  same 
distance  from  Bluffs.  A  fine  windmill  conveys 
water  to  whatever  point  required,  and  there  are  all 
the  other  modern  conveniences  required  by  the 
enterprising  and  progressive  agriculturist.  He 
raises  corn  and  wheat  and  graded  stock,  also  buys 
and  feeds  cattle  and  swine  in  large  numl>ers.  Mr. 
Hobrock  is  able  to  lay  by  a  snug  sum  of  money  as 
the  result  of  his  labors. 

Our  subject  was  married  at  the  bride's  home  near 
Merodosia,  in  Cass  County,  March  8,  1865,  to  Miss 
Kli/.a  Kramas,  who  was  born  in  Cass  County,  this 
State,  and  is  now  the  mother  of  six  children,  viz: 
Henry,  Fred,  Caroline,  Annie,  Emma  and  William. 
They  are  all  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mr. 
Hobrock  votes  the  straight  Republican  ticket,  but 
aside  from  officiating  as  School  Director  and  Clerk 
of  the  Board,  has  very  little  to  do  with  public 
affairs.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  at  Meredosia  and  one  of  its  most  liberal 
contributors,  assisting  generously  in  the  erection 
of  the  church  edifice  and  officiating  as  Trustee  at 
the  time  of  its  erection.  While  in  Meredosia  he 
was  for  a  number  of  years  Superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School. 

Christian  Hobrock,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was, 
like  himself,  a  native  of  Hanover  and  the  SQII  of 
Hainan  Hobrock,  who  was  of  pure  German  stock 
and  spent  his  entire  life  in  the  Fatherland.  Chris- 
tian was  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  also  a  contractor, 
and  operated  a  small  farm.  In  1857  he  came  to 


America  and  located  near  Beardstown,  in  Cass 
County,  this  State,  where  he  purchased  land  and 
grew  very  prosperous  as  a  farmer,  finally  becoming 
the  owner  of  200  acres.  He  brought  this  to  a  good 
state  of  cultivation  and  lived  there  until  until  1872, 
then  sold  out  and  retired  from  active  labor.  He 
now  makes  his  home  with  his  son,  our  subject,  and 
has  arrived  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-eight 
years.  He  has  been  an  honest  and  hard-working 
man,  and  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  The  wife  and  mother,  Mrs. 
Mary  (Erk)  Hobrock.  was  likewise  born  in  Han- 
over, and  coming  to  America  with  her  family,  died 
in  Beardstown,  this  State,  in  1872,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-four  years.  Their  four  children  were  Annie 
and  Henry,  residents  of  Cass  County;  Herman,  our 
subject,  and  Victor,  a  resident  of  Beardstown. 


'HOMAS  J.  WELLS  is  a  son  of  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Scott  County,  was  reared 
amid  the  primitive  scenes  that  characterized 
its  early  settlements  to  a  vigorous,  capable  man- 
hood, and  as  soon  as  large  enough  began  to  share 
in  the  pioneer  labors  that  laid  the  foundations  for 
its  present  wealth  and  greatness.  lie  is  now  num- 
bered among  the  most  successful  of  the  practical, 
wide-awake,  skillful  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of 
Winchester  Precinct,  where  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  has  been  spent  since  1822,  a  period  of  sixty- 
seven  years.  His  farm  on  section  16,  township  14, 
range  12,  comprises  200  acres,  and  with  its  well- 
tilled  soil,  substantial  buildings,  including  a  fine 
brick  residence,  and  many  other  valuable  improve- 
ments, is  considered  one  of  the  mo^t  desirable 
estates  in  this  part  of  the  county.  There  is  a 
great  deal  of  fruit  on  this  place,  including  choice 
varities  of  apples,  pears,  peaches,  strawberries, 
currants,  plums  and  grapes.  Mr.  Wells  has  de- 
voted himself  largely  to  raising  stock,  and  has 
some  fine  graded  cattle  and  horses. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  Sept.  19,  1816, 
in  Monroe  County,  111.,  and  was  the  third  child  in  or- 
der of  birth  of  ten  children  in  the  family  of  Alex- 
ander and  Mary  (Chance)  Well  natives  of  Virginia 
and  Maryland  respectively,  the  former  reared  in 


f 


552 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Kentucky  and  the  latter  in  Illinois.  The  father 
came  to  this  State  in  the  territorial  days,  and  mot 
the  woman  to  whom  he  was  afterward  married. 
They  spent  the  first  few  years  of  their  wedded 
life  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  and  came  from  thence 
with  their  family  in  1822  to  Scott  County,  then 
caller)  Madison  County,  and  later  Morgan  County. 
He  took  up  a  piece  of  wild  land  and  improved 
it  into  a  good  farm,  his  original  homestead  now 
being  in  the  possession  of  our  subject.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  here  and  had  a  good  deal 
to  contend  with  that  the  farmers  of  the  present 
day  know  nothing  about.  Wild  beasts  were  plenti- 
ful in  this  region  and  often  troubled  the  crops,  and 
our  subject  has  seen  many  a  bear  killed  by  his 
father  lying  in  the  door-yard.  In  those  days  he 
had  to  go  way  to  St.  Louis  to  mill,  and  finally 
bought  a  small  hand-mill  on  which  two  men  could 
grind  a  peck  of  corn  without  stopping  to  rest.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and 
was  a  captain  of  a  regiment.  He  was  held  in  high 
consideration  by  his  fellow-citizens  and  was  a  man 
of  influence  in  this  community,  and  here  his  name 
and  memory  are  cherished  as  those  of  a  deserving 
pioneer.  His  honorable  life-record  was  brought  to 
a  close  at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety-five  years  in 
February,  1877.  His  wife  is  also  deceased;  her 
death  preceding  that  of  her  husband  twenty  years. 
The  descendants  of  this  worthy  couple  were  well 
represented  in  the  late  war  by  one  son,  John  C., 
and  five  grandchildren,  one  of  them,  William  A., 
the  son  of  our  subject,  all  of  whom  served  in  the 
Union  Army. 

Thomas  Wells  of  our  sketch,  was  a  child  of  be- 
tween four  and  five  years  when  his  parents  brought 
him  to  Scott  County,  and  as  in  those  pioneer  times 
schools  had  scarcely  been  started  in  this  region  his 
education  did  not  commence  till  he  was  eleven  or 
twelve  years  old,  and  he  did  not  even  know  his 
letters,  when,  for  the  first  time  at  that  age  he  began 
to  attend  the  rude  log  house,  with  its  rough  slab 
benches  and  poorly  lighted  interior,  that  served  as 
the  temple  of  knowledge  for  the  children  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Winchester  Precinct.  His  chances 
for  attending  school  even  then  were  limited  as  he 
had  to  assist  his  father  on  the  farm,  but  at  onetime 
he  was  under  the  tuition  of  the  famous  Stephen  A. 


Douglas  for  three  months;  that  gentleman  teaching 
school  in  Winchester.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
our  subject  began  an  independent  life,  and  worked 
a  portion  of  his  father's  place  for  all  that  he  could 
get  out  of  it.  Nov.  13,  1845,  he  took  an  impor- 
tant step  toward  establishing  a  comfortable  home, 
as  on  that  date  he  took  unto  himself  a  wife  in  the 
person  of  Miss  Julia  Ann  York.  Her  parents  were 
William  K.  and  1'hebe  (Lyons)  York,  natives 
respectively,  of  North  Carolina  and  Bowling  Green, 
Ky.  They  were  married  near  Alton,  111.,  March 
4,  1821,  and  removing  to  this  county  at  once, 
bought  a  place  south  of  Winchester  and  were  the 
very  first  settlers  here.  They  had  nine  children, 
three  of  whom  are  now  living,  and  two  of  their 
sons,  William  II.  and  J.  B.,  served  in  the  Union 
army  in  the  late  war.  the  former  as  quarter-master 
and  the  latter  as  private.  Mrs.  Wells  was  the  sec- 
ond child  of  this  family,  and  was  born  April  27, 
1824,  six  miles  east  of  Winchester.  The  family 
fared  very  hard  in  those  early  times,  in  common 
with  many  other  pioneers,  and  Mrs.  Wells  received 
such  education  as  she  could  pick  up.  She  was 
twenty-two  years  old  when  she  married  our  sub- 
ject. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  settled  a  half  mile  west  of 
this  place,  and  began  housekeeping  on  a  very  lim- 
ited scale.  Mrs.  Wells  in  those  days,  being  an  ac- 
complished spinner  and  weaver  made  all  the  cloth 
used  in  the  family,  and  even  sheared  the  sheep  her- 
self to  get  the  wool.  Mr.  Wells  at  that  time  farmed 
on  an  eighty-acre  tract  of  land,  subsequently  bought 
twenty  acres  more,  and  later  on  another  100-acres. 
which  belonged  to  the  homestead  of  his  father. 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  mutually  aided  each 
other  in  their  work  and  their  3'ears  of  hard  and  un- 
remitting toil  have  been  amply  rewarded  as  we  have 
seen.  Four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters 
have  blessed  their  union  and  arc  spared  to  comfort 
their  declining  years — William  A.,  born  Sept.  15, 
1846;  Thomas  J.,  born  April  25,  1848;  Mary  E., 
born  Sept.  20,  1850;  Lenora,  born  June  15,  1853. 
William  A.,  who  lives  in  Winchester,  has  been  mar- 
ried twice.  His  first  wife,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children,  was  Maggie  Woodall.  After  her  death  he 
married  Ada  V.  Waters,  and  they  have  had  two  chil- 
dren, one  of  them  7iow  dead.  Thomas,  who  lives  in 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


553 


Jerseyville,  III.,  married  Jennie  S.  Stuart,  and  they 
have  seven  boys.  Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
S.  Doyle,  and  they  live  at  the  homestead,  and  have 
one  child,  Gertie.  Lenora  married  Robert  Hawk, 
and  they  live  one-half  mile  north  of  the  homestead, 
and  have  one  child,  Ivan. 

Mr.  Wells  is  public-spirited  and  contributes  his 
quota  to  furthering  all  schemes  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  precinct  and  county.  He  is  an  un- 
compromising Republican  and  always  gives  his 
party  his  support  at  the  polls.  He  cast  his  first 
vote  for  the  hero  of  Tippecanoe  and  many  years 
later  had  the  pleasure  of  voting  for  his  grandson, 
our  present  President.  He  has  been  school  Direc- 
tor and  Supervisor  of  Roads  many  years,  and  dis- 
charged the  duties  thus  incumbent  upon  him  so  as 
to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  community. 
He  and  his  wife  are  people  of  earnest  religious  con- 
victions, who  carry  their  religion  into  their  ever}' 
day  lives,  and  over  forty  years  ago,  they  united 
with  the  Christian  Church.  Though  the  frosts  of 
age  have  descended  on  his  head  our  subject  still 
bears  in  his  heart  the  dew  of  youth,  and  seems 
never  to  have  grown  old,  being  lively  and  full  of 
fun  and  his  genial  disposition  makes  him  a  general 
favorite  with  all. 


ILBERT  CHANCE,  the  oldest  living  set- 
tler in  his  township,  owns  and  occupies  a 
a  snug  homestead  of  forty  acres  on  section 
33,  township  lit,  range  14,  in  Scott  County, 
but,  in  addition  to  this,  operates  400  acres  of  land 
belonging  to  other  parties.  He  has  had  a  full  ex- 
perience of  pioneer  life,  and  is  one  of  the  old 
landmarks  who  will  be  remembered  long  after  he 
has  passed  away.  He  has  just  passed  the  sixtv- 
ninth  year  of  his  age,  having  been  born  May  20, 
1820,  and  his  native  place  was  near  Milford,  Kent 
Co.,  Del. 

Mr.  Chance  when  a  young  man  emigrated  to 
Ohio,  and  thence  to  this  county,  when  there  were 
only  a  few  houses  within  several  miles  of  where  he 
settled.  Wild  game  of  all  kinds  was  abundant,  and 
the  Indians  had  not  very  long  departed  from  this 
region.  Mr.  Chance  had  no  schooling  until  after  he 


was  twenty-two  years  old,  and  then  attended  school 
only  one  winter.  He  was  put  to  work  at  an  early 
age,  and  when  nineteen  years  old  purchased  his 
time  of  his  father  for  $100.  In  the  spring  of  1840 
he  crossed  the  Mississippi  into  Missouri — after 
having  sawed  some  of  the  timber  for  the  Naples 
<fe  Springfield  Railroad,  the  first  built  in  the  State. 

Afterwards  Mr.  Chance  went  to  Columbia,  Boone 
Co.,  Mo.,  where  he  engaged  in  teaming  during  the 
construction  of  the  State  University.  He  hauled 
out  the  first  load  of  dirt  from  the  cellar  of  that 
structure,  and  was  given  a  premium  of  $5.  He  was 
thus  employed  two  years,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
this  time  entered  two  tracts  of  Government  land, 
which  he  improved,  and  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  He  put  up  good  buildings, 
and  in  1859  sold  out  at  an  advanced  price,  and 
then  returned  to  Illinois  overland  with  his  teams 
and  wagon.  While  in  Missouri  he  had  engaged 
considerably  in  breaking  prairie,  employing  six- 
teen yoke  of  cattle  and  four  plows,  and  operating 
with  a  partner. 

Mr.  Chance  could  not  obtain  a  clear  title  to  the 
first  land  he  purchased  in  this  county,  and  he  then 
rented  land  near  Bluffs  two  years.  Later  lie  carried 
on  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Exeter.  He  pur- 
chased his  present  homestead  in  the  spring  of 
1870,  and  has  effected  all  the  improvements  upon 
it.  It  makes  a  very  desirable  residence.  Mr. 
Chance  in  his  farming  operations  employs  four 
teams  and  devotes  his  attention  largely  to  the 
raising  of  grain,  making  a  specialty  of  wheat.  He 
was  married  Jan.  20,  1843,  in  Boone  County,  Mo., 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Dunbar.  This  lady  was  born 
near  Lexington,  Scott  Co.,  Ky.,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Weeden  D.  and  Fanny  (Welden)  Dunbar, 
natives  respectively  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky. 
They  settled  in  the  latter  State,  and  then  removed 
to  Missouri,  where  Mr.  Dunbar  became  the  owner 
of  320  acres  of  land.  He  died  in  Missouri;  he  was 
an  Elder  in  the  Christian  Church,  and  rounded  up 
the  ripe  old  age  of  one  hundred  and  four  3-ears. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chance  there  were  born  six 
children,  viz:  William  W.,  Frances  A.,  Agnes  E., 
Sarah  A.,  Albert  Bishop  and  Mary  Emma,  who 
died  when  ten  years  old.  Their  eldest  son  is  a 
carpenter  'by  trade,  and  possesses  extraordinary 


554 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


mechanical  skill.  Frances  is  the  wife  of  Giles  E. 
Montague,  and  resides  at  Naples;  Agnes  E.  is  the 
wife  of  William  Bean,  a  farmer  of  Winchester.  Both 
these  ladies  were  finished  dressmakers  before  mar- 
riage; the  other  children  are  at  home  with  their 
parents.  The  youngest  son  operates  the  farm,  and 
votes  the  straight  Democratic  ticket.  Mr.  Chance 
is  also  a  Democrat,  politically,  and  has  served  as 
School  Director,  in  Missouri,  and  Road  Supervisor; 
also  as  County  Commissioner,  and  has  been  on  the 
Grand  and  Petit  juries.  In  religious  matters  he  be- 
longs to  the  Christian  Church  at  Naples.  He  is  a 
brother  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Finncy,  who  is  represented 
elsewhere  in  this  sketch. 


E.  HUSBAND,  who  has  attained 
distinction  as  a  successful  farmer  of  Scott 
County,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  was  born 
June  12,  1846.  A  complete  record  of  his  ancestry 
appears  in  another  part  of  this  volume,  in  the  bio- 
graphy of  Charles  J.  Husband. 

George  E.  Husband  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
received  his  schooling  at  the  public  and  subscrip- 
tion schools,  where  he  acquired  a  substantial 
education,  which  has  been  supplemented  in  later 
3'ears  by  copious  reading  of  current  literature. 
He  remained  at  home,  working  on  the  old  home- 
stead until  his  father's  death,  and  in  1870  he  began 
to  operate  his  share  of  the  property,  which  at  that 
time  was  destitute  of  substantial  improvements. 
He  immediately  erected  a  house  38  x  50,  one  well 
adapted  for  a  farmer's  home,  and  which  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  well  kept  yard;  in  fact  everything 
connected  with  his  home  denotes  intelligence  and 
industry.  Mr.  Husband's  farm  presents  a  pleasant 
landscape,  orchards  and  groves  being  noticeable, 
thus  breaking  the  monotony  that  is  usually  insep- 
arable from  a  prairie  farm.  He  has  continued 
improving  his  homestead,  until  lie  can  now  point 
with  justifiable  pride,  to  a  magnificent  farm  of  400 
acres,  and  which  is  one  of  the  best  in  Scott  County, 
conveniently  located,  being  only  four  miles  from 
Bluffs,  which  is  a  good  market  town.  The  place 
is  also  well  watered  with  living  springs,  an  adjunct 
which  adds  value  to  the  farm.  He  has  now  335 


acres  under  plow,  the  most  of  which  lie  leases  to 
tenants.  He  feeds  a  great  deal  of  stock,  and  ships 
many  cattle  and  hogs. 

Mr.  Husband  was  married  in  1'ike  County,  this 
State,  Oct.  29,  1872,  to  Miss  Nancy  E.  Dimmitt, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Dimmitt.  Her  father  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  was  born  in  1822,  of  Welsh 
ancestry.  He  came  to  Illinois  when  quite  young, 
and  when  he  became  twenty-one  years  of  age  he 
commenced  farming  for  himself,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Kansas  in 
1875.  He  remained  in  that  state  for  three  years, 
when  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and  now  lives  in 
Griggsville.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Hannah 
Wade.  She  was  born  in  England  in  1823,  and 
came  to  America  when  she  was  ten  years  old,  set- 
tling in  Pike  County  with  her  parents.  She  died  in 
1872.  For  many  years  she  was  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  died  in 
that  faith.  Following  are  the  names  of  her  ten 
children:  Frank  W.,  JohnS.,  Charles,  James  W., 
Nancy  Ellen,  Elizabeth,  Mary  A.,  Grace.  Victoria 
and  Clarissa.  Mrs.  Husband's  grandfather,  John 
Dimmitt,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  in  1830  came  to 
this  state  and  located  in  Pike  County,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  on  an  extensive  scale,  and  in 
his  time  was  a  prominent  citizen. 

George  E.  Husband  is  the  father  of  four  chil- 
dren. Fannie  and  Geo.  I.  are  living,  while  Ashley 
D.  and  Arthur  O.  are  dead.  He  is  the  President 
of  the  School  Board,  an  office  which  he  has  satis- 
factorily filled  for  six  years.  Politically  he  is  a 
prominent  Republican,  and  as  evidence  that  he 
wields  great  influence  in  Republican  councils,  it 
may  be  stated  that  he  is  a  member  of  the  County 
Central  Committee,  and  has  represented  his  party 
in  county  and  state  conventions  many  times.  As 
a  farmer,  he  has  been  eminently  successful,  and 
the  fact  of  his  being  a  well  preserved  man,  strong 
and  robust,  is  evidence  that  in  his  younger  days  he 
adhered  to  the  commendable  plan  of  taking  care 
of  himself,  and  that  he  has  been  temperate  in  all 
things.  He  possesses  the  happy  combination — and 
•which  is  a  rare  one — of  being  a  sound,  shrewd  busi- 
ness man  and  a  highly  successful  fanner. 

Mr.  Husband  has  numerous  traits  of  character 
that  make  him  very  popular,  and  which  call  forth 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


555 


many  good  words  for  him  from  his  neighbors  and 
from  those  with  whom  he  holds  business  relations. 
Ih>  is  charitable,  and  possesses  those  special  charac- 
teristics that  go  to  make  up  an  intelligent  and 
valuable  citizen.  His  dealings  with  his  fellow  man 
have  always  been  such  as  to  merit  confidence,  and 
upon  this  record  is  based  his  well  deserved  pros- 
perity. There  is  room  in  this  great  big  world  for 
more  men  like  George  E.  Husband. 


HAKLES  J.  IirSBAND.  One  seldom  meets 
w'kh  a  man  who  leaves  a  more  lasting  im- 
pression  than  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He 
has  the  highest  qualities  of  the  true  gentleman ;  is 
genial  and  companionable,  and  possesses  a  fund  of 
general  information  by  which  he  is  enabled  to  lead 
in  profitable  and  entertaining  conversation.  He 
has  been  abundantly  blessed  with  this  world's  goods, 
and  makes  his  home  in  one  of  the  finest  residences 
iii  Scott  County,  which,  with  its  surroundings, 
very  nearly  approaches  the  popular  idea  of  para- 
dise. Not  the  least  among  his  blessings  is  the  com- 
panionship of  an  amiable  and  intelligent  wife — a 
refined  and  cultivated  lady,  with  tastes  similar  to 
his  own.  Their  home  indicates,  on  all  sides,  the 
existence  of  cultured  tastes  and  ample  means,  and 
is  a  most  pleasant  resort  for  the  many  friends  whom 
they  have  made  since  commencing  their  wedded 
life  iii  Scott  County. 

Mr.  Husband  owns  and  operates  203  acres  of 
prime  land  on  section  32,  in  Oxville  Precinct, 
township  15,  range  13.  He  was  born  in  this  pre- 
cinct, Aug.  14,  1843,  and  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools.  While  a  boy  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  and  has  since  been 
more  or  less  engaged  in  the  handling  of  tools,  al- 
though he  makes  farming  his  principal  business. 
He  purchased  lii.s  land  in  1871,  and  has  effected  all 
the  improvements  which  we  see  to-day.  The  resi- 
dence is  a  substantial  brick  structure,  forty-four 
feet  square,  the  woodwork  of  which  was  done 
mostly  by  Mr.  Husband.  The  land  is  watered  by 
Mauvaisterre  Creek,  and  with  its  well-kept  fences, 
groves  and  orchards,  presents  a  picture  delightful 
to  contemplate.  In  addition  to  the  raising  of 


wheat  and  corn,  our  subject  keeps  a  goodly  assort- 
ment of  live-stock — horses,  cattle  and  swine— and 
avails  himself  of  the  most  modern  and  improved 
machinery  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil. 

In  Scioto  County,  Ohio,  Oct.  9,  1871,  occurred 
the  marriage  of  our  subject  with  Miss  Eliza  John- 
son, the  daughter  of  J.  O.  and  Phebe  (Jeffords) 
Johnson,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  that  county.  Mr. 
Johnson  was  a  native  of  Scioto  County,  while  his 
estimable  wife  was  born  in  Warren  Count}',  Ohio, 
and  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  Jeffords,  also  of 
that  State.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Husband  spent  his 
last  years  in  Ohio,  and  died  in  August,  1883,  aged 
seventy-five  years,  five  months  and  five  days.  The 
mother  survived  her  husband  a  little  less  than  two 
years,  her  death  taking  place  in  November,  1885, 
when  she  was  sixty-eight  years  old.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eleven  children  (nine  of  whom  lived 
toyearsof  maturity),  viz:  Sarah  J.  (now  deceased), 
Mary  A.,  Isaac,  Rebecca,  Eliza,  Henry  J.  (deceased), 
Caroline,  Emily  F.,  Milton  (deceased),  Okaey  and 
W.  Gordon. 

Mrs.  Husband  was  born  in  Lucasville,  Scioto  Co. 
Ohio,  in  March,  1844.  Of  her  union  with  our  sub- 
ject there  are  two  children,  sons — Orrin  G.  and 
Orville  G.,  both  of  whom  remain  at  home  with 
their  parents.  Mr.  Husband,  politically,  is  a  de- 
cided Republican,  and  has  served  on  the  Grand 
and  Petit  juries.  A  man  quiet  and  unassuming  in 
demeanor,  he  lias,  notwithstanding,  exercised  a 
sensible  influence  in  his  community — an  influence 
which  has  been  uniformly  good. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  Judge  Robert 
Husband,  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England.  In 
early  manhood  he  followed  the  trade  of  a  carpen- 
ter, and  finally  became  a  builder  and  contractor  in 
York  and  Sheffield.  lie  came  to  America  in  1842. 
and  making  his  way  directly  to  Scott  County,  pur- 
chased land  in  Oxville  Precinct,  where  he  carried 
on  farming  and  carpentering  combined,  and  was 
prospered.  Later  he  engaged  as  a  live-stock  dealer, 
buying  and  feeding  extensively,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  the  owner  of  480  acres  of  land.  His 
decease  occurred  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six 
years.  After  becoming  a  voting  citizen,  he  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  later 
wheeled  over  into  the  ranks  of  the  Republicans, 


556 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


with  whom  he  remained  until  his  death.  He 
wielded  considerable  influence  in  the  politics  of 
his  party,  and  after  occupying  other  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility,  was  made  Associate  Judge 
of  the  County  Court,  which  office  he  held  during 
the  war.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Fanny  (Copley)  Hus- 
band, was  also  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England;  she 
was  born  in  1818,  came  to  America  with  her  hus- 
band, and  died  in  Oxville  Precinct  in  1862.  Their 
five  children  were  named  respectively,  with  the 
exception  of  one  who  died  in  infancy:  Charles  J., 
George  E.,  Mary  (deceased),  and  Ellen  E.,  who 
lives  in  Oxville  Precinct. 


ENNIS  O'DONNELL.     In  the  career   of 

ii  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  illustrated  that 
of  a  man  who  began  life  a  penniless  boy, 
and  who  through  his  own  industry  and  per- 
severance has  become  wealthy.  A  plain,  straight- 
forward, honorable  and  upright  citizen,  he  cares 
very  little  for  popularity  or  display,  but  there  are 
few  men  in  this  community  who  enjoy  in  a  greater 
degree  the  profound  respect  of  their  fellow-citizens. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  township  13, 
range  1 2,  and  is  the  brother  of  Patrick  O'Donnell 
who  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

The  opening  years  of  the  life  of  our  subject  were 
spent  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean  in  Count}'  Tipper- 
ary,  Ireland,  where  he  was  born  in  1833.  His  father, 
Patrick  O'Donnell,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
and  spent  his  entire  life  there,  dying  many  years 
ago.  In  1848  most  of  the  family  came  to  the 
United  States,  but  our  subject  and  his  two  young- 
est sisters  came  in  1849.  They  lived  in  New  Jer- 
sey until  1857,  and  in  the  spring  of  that  year  Den- 
nis came  to  this  county,  of  which  he  has  since  been 
a  resident,  and  continuously  engaged  in  farming 
pursuits. 

The  industry  and  perseverance  of  our  subject 
met  with  their  natural  result,  and  in  due  time  he 
considered  himself  justified  in  establishing  a  home 
of  his  own.  He  had  become  acquainted  with  one 
of  the  most  estimable  young  ladies  of  his  township, 
Miss  Elizabeth  O'Brien,  who  became  his  wife  in 
November,  1856,  and  they  commenced  the  journey 


of  life  together  in  a  manner  corresponding  with 
their  means  and  circumstances.  A  few  years  of 
mutual  labor  made  them  comparatively  indepen- 
dent in  the  possession  of  a  well-regulated  farm,  and 
all  the  other  comforts  of  life. 

Mrs.  O'Donnell  is  the  daughter  of  Patrick  O'Brien, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  who  spent  his  last  years  in 
Scott  County.  She  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  by  her 
union  with  our  subject  has  become  the  mother  of 
eleven  children,  ten  of  whom  are  living,  namety : 
Maria,  James,  William,  Edward,  Lizzie,  Frank,  Kate, 
Charlie,  John,  and  Thomas.  William  married  Miss 
Alice  Smothers,  and  remains  a  resident  of  this 
county ;  Frank  is  pursuing  his  studies  in  the  Nor- 
mal School  at  Valparaiso,  Incl.;  the  others  remain 
at  home  with  their  parents,  assisting  in  the  lighter 
labors  of  the  farm,  and  attending  school. 

Mr.  O'Donnell  is  the  owner  of  668  acres  of  laud 
all  in  this  county,  and  divided  up  into  four  farms, 
all  being  supplied  with  the  necessary  buildings. 
He  makes  a  specialty  of  graded  stock  in  which  in- 
dustry he  has  been  very  successful.  He  has  mixed 
very  little  in  public  affairs,  and  is  no  politician  or 
office-seeker.  He  has  a  natural  affection  for  the 
land  of  his  adoption,  and  is  thoroughly  in  sj-mpathy 
with  her  institutions.  He  usually  casts  his  vote 
with  the  Democratic  party,  and  with  his  family  be- 
longs to  the  Catholic  Church. 


—t- 


VTSAAC  D.  MCLAUGHLIN.  One  of  the  finest 
country  seats  in  Scott  County  has  been  built  up 
/ii  by  the  subject  of  this  notice,  who  is  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  township  14,  range  13.  His  career 
has  been  marked  by  honest  industry  and  that  strict 
devotion  to  principle  which  has  gained  him  the 
highest  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  is  one  of 
those  men  who  have  no  use  for  an  idler  and  who 
look  with  contempt  upon  a  mean  or  questionable 
act.  Walking  by  his  side  for,  lo,  these  many 
years,  and  encouraging  him  in  his  worthy  ambi- 
tions has  been  one  of  the  most  estimable  woman  of 
her  time — Mrs.  Amanda  (Sliibe)McLaughlin,  who 
has  in  all  respects  been  the  suitable  helpmate  and 
companion  of  such  a  man  as  her  husband.  Their 
mutual  efforts  resulted  in  the  accumulation  of  a  fine 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


4- 

557     '  • 


property,  at  one  time  embracing  262  acres  of  land. 
This,  however,  has  not  gone  out  of  the  family,  as 
Mr.  McLaughlin  has  deeded  considerable  of  it  to 
his  children,  being  himself  now  the  owner  of  140 
acres.  This  with  its  buildings  and  other  improve- 
ments forms  a  pleasant  and  valuable  homestead 
where  he  and  his  estimable  wife  may  spend  their 
declining  years  free  from  care  and  anxiety. 

Our  subject  was  born  about  ten  miles  from  Ports- 
mouth, Ohio,  Feb.  27.  1832,  but  was  brought  to 
Illinois  by  his  parents  when  an  infant  and  reared 
on  the  old  McLaughlin  homestead.  He  acquired 
such  education  as  the  schools  of  that  time  afforded, 
pursuing  his  studies  principally  in  the  winter  sea- 
son, and  as  soon  as  old  enough  began  making  him- 
self useful  around  the  farm,  rolling  logs,  burning 
brush,  cutting  grain  with  a  sickle  and  experiencing 
all  the  vicissitudes  of  life  on  the  frontier.  At  the 
same  time  those  days  were  not  unmixed  with 
pleasure  and  happiness — the  result  of  that  healthy 
mental  and  moral  training  which  was  given  him  by 
most  excellent  parents. 

When  not  quite  twenty  years  of  age,  only  weigh- 
ing 120  pounds,  and  with  a  capital  of  $1.50,  Isaac 
McLaughlin  was  married,  Sept.  11,  1851,  to  Miss 
Amanda  Shibe,  a  maiden  approaching  the  twentieth 
year  of  her  age.  They  had  grown  up  together 
from  childhood,  attending  the  same  school  and 
mingling  with  the  youth  of  their  neighborhood  in 
rural  pastimes  and  pleasures.  The  absence  of 
wealth  was  no  particular  drawback,  as  they  began 
their  wedded  life  because  they  were  strong  in  mu- 
tual affection  and  with  an  abundance  of  good 
health.  After  their  marriage  they  settled  on  sec- 
tion 1 4  and  Mr.  McLaughlin  occupied  himself  at 
farming.  Their  mutual  industry  met  with  its  legiti- 
mate reward  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  they 
found  themselves  in  a  good  position  financially  and 
have  since  been  uniformly  prosperous.  The  pres- 
ent residence  was  completed  in  the  fall  of  1872.  It 
is  a  substantial  two  story  structure,  the  main  part 
42x40  feet  in  dimensions,  with  a  wing.  It  is 
flanked  by  a  good  barn  and  other  outbuildings 
common  to  the  well-regulated  homestead.  There 
is  an  abundance  of  fruit  and  shade  trees  and  all 
other  embellishments  which  have  so  much  to  do 
with  the  happiness  and  comfort  of  the  household. 


Mr.  McLaughlin  during  the  last  fifteen  years  has 
spent  hundreds  of  dollars  in  improvements  and 
also  in  the  meantime  has  purchased  about  $10,000 
worth  of  land. 

To  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  there  were 
born  eight  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased, 
namely,  Jasper  who  died  in  1885  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine  years*  and  Daniel  Henry  who  died  when 
six  months  old.  Their  eldest  son,  John  William, 
married  Miss  Emma  J.  Gross,  and  is  the  father  of 
five  children — Laura  15.,  Edward  F.,  Isaac  E.,  Clara 
M.,  and  Edward  L.  Wealthy  E.  and  George  T. 
arc  at  home  with  their  parents;  Isaac  L.  married 
Miss  Olive  M.  Hoover,  and  they  have  one  child — 
Marietta;  Benjamin  F.  and  Isaiah  B.  are  attending 
school.  As  the  children  of  Mr.  McLaughlin 
become  of  age  he  gives  them  sixty  acres  of  land  and 
those  in  possession  of  their  property  are  doing  well 
and  bid  fair  to  reflect  honor  upon  their  parental 
training. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Daniel  and 
Elizabeth  (Utt)  McLaughlin,  the  father  a  native  of 
Hampshire  County,  Virginia.  He  emigrated  early 
in  life  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  married  and  prose- 
cuted farming  for  a  time,  then  coming  to  Illinois 
settled  in  that  part  of  Morgan  County  which  is 
now  Scott.  His  pioneer  experience  was  similar  to 
that  of  hundreds  of  others  during  which  time  he 
labored  and  waited  and  met  with  his  reward. 
Five  sons  and  three  daughters  gathered  around  the 
family  hearthstone,  seven  of  whom  were  born  in 
the  Buckeye  State.  There  are  now  only  two  liv- 
ing— John  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Mrs.  McLaughlin,  the  fifth  child  of  her  parents, 
was  born  Nov.  21,  1830,  in  township  14,  range  13, 
Scott  County,  where  her  father  settled  upon  coin- 
ing to  this  State.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Casper 
and  Margaret  (Lookingbee)  Shibe,  who  were  na- 
tives respectively  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  North 
Carolina,  and  were  of  Dutch  ancestry.  They 
removed  with  their  families  to  Indiana  early  in 
life  and  were  married  in  that  State.  Mr.  Shibe  in 
his  native  city  learned  the  trade  of  ship  carpenter, 
but  after  coming  to  the  West  engaged  in  farming. 
He  spent  his  last  years  in  Scott,  dying  in  1865  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  The  mother  sur- 
vived her  husband  until  1873,  and  passed  away  at 


558 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES 


t 


the  age  of  seventy-seven.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters  -of 
whom  there  are  living  one  son  and  four  daughters. 
'1  hese  are  mostly  living  in  Scott  County. 

Mr.  McLaughlin  is  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
intelligence  and  is  noted  for  his  liberality,  giving 
freely  of  his  means  for  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  schools  and  churches  and  encour- 
aging all  other  enterprises  tending  to  the  social  and 
moral  elevation  of  the  community.  He  has  made 
it  the  rule  of  his  life  to  live  within  his  income  and 
to  be  prompt  in  meeting  his  obligations.  He  is 
prominently  connected  witli  the  I.  O.  ().  F.  of  Win- 
chester, and  in  politics  is  an  uncompromising  Dem- 
ocrat. Mrs.  McLaughlin  has  been  a  member  in 
good  standing  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
for  the  long  period  of  thirty-five  years. 


J~  ACK8ON    CARPENTER,    a  retired    miller 
|    and  prominent  resident  of  Oxville,  has  been 
largely  identified  with  educational  matters  in 
Scott  County,  and  served  for  some  five  years 
as  County  Superintendent  of  Schools.     He  is  now 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  office  he  has  held  for 
a  long  period.    He  is  a  man  of  excellent  education, 
strong  constitution,  and  one  of  those  substantial 
members  of  the  community  which   form  the  bone 
and  sinew  of  the  social   fabric.     He  has  been  ac- 
companied for  a  long  distance  on  the  journey  of 
life  by   a  most  estimable  lady,  refined  and  intelli- 
gent, and  one   who   has  uniformly  been  the  sup- 
porter and   encourager  of  her  husband   in  all  his 
worthy  efforts. 

Mr.  Carpenter  has  met  with  his  reverses  like 
most  men,  and  at  one  time  lost  a  large  amount  of 
property,  but  is  mostly  recovered  from  the  dis- 
aster, and  now  occupies  a  pleasant  and  comfortable 
home  in  the  east  part  of  town,  with  everything 
around  him  to  make  life  desirable.  A  native  of 
Cass  County,  Mich.,  he  was  born  on  Christian 
Creek,  March  7,  1831,  and  is  the  son  of  David  B. 
Carpenter,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1794.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  the  Rev.  John  Carpenter,  of 
Virginia  removed  to  Indiana  during  its  pioneer 
days,  and  settling  in  Elkhart  County,  engaged  in 


farming  and  milling.  Finally  he  removed  to 
Goshen,  and  during  his  later  years  officiated  as  a 
local  preacher. 

The  paternal  great-grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  Nicholas  Carpenter,  a  native  of  Germany,  who 
emigrated  to  America  during  the  Colonial  days, 
settled  in  Virginia,  and  was  murdered  by  the  Indian 
Chief  Tecumseh,  while  driving  cattle  across  the 
mountains.  He  had  accumulated  a  good  property. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  German}',  but  removed 
to  England,  where  he  died.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  born  in  Ohio,  and  like  his  honored  sire, 
was  a  miller  by  trade.  He  left  the  Buckeye  State 
at  an  early  day,  and  journeyed  overland  to  Cass 
County,  Mich.,  where  he  took  up  Government  laud, 
built  a  mill,  and  operated  this  latter  until  his  re- 
moval to  Elkhart  County,  Ind. "  There  also  he  car- 
ried on  farming  and  milling,  and  became  well-to- 
do.  In  1856  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Scott 
County,  this  State,  locating  in  Oxville  Precinct, 
where  he  purchased  240  acres  of  land,  upon  which 
he  operated  until  1869.  Then,  pushing  still  fur- 
ther westward,  he  took  up  his  abode  near  Virgil 
City  Mo.,  where  he  farmed  for  a  time,  but  finally 
retired  from  active  labor.  He  lived  to  a  ripe  old 
age,  and  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  in  1886.  He 
was  a  man  of  iron  constitution  and  unbounded 
energy,  possessing  decided  views  both  upon  social 
and  political  questions.  In  politics,  he  was  a  con- 
scientious Democrat,  and  in  religious  matters,  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His 
mother  was  a  Miss  S.  Wolfe,  and  her  mother,  a  Miss 
Austin,  a  relative  of  Moses  Austin,  of  Texas. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Tongue)  Carpenter,  mother  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  John  Tongue,  who  removed  to 
St.  Joseph  County,  Ind.,  and  from  there  later  to  a 
point  near  Oscaloosa.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  of  Scotch  descent.  Mrs.  Carpenter  died 
in  Missouri  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  The 
parental  family  included  four  children,  all  of  whom 
are  living,  viz :  John  A.,  of  Crawford villc,  Ind.; 
Jackson,  our  subject;  Sarah,  of  Niles,  Mich.:  and 
Elizabeth,  of  Missouri. 

Mr.  Carpenter  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  at 
his  father's  farm  in  Indiana,  being  two  years  old 
when  taken  there  by  his  parents.  He  pursued  his 


4 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


559 


first  studies  in  the  district  school,  then  attended 
the  High  school  at  South  Bend  three  years,  and  was 
graduated.  Then,  returning  to  the  farm,  he  occupied 
himself  in  agriculture  and  milling,  with  which  latter 
business  he  has  been  especially  familiar  from  a 
boy  up.  In  1856  he  came  to  Illinois  overland  with 
a  team,  and  established  himself  in  the  dry-goods 
business  at  Oxville.  After  three  years  he  sold 
out,  and  erecting  a  large  steam  mill,  purchased 
grain,  which  he  ground  and  shipped  in  large  quan- 
tities to  St.  Louis  and  Chicago.  He  also  shipped 
grain  from  Naples,  and  was  exceedingly  prosper- 
ous until  the  financial  crash  of  1868,  which  proved 
very  disastrous  to  him,  as  well  as  to  hundreds  of 
others. 

Mr.  Carpenter  now  resumed  farming  in  Oxville 
Precinct,  and  became  quite  prominent  in  local 
affairs,  serving  in  many  positions  of  trust  and  res- 
ponsibility besides  those  already  mentioned.  On 
the  llth  of  November,  1858,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Frances  M.  Sherwood,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  the  daughter  of  Samuel  Sherwood,  of  Mary- 
land. Mr.  Sherwood  was  a  farmer  and  carpenter, 
and  removed  from  Indiana  to  Kentucky,  where  lie 
operated  a  large  tract  of  land  until  1843.  That 
year  he  came  to  Illinois  and  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  Oxville,  where  his  death  took  place  Jan.  8, 1845. 
He  was  the  son  of  John  Sherwood,  likewise  a  na- 
tive of  Maryland,  from  which  he  removed  to  Flem- 
ing County,  Ky.,  where  he  had  a  large  estate  and 
was  a  slave-holder.  Mrs.  Carpenter  was  one  of 
three  children  born  to  her  parents,  all  daughters, 
the  eldest  of  whom,  Rebecca  J.,  died  when  eighteen 
years  old;  the  younger  daughter,  Susan  B.,  is  a 
resident  of  Oxville,  and  now  Mrs.  John  K.  White. 

The  wife  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Clark  County, 
Ind.,  Feb.  24,  1841,  and  was  two  years  of  age  when 
her  parents  came  to  Illinois.  She  studied  her  first 
lessons  in  the  primitive  log  school-house,  and  com- 
pleted her  education  in  Oxville,  remaining  with 
her  parents  until  her  marriage.  Of  her  union  with 
our  subject  there  have  been  born  two  sons  only: 
John  A.,  who  formerly  taught  school,  and  is  now  a 
merchant  of  Oxville,  and  Eugene  S.  Our  subject  is 
a  Democrat,  politically,  and  has  held  the  offices  of 
Township  Trustee  and  County  Superintendent,  and 
also  served  on  the  Grand  and  Petit  Juries.  He  is 


one  of  those  solid  men  who  have  borne  no  unim- 
portant part  in  the  building  upof  their  community, 
and  has  given  his  moral  and  substantial  support  to 
all  measures  calculated  to  elevate  society  and 
benefit  the  people. 


FUNK,  late  of  Scott  County,  who  de- 
parted this  life  March  26,  1876,  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years,  was  one  of  those  men  who 
assisted  largely  in  the  development  of  its  resources. 
His  widow,  now  owns  a  pleasant  homestead  of  102 
acres,  adjoining  the  limits  of  Exeter.  She  makes 
her  home  in  the  village,  and  is  surrounded  by  all 
the  comforts  of  life.  She  is  held  in  high  esteem 
by  her  neighbors. 

Mrs.  Funk  was  born  near  Kingston,  in  Roane 
County,  Tennessee.  She  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm  and  remained  a  resident  of  her  native  county, 
living  with  her  parents  until  her  marriage  to  Mr. 
Funk  in  1831.  He  was  born  near  Strasburg,  Vaf, 
and  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Funk,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  America  at  an  early  day  and 
located  in  the  Old  Dominion  where  he  engaged  at 
farming  for  a  time,  but  later  moved  to  Tennessee. 
In  1831  he  again  changed  his  residence,  this  time 
coming  to  Illinois,  and  in  Scott  County  occupied 
himself  as  a  rope-maker.  He  died  in  1836  after 
having  readied  his  three-score  years  and  ten.  His 
wife,  Elizabeth  Cordelle,  was  also  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia; she  accompanied  her  husband  to  the  West 
and  died  in  Scott  County. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Funk  after  their  marriage  lived  on 
a  farm  in  township  15,  range  13,  until  1831,  and 
then  lookup  their  residence  in  township  15,  range 
13.  Here  Mr.  Funk  purchased  land  to  the  extent 
of  eighty  acres,  upon  which  he  effected  considera- 
ble improvement,  but  in  1855  sold  out  and  pur- 
chased the  homestead  where  he  lived  until  his  death 
and  which  finally  comprised  200  acres  of  land. 
After  this  event  Mrs.  Funk  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  farm  which  she  conducted  for  a  time 
then  sold  all  but  102  acres  which  is  now  operated 
by  her  son. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Funk  there  were  born  nine 
children,  five  dead  and  four  living:  The  two 


4 


560 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


eldest — Madison  and  Louis,  died  at  the  ages  of 
seventeen  and  fifty  years  respectively.  Henry  is 
fanning  in  Macon  County  111.,  and  Turner  in 
Missouri;  N.  Clark  operates  his  mother's  farm; 
Louis  during  the  civil  war  served  in  the  129th 
Illinois  Infantry  from  1862  until  the  fall  of 
the  close,  and  is  now  dead.  Mary,  now  Mrs. 
Black,  lives  in  Scott  County  III.  Norris  Clark 
Funk  was  born  and  reared  upon  his  father's  home- 
stead, a  part  of  which  he  now  occupies,  and  com- 
pleted his  education  in  the  High  School  at  Win- 
chester. Subsequently  for  several  winters  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching.  He  was  first  married,  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1879,  to  Miss  Elma  Berry,  who  died  May 
12,  1881.  His  present  wife,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried October  8,  1884,  was  Miss  Ada  F.  Holliday,  a 
native  of  this  county ;  they  have  two  children — 
DcMonte  and  Otto.  Mr.  N.  C.  Funk  is  Secretary 
of  the  Anti-Horse  Thief  Association,  of  Exeter 
and  leader  of  the  Exeter  Band,  which  was  organ- 
i/iwl  in  1872.  Mrs.  Funk  has  clear  and  decided 
views  in  regard  to  political  matters  and  defends 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  Religiously 
she  is  a  member  of  good  standing  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  Mention  is  made  of  her  parents  in  the 
sketch  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Milly  Funk,  which  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work. 


\RTIN  E.  RATIGAN,  late  a  prominent 
resident  of  Scott  county,  well-to-do,  and  a 
man  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence, 
constructed  a  good  homestead  from  140 
acres  of  land  on  section  26,  township  15,  range  13, 
and  this  is  now  occupied  by  his  widow,  Mrs.  Annie 
M.  Ratigan,  who  was  left  a  competence  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  comforts  of  life.  She  is  a  very 
intelligent  lady  and  looked  up  to  in  her  community. 
Mr.  Ratigan  was  born  in  Fermoyle,  Lanesboro 
County  Longbord,  Ireland,  Nov.  3,  1827,  and  was  a 
son  of  John  Ratigan,  a  native  of  Ireland  and  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  Our  subject  was  reared  in 
his  native  country  and  when  approaching  man- 
hood occupied  himself  as  a  farmer  until  coming  to 
America,  in  1851.  He  located  first  at  Exeter,  this 
County,  and  engaged  in  coal  mining,  prospecting 


for  himself  and  shipping  to  different  points,  and 
accumulated  a  fortune.  In  1863  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  where  in  connection  with 
mining  he  carried  on  farming  and  later  added  to 
his  landed  estate  by  the  purchase  of  another  eighty 
acres  adjoining  and  which  constitutes  the  present 
homestead.  Much  labor  and  time  was  involved  in 
bringing  the  land  to  a  state  of  cultivation,  but  it 
responded  generously  to  the  hand  of  the  husband - 
man  and  is  now  verv  fertile,  being  watered  by 

tf  o  J 

Mauvaisterre  Creek.  Mr.  Ratigan  planted  an 
abundance  of  fruit  trees  and  a  fine  stretch  of  native 
timber  adds  to  the  value  of  the  property.  The 
commodious  residence  was  erected  by  him,  while 
the  barn  and  other  buildings  are  amply  adapted  to 
all  the  requirements  of  the  modern  agriculturist. 
Mr.  Ratigan  departed  this  life  Oct.  29,  1887.  Po- 
litically, he  was  a  Greenbacker,  and  he  exerted 
considerable  influence  in  the  councils  of  his  party 
in  this  section. 

Mrs.  Ratigan  since  the  death  of  her  husband  has 
managed  the  farm  with  rare  good  judgment  and 
maintained  its  oldtime  reputation;  she  is  the  moth- 
er of  eight  children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Minnie, 
died  at  the  age  of  two  and  a  half  years.  The  sur- 
vivors are  Harry,  George,  Lucy,  John  F.,  William 
C..  Daniel  F.,  and  Martha  E.,  and  they  are  all  at 
home  with  their  mother.  Mrs.  Ratigau  has  been  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  G.  T.,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Church  at  Bluffs.  She  has  decided  ideas 
concerning  politics  and  is  in  favor  of  Democracy. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Ratigan  were  Michael  and 
Kate  (Beecham)  Deegan.  natives  of  Count3f  (Queens, 
Ireland.  Her  paternal  grandfather,  Richard  Dee- 
gan, was  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  sportsman,  keep- 
ing his  horses  and  hounds,  and  frequently  hunting 
in  the  forest.  He  was  a  Lieutenant  in  the  English 
army  for  six  years  and  the  family  in  those  days  had 
their  coat-of-arms.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Ratigan  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  in  County  (Queens  during 
his  younger  years.  After  emigrating  to  America 
he  established  himself  in  the  hardware  trade  at 
Rome,  N.  Y.,  but  later  came  to  Illinois  and  en- 
gaged in  hotel  keeping  near  Exeter,  Scott  County. 
He  died  in  Peoria.  He  was  a  Democrat,  politi- 
cally, and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Ratigan  was  aiso  a  native  of 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


5fil 


County  Queens,  Ireland.  She  died  in  Rome,  N. 
Y.;  she  was  the  daughter  of  Captain  Henry  B. 
Beecham,  who,  like  his  compeer,  Grandfather  Dee- 
gan,  loved  his  horses  and  hounds  and  was  a  sports- 
man. To  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Ratigan  there  were 
born  six  children.  Her  sister.  Eliza.  Mrs.  Sims, 
lives  in  Peoria,  this  State:  Katie,  Mrs.  McLaugh- 
lin,  is  a  resident  of  Pekin;  Mary,  Mrs.  Eaves,  lives 
in  Milton,  Pike  County  ;Gretta,  Mrs.  Berkenmeyer, 
lives  near  -Naples;  Annie,  Mrs.  R.,  was  the  next 
youngest  born. 

Mrs.  Ratigan  was  born  near  Drununond.  in 
County  Queens,  Ireland,  May  4,  1844,  and  was  a 
mere  child  when  she  was  brought  by  her  parents  to 
America.  They  made  the  voyage  on  a  sailing  ves- 
sel, embarking  at  Liverpool  and  landing  in  New 
York  City.  She  grew  to  womanhood  in  Scott 
County,  receiving  a  common-school  education  and 
was  married  in  Peoria,  March  4,  1862  to  Mr. 
Ratigan. 


JEREMIAH  C.  .BUCHANAN,  President  of 
the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Scott  County 
,  and  a  man  prominent  in  his  township,  has 
1  built  up  for  himself  a  good  record  as  a  citi- 
zen and  has  been  by  occupation,  principally  a  far- 
mer. He  represents  property  to  the  amount  of 
135  acres  of  choice  land  on  section  7,  township  15, 
range  13,  where  has  has  a  neat  and  well-appointed 
dwelling,  with  very  pleasant  surroundings,  a  good 
barn,  an  orchard,  and  a  grove,  and  the  fields  largely 
enclosed  with  hedge  fencing.  The  whole  makes  a 
very  pleasant  picture  in  the  landscape  and  invari- 
ably attracts  the  attention  of  the  passing  traveler. 
II  illustrates  in  a  marked  degree  the  results  of  indus- 
try and  cutivated  tastes,  and  the  man  who  thus  re- 
deems a  portion  of  the  primitive  soil  from  its  orig- 
inal vvildness,  has  borne  no  unimportant  part  in  the 
development  of  his  county. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  born,  Sept.  13,  1832.  He 
grew  up  amid  the  quiet  pursuits  of  rural  life,  at- 
tending the  common  school  in  a  log  school  house, 
and  at  the  early  age  of  eighteen  years  on  account 
of  the  death  of  his  father,  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  place.  His  life  passed  in  an  unevent- 
ful manner  until  1853,  when  he  set  out  for  Cali- 


fornia. He  arrived  at  his  destination  after  six 
months  and  thirteen  days,  and  then  engaged  in 
making  posts  and  shingles  in  Tuolumne  County, 
for  one  year.  Afterward  he  occupied  himself  as  a 
teamster  until  the  spring  of  1855.  He  then  started 
homeward  by  the  Panama  route  and  in  due  time 
arrived  in  Scott  County  and  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  the  present  homestead.  Here  he  has  made  all 
the  improvements  and  in  due  time  added  fifty-five 
acres,  nearly  the  whole  of  which  he>has  brought 
to  a  state  of  cultivation,  and  which  is  watered  by 
the  Mauvaisterre  Creek.  He  has  good  fences,  a 
grove  and  an  orchard,  and  in  addition  to  general 
farming  makes  a  specialty  of  blooded  Short-horn 
cattle  and  Poland-China  swine.  He  usually  keeps 
about  ten  head  of  horses  and  uses  three  teams 
about  the  farm. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  life  of 
our  subject  was  his  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Creal 
which  took  place  in  Exeter,  Scott  County,  1857. 
Mrs.  Buchanan  was  born  in  Green  County,  Ky., 
1842,  and  of  her  union  with  our  subject  there 
are  seven  children,  namely:  Thomas,  Jeremiah, 
Lucian,  Virgil,  Clayton,  Maggie  and  Florence. 
Jeremiah  and  Clayton  are  carrying  on  a  barber 
shop  at  Orange,  Texas;  the  other  children  are  at 
home  witii  their  parents.  Mr.  Buchanan  was  elec- 
ted to  his  present  office  on  the  Democratic  ticket 
in  the  fall  of  1886.  Prior  to  this  he  had  served  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  a  period  of  nineteen  years, 
and  most  of  this  time  has  been  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  of  his  district.  He  has  also  officiated 
as  Road  Supervisor  and  on  the  Grand  and  Petit  ju- 
ries. He  wields  considerable  influence  in  party 
politics,  and  socially,  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity at  Exeter. 

Jeremiah  Buchanan,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  as  likewise  wns  the  pa- 
ternal grandfather.  The  latter  served  in  the  War 
of  1812.  Jeremiah  Buchanan  came  to  Illinois 
during  the  twenties,  and  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers to  enter  land  in  township  15,  range  13.  He 
secured  eighty  acres  where  he  engaged  in  farming, 
and  in  the  meantime  had  a  hand  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War.  He  died  of  cholera  in  1833.  The  mother, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Coonrod)  Buchanan,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  and  passed  away  after  the  decease  of  her 


f 


'562 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


t 


husband.  Grandfather  Coonrod  was  a  native  of 
Germany  and  upon  his  emigration  to  America, 
located  in  Virginia,  but  later  removed  to  Ohio  and 
finally  came  to  Scott  County,  locating  in  township 
15,  range  13,  north  of  the  bluffs.  There  he  car- 
ried on  farming  until  his  death.  The  mother  of 
our  subject,  remained  at  the  old  homestead  until 
her  death  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  The 
parental  household  included  five  children — Sally  A. 
Isabelle,  Ellen;  Jeremiah  C.,  our  subject,  and 
.lames  M.  Jeremiah  C.,  is  the  only  survivor  of 
the  family.  James  M.  during  the  Civil  War  s  rved 
as  a  soldier  about  one  year,  and  was  then  obliged  to 
return  home  where  he  died  three  days  later. 


•**•*« 


AMES  W.  REEDER  is  the  son  of  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Scott  County,  who  bore 
an  honorable  part  in  its  early  development, 
and  whose  name  is  still  held  in  reverence  as 
that  of  a  sturdy,  enterprising  pioneer,  who  led  a 
useful,  active  life,  guided  by  upright  principles. 
The  son  of  whom  we  write  is  a  worthy  descendant 
of  such  a  sire,  and  is  an  invaluable  citizen  of  Win- 
chester Precinct,  where  the  most  of  his  life  has 
been  passed  as  boy  and  man,  and  with  whose  agri- 
cultural interests  he  has  been  identified  many  years 
as  a  prosperous,  practical  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  a 
successful  stock- raiser.  He  owns  253  acres  of  land 
of  exceeding  fertility,  well  adapted  to  general  hus- 
bandry, all  lying  in  a  body,  amply  supplied  with 
good  buildings  and  well  stocked  with  standard 
Short-horn  cattle  and  Norman  horses  of  high 
grade. 

Mr.  Reeder's  parents,  Amos  and  Nancy  (Pratt) 
Reeder,  were  of  Southern  birth,  natives  respectively, 
of  South  Carolina  and  Virginia.  An  incident  con- 
nected with  the  migration  of  his  mother's  family 
from  the  old  home  in  Virginia  to  the  wilds  of  Ken- 
tucky, when  she  was  but  five  years  old,  well  illus- 
trates the  clangers  that  the  hardy,  courageous  pio- 
neers of  those  days  had  to  undergo  in  passing  from 
one  part  of  the  country  to  another.  The  family 
were  drifting  down  the  Ohio  River  to  their  destina- 
tion in  an  old-fashioned  horse  boat,and  in  passing  the 
place  where  Louisville  now  stands  an  island  divided 


the  river  into  two  channels,  one  straight  and  nar- 
row, the  other  wider  but  more  roundabout.  The 
boat  took  the  former  course,  and  when  it  had  fairly 
got  into  it  the  Indians  on  the  shore  began  firing  at 
it,  and  among  those  killed  was  Mrs.  Reeder's 
mother,  who  was  lying  ill  at  the  time.  The  par- 
ents of  our  subject  were  married  in  Kentucky,  and 
continued  to  live  there  several  years  thereafter. 
Hut  at  last,  impelled  by  the  pioneer  spirit  of  their 
ancestors,  they  resolved  like  them  to  seek  a  newer 
country,  and  in  1819  came  to  Illinois,  which  but  a 
few  months  before  had  been  admitted  into  the 
Union  as  the  twenty-first  State.  They  first  took  up 
their  abode  in  Madison  Count}',  but  four  and  one- 
half  j'ears  later,  in  1824,  came  to  Scott  County, 
and  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  few  pioneers  that  had 
proceeded  them  to  this  part  of  the  State.  Mr. 
Reeder  bought  a  tract  of  land,  a  part  of  which  is 
now  included  in  his  son's  homestead,  paid  for  the 
improvements  that  had  been  made  on  it  and  en- 
tered it  from  the  Government.  Years  of  toil  and 
hardship  followed  before  he  could  get  his  land 
under  cultivation  and  complete  the  necessary  im- 
provements. In  this  then  sparsely  settled  region 
he  and  his  family  were  obliged  to  forego  man}-  of 
the  comforts  of  civilization  that  now  seem  indi- 
spensable, and  they  experienced  many  trials  inci- 
dental to  pioneer  life.  Settlements  were  few  and 
scattering,  markets  were  far  distant  and  they  had 
to  go  way  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  to  mill.  Mr.  Reeder's 
hard  labors  did  not  go  unrewarded,  and  in  course 
of  time  he  had  developed  a  good  farm  from  the 
wilderness.  Jan.  8,  1831,  his  household  was  bereft 
of  the  patient,  devoted  wife  and  mother,  and  in 
1848  he  too  passed  to  the  life  beyond.  Seven 
children  had  blessed  their  wedded  life,  four  sons 
and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  have  gone  the 
way  of  all  mortality,  except  our  subject.  The  two 
older  sons,  John  M.  and  Abisha,  took  an  active 
part  in  the  Black  Hawk  War. 

James  W.,  of  this  biographical  review,  was  born 
June  30,  1810,  in  Christian  Count}-,  Ky.,  and  wns 
about  three  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  the  Prairie  State.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  primitive  pioneer  schools,  which 
were  of  a  very  poor  order,  which  he  attended 
three  months  each  year,  when  between  the  «<*es  ^ 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


563" 


of  eight  and  eighteen.  He  continued  to  live  on 
the  old  homestead  after  he  attained  his  majority, 
his  father  hiring  him  by  the  year  to  assist  in  its 
management,  and  ultimately  giving  him  an  eighty 
acre  tract  of  land,  of  which  only  ten  acres  were  fit 
for  cultivation.  Our  subject  commenced  the  im- 
provement of  his  land,  and  also  worked  a  part  of 
his  father's  place  on  shares,  continuing  thus  until 
February,  1849.  In  that  month  he  married  and 
established  a  home  of  his  own,  Miss  Elizabeth, 
eldest  daughter  of  Reuben  Howard,  of  Scott 
County,  becoming  his  wife.  But  four  years  was 
granted  to  them  to  walk  the  path  of  life  together 
in  happiness  and  peace,  and  then  the  young  wife 
and  mother  folded  her  hands  in  death,  and  passed 
to  the  great  beyond,  leaving  a  precious  memory  of 
a  sweet,  pure  womanhood  that  is  still  fondly  cher- 
ished in  the  heart  of  him  who  knew  best  all  her 
worth  and  goodness. 

'•Somewhere,  yet,  in  the  hilltops 
Of  the  country  that  hath  no  pain, 

She  will  watch  in  her  beautiful  doorway 
To  bid  him  welcome  again." 

Two  children  blessed  the  marriage  of  our  sub- 
ject, one  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Giles.  The  lat- 
ter was  born  Oct.  19,  1849,  and  was  reared  to  a 
stalwart,  self-reliant  manhood  on  his  father's  home- 
stead, and  is  now  numbered  among  the  most  intel- 
ligent and  progressive  citizens  of  his  native  pre- 
cinct. He  possesses  in  a  full  degree  those  sterling 
qualities  of  head  and  heart  that  command  the  con- 
fidence and  win  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
associates.  His  reading  is  extensive,  he  being  a 
lover  of  good  books,  and  is  well  informed  on  all 
subjects  of  general  interest.  March  16,  1873,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jane  Packard, 
daughter  of  'Squire  Charles  Packard,  of  Lynnville, 
Morgan  County  They  have  three  children,  of 
whom  the  following  is  the  record:  Emma  May  was 
born  April  30,  1876;  Charles  Russel,  April  24, 
1881;  James  Ray,  Aug.  20,  1883.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  lleeder  are  members  in  good  standing  of  the 
regular  Baptist  Church. 

Mr.  lleeder,  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
has  been  prospered  and  has  accumulated  a  com- 
fortable property  wherewith  he  is  content,  not 
striving  after  great  riches.  He  is  a  man  of  strong 


common  sense,  and  in  all  his  transactions  he  con- 
ducts himself  with  the  same  honor  and  probity  that 
long  ago  gained  him  the  trust  of  his  fellow-citizens 
among  whom  so  many  years  of  his  life  have  been 
passed,  and  in  whose  hearts  he  holds  a  warm  place. 
He  is  a  sincere  Christian,  and  for  thirty  years  has 
been  a  leading  member  of  the  regular  Baptist 
Church,  of  which  he  is  a  Deacon.  He  has  been 
Road  Overseer  of  the  precinct,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  politics,  always  voting  for  the  Democratic 
nominee,  except  in  local  elections,  and  his  first  vote 
was  cast  for  Martin  VanBuren. 


J~j  AMES  D.  HENRY,  who  is  residing  on  sec- 
!    tion  17,  township  13,  range  9,  was  born  in 
I    Morgan  County,  Nov.  6,  1840,  and  here  has 
'    spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life.     He  ac- 
quired a  common  school  education  and  at  an  early 
age  became  familiar  with  farm  pursuits.     He  is  the 
son  of  Greenup  C.  Henry,  who  was  born  in  Bour- 
bon  County,  Kentucky,  July  30,  1808  and  who  is 
the  son   of  a  native  Tennesseean,  who  removed  to 
the  Blue  Grass  State  at  an  early  day. 

Mrs.  Eleanor  (Prather)  Henry,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1812.  After 
their  marriage  the  parents  emigrated  to  Indiana 
and  in  a  short  time  came  to  Morgan  County  and 
located  on  a  tract  of  wild  land  from  which  they 
built  up  a  farm.  There  were  born  to  them  ten 
children,  five  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  William, 
John,  Mary  Ann,  Rachel  and  James  D.  The  father 
is  still  living  at  the  old  farm  and  surrounded  by 
all  the  comforts  of  life.  James  D.,  our  subject, 
after  reaching  man's  estate  was  married  to  Miss 
Margaret  McCurley,  whose  parents  came  from 
Alabama.  Of  this  union  there  were  born  oi»ht 
children,  namely:  George  E.,  William,  Peyton, 
Gussie,  Carrie,  Gertude,  p]va  and  Ernest.  They 
are  all  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

On  the  13th  of  August,  1862,  our  subject  en- 
listed in  the  Union  Army,  Company  F,  101st  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  under  command  of  Col.  Fox  and 
Capt.  George  Fanning.  He  participated  in  many 
of  the  important  battles  of  the  war,  acquitting 
himself  as  a  brave  and  faithful  soldier  and  at  the 


f 


564 


MORGAN   AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


close  in  1865,  without  having  received  any  serious 
injury,  was  honorably  discharged.  He  at  once  re- 
turned home  and  resumed  the  farm  pursuits  to 
which  he  had  been  bred  from  boyhood.  He  is  now 
the  owner  of  373  acres  of  land,  thoroughly  culti- 
vated and  improved  with  good  buildings.  Mrs. 
Henry  is  the  owner  of  forty  acres  under  a  good 
state  of  cultivation.  The  land  is  devoted  largely 
to  live  stock,  cattle,  horses  and  swine,  to  which  is 
fed  a  large  proportion  of  the  grain  produced  upon 
the  farm.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  and  two  of  their 
children  are  members  in  good  standing  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church.  Politically  Mr.  Henry  is  a  Prohibi- 
tionist. 


ON.  JOE  D.  SAWYERS,  M.  D.,  a  graduate 
of  three  different  medical  colleges,  occupies 
the  position  of  a  leading  practitioner  of 
medicine  and  surgery  in  Scott  County, 
where  he  commands  a  fine  patronage,  and  has  fully 
established  himself  in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
the  people.  He  has  been  a  close  student  and  an 
extensive  reader,  and  has  traveled  a  great  deal 
through  the  Western  States  and  Territories.  Since 
choosing  his  profession  it  has  been  his  aim  to  excel 
therein,  and  he  has  reason  to  be  proud  of  what  he 
has  been  enabled  to  accomplish  in  this  direction. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  of  the  first  water, 
and  was  elected  to  the  Illinois  Legislature  in  the 
fall  of  1887,  in  which  he  served  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 

Dr.  Sawyers  was  born  April  10,  1851,  at  his 
father's  homestead  near  the  bluffs  in  Oxville  Pre- 
cinct, and  remained  on  the  farm  until  a  lad  of  Qftcon 
years.  The  next  three  years  he  was  in  the  West, 
and  in  1 869  set  out  for  Prescott,  Arizona  Territory, 
where  he  engaged  in  teaming  and  mining  in  different 
parts  of  the  Territory,  and  traveled  through  the  two 
Mexicos  and  both  in  Upper  and  Lower  California, 
being  most  of  the  time  with  wagon  trains  and  on 
horseback.  He  also  visited  Texas  and  Colorado, 
and  had  some  experience  with  hostile  Indians,  who 
at  one  time  killed  a  number  of  men  of  his  train. 
He  journeyed  through  Idaho,  Montana,  Dakota, 
Washington  and  Oregon;  was  in  the  Black  Hills 
and  Central  City  gold  mines;  indeed  has  been  in 


every  State  and  Territory  west  of  the  Mississippi 
with  the  exception  of  Arkansas. 

Dr.  Sawyers  in  the  fall  of  1872  returned  to  Ox- 
ville and  attended  school  two  winters.  Afterward 
he  worked  on  the  farm  and  employed  his  leisure 
time  in  studying  medicine,  for  which  he  always  had 
a  great  liking.  The  year  following  he  entered  Ben- 
nett Medical  College  at  Chicago,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1875,  witli  the  honors 
of  his  class.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Oxville,  where  he  remained  until  1881  and  then 
resumed  his  studies  in  a  medical  college  at  St. 

O 

Louis,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  honor  in 
the  class  of  1882.  He  then  resumed  practice  in 
Oxville  until  the  year  following,  when  he  repaired 
to  Cincinnati  and  practiced  there  for  a  time,  finally 
returning  to  his  native  place. 

Dr.  Sawyers  now  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
operating  a  farm  of  130  acres  in  connection  with 
his  father's  homestead.  In  the  meantime  he  kept 
himself  well  posted  upon  the  political  affairs  of  the 
country,  and  in  the  spring  of  1886  was  made  the 
candidate  of  the  Democratic  party  in  this  county 
for  the  State  Legislature.  He  was  elected  by  a  large 
majority,  and  after  repairing  to  the  capital  served 
on  various  committees,  namely:  State  Institutions, 
Soldiers'  Home,  and  License,  and  introduced  many 
useful  measures  which  were  adopted  by  his  col- 
leagues. 


/^ILLIAM  CHANCE,  a  highly  successful 
farmer  of  Scott  County,  is  a  native  of  Del- 
aware, and  was  born  in  1819.  Ilis  father, 
Thomas  Chance,  was  born  in  Delaware,  where  he 
prosecuted  the  business  of  farming.  He  removed 
in  an  early  day  from  Delaware  to  Ohio,  and  four 
years  later  settled  in  Illinois  in  1830  in  Naples 
Precinct,  where  he  entered  sixty  acres  of  land.  He 
was  also  a  participant  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and 
resided  in  Bluffs  Precinct  until  his  death.  The 
mother  of  William  was  Frances  Anderson,  also  a 
native  of  Delaware. 

William  Chance  received  his  early  impressions 
on  a  farm,  and  like  the  majority  of  the  pioneers  of 
a  new  country  secured  his  education  amid  difficul- 
ties. The  deep  snows  of  the  winter  did  not  deter 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


565    t  * 


these  early  settlers  from  walking  miles  to  school. 
The  conditions  of  gaining  book  knowledge  in  those 
days  were  widely  different  from  the  modern  meth- 
ods. He  came  West  with  his  father,  driving  a  team 
the  entire  distance  which  separates  Ohio  from  III- 
nois.  He  was  obedient  to  his  father's  wishes  and 
remained  on  the  farm  aiding  him  until  1847,  when 
he  purchased  land  of  John  Morrison,  on  the  river 
bottoms.  This  place  contained  eighty  acres,  which 
he  continued  to  improve  for  about  six  years  when 
he  bought  his  present  place  of  about  a  quarter-sec- 
tion of  splendid  land.  He  has  improved  his  farm 
until  it  is  now  a  complete  place,  and  altogether  he 
operates  329  acres  of  land.  His  house  is  finely 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  a  prosperous  farmer,  and 
he  owns  barns  and  sheds  enough  to  make  his  stock 
comfortable.  His  farm  contains  all  the  elements 
for  successful  husbandry.  In  an  early  day  lie 
planted  orchards  of  apples  and  peaches.  He  also 
has  an  abundance  of  small  fruit,  a  fine  vineyard  and 
everything  of  that  kind  that  would  conduce  to  the 
comfort  and  prosperity  of  himself  and  family.  lie 
is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  raises  good 
horses  and  cattle.  He  also  has  a  dairy  in  connec- 
tion with  his  farm. 

Mr.  Chance  was  twice  married.  In  1848  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Ellen  Adams,  a  native  of  Ohio.  She  died 
in  Scott  County,  leaving  two  children,  Charles  and 
Emma,  the  latter  being  deceased.  His  second  mar- 
riage was  witli  Mrs.  Annie  Oaks,  Nov.  2,  1855. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  Green.  Mrs. 
Chance  is  a  native  of  Bluffs,  and  was  born  Oct.  14, 
1830.  She  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
the  day,  remaining  at  home  until  her  first  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  1851  to  Mr.  John  W.  Oaks,  a 
native  of  Ohio.  lie  came  to  Illinois  when  he  wits 
twenty-one  years  old  and  purchased  a  farm  con- 
taining 400  acres,  which  he  improved  and  operated 
until  his  death  in  1853.  His  widow  rented  out  the 
farm,  but  resided  there  until  her  second  marriage. 
15y  her  first  husband  she  was  the  mother  of  one 
child,  Margaret,  the  wife  of  Curtis  Unger,  a  farmer 
of  Naples;  By  her  second  husband  she  had  one 
child,  Henrietta,  who  is  now  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Chance  is  an  old  resident  of  Scott  County, 
and  it  is  said  that,  obeying  the  injunction  of  his 
father,  he  has  never  entered  a  saloon,  nor  has  he 


ever  drank  a  drop  of  intoxicating  liquor.  The 
family  is  a  very  hospitable  one,  have  a  nice  home 
and  everything  comfortable  around  them.  Politi- 
cally, Mr.  Chance  votes  the  straight  Republican 
ticket,  and  has  served  for  years  as  School  Director 
and  Superintendent  of  Roads.  Both  husband  and 
wife  are  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  of  which  organization  Mr.  Chance  is  a 
Trustee. 


EZEKIAH  EVANS,  a  veteran  of  the  late 
war,  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ky.,  June 
12,  1827.  His  father,  Daniel  Evans,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  came  to  Morgan 
County  in  1829  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  govern- 
ment land  about  one-half  mile  from  the  present 
limits  of  the  city  of  Winchester,  Scott  County. 

The  hardships,  privations  and  trials  of  a  typical 
pioneer  were  undergone  by  the  elder  Evans,  and 
little  did  he  know  that  a  mighty  empire  was  to 
spring  up  where  was  then  virgin  prairie.  But  he, 
in  common  with  all  other  brave  pioneers,  builded 
better  than  he  knew.  Posterity  will  not  likely  re- 
call what  these  people  did  for  the  advancement  of 
this  great  countiy,  but  the  fact  nevertheless  remains 
that  the  march  of  civilization  owes  its  progress 
to  these  old  heroes,  and  it  is  meet  that  their  names 
should  be  embalmed  in  history.  From  Winches- 
ter, in  1853,  the  father,  Daniel  Evans,  removed  to 
Iowa,  and  from  there,  a  year  later,  to  Missouri, 
where  he  lived  until  the  outbreak  of  the  late  war. 
During  the  Rebellion  he  lived  in  Winchester, 
thence  returned  to  Missouri,  and  atKirksville,  that 
State,  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  in 
1874  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 

Ilezekiah  was  the  second  of  seven  sons.  In  1852 
Ilezekiah  Evans  went  to  California  overland,  and 
remained  there  one  year,  returning  to  Illinois  via 
the  Isthmus  and  New  York.  In  1855  he  engaged 
in  the  livery  business,  and  in  March  1863,  enlisted 
at  Winchester  as  a  private  soldier  in  Company  F, 
33d  Illinois  Infantry,  and  served  until  mustered 
out  by  reason  of  the  close  Of  the  war  in  Nov.  1865. 
Leaving  the  army  he  returned  to  Winchester,  and 
has  here  continued  to  prosecute  his  old  calling, 
that  of  the  livery  business  —  in  which  lie  has  been 


f 


f 


566 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


very  successful — up  to  the  present  time.  He  has 
been  five  times  elected  alderman,  a  fact  which  fully 
illustrates  his  popularity  and  fitness  for  the  office, 
and  is  now  representing  the  second  ward  in  the 
City  Council.  lie  has  always  been  an  active  and 
aggressive  Democratic  worker  and  possesses  the 
fullest  confidence  of  his  party,  while  his  election 
to  the  position  of  Post  Commander  of  the  G.  A.  It. 
at  this  place,  attests  alike  his  fidelity,  patriotism  and 
good  citizenship. 

Mr.  Evans  was  married  in  this  county  in  1849 
to  Miss  Harriet  Clay  well,  who  has  borne  him  eight- 
children,  four  of  whom  are  dead.  The  living  are: 
Hezekiah  Jr.,  now  in  St.  Louis;  Laura  (Mrs. 
Frank  Morgan)  of  St.  Louis;  Charles,  who  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  the  livery  business,  and 
William.  The  list  of  the  deceased  is  as  follows: 
James  died  in  1849,  aged  four  months;  Charles 
died  in  1854,  aged  two  years;  Minnie  died  in  1S67, 
aged  eighteen  months;  Ollie  died  in  1888,  aged 
thirty-three  years;  and  Hattie  died  in  1872,  aged 
fifteen  months.  In  addition  to  their  own  children 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  have  reared  eleven  orphans, 
which  fact  fully  attests  the  kind-heartedness  of  this 
couple. 


;V.  WILLIAM  SUMMERFIELD  CLARK. 
The  earlier  years  of  the  subject  of  this  no- 
tice indicated  that  his  life  would  be  spent 

I  largely  in  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  but  an  inscrutable  Providence, 
seemed  to  direct  otherwise,  and  on  account  of 
failing  health  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  a  work 
which  lay  very  near  his  heart.  Then  turning  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  as  the  best  means 
of  building  up  a  constitution  never  extremely  ro- 
bust, he  established  himself  on  section  24,  township 
13,  range  12,  Scott  County,  where  he  has  developed 
a  fine  farm  and  is  living  amidst  the  quiet  enjoyment 
of  rural  life.  Not  far  from  this  property  is  his 
father's  old  homestead,  where  he  was  born  Oct. 
22,  1837. 

Edward  J.  Clark,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Washington  County,  West  Virginia, 
whence  he  migrated  to  this  region  as  early  as  1834 
and  took  up  a  tract  of  land  in  Manchester  Precinct 


from  which  lie  removed  in  1837  to  that  which  now 
constitutes  the  old  homestead.  There  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  passing  away  Jan.  30, 
1889.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Sarah  (Smith)  Clark,  was 
also  a  native  of  Washington  County,  in  the  Old 
Dominion,  and  the  parental  household  included 
seven  children,  viz:  Mary  C.,  now  Mrs.  Peter 
Clark;  William,  our  subject;  Margaret,  Mrs.  Van 
Tyle;  Virginia,  Mrs.  Hughes;  Lucintha,  Isabelle 
and  Lizzie,  Mrs.  Smith. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  pursued  his  first 
studies  at  the  old-fashioned  school-house  in  his 
native  township  and  embraced  every  opportunity 
for  the  acquisition  of  useful  knowledge.  He  was  a 
quiet  and  serious  youth  and  identified  himself  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  the  early  age 
of  eighteen  years.  Eleven  years  later,  in  1866,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Con- 
ference and  labored  as  an  itinerant  for  a  period 
of  thirteen  years.  He  was  then  superannuated  and. 
greatly  to  his  regret,  retired  from  the  ministry. 

The  Clark  homestead  comprises  131  acres  of 
choice  farming  land  and  is  largely  devoted  to 
stock-raising.  It  was  purchased  by.  our  subject  in 
1852,  and  here  he  has  since  lived.  He  was  married 
March  20,  1860,  to  Miss  Tabitha  A.  Akers,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Akers  of  this  county,  and  of  this 
union  there  were  born  five  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  namely:  William  F.,  Luella  F.,  Oscar  AI. 
and  Charles  W.  William  married  Miss  Bell  Hel- 
mifk  and  lives  in  DeKalb  County,  Mo.;  Luella  is 
the  wife  of  II.  J.  Ash,  of  Manchester  this  county, 
and  is  the  mother  of  one  child,  an  infant  daughter. 
Mr.  Clark  during  the  progress  of  the  late  Civil 
War  enlisted  in  Company  G,91st  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  was  in  the  service  nine  months,  during  which 
time  he  assisted  in  the  repulse  of  Morgan  in  his  at- 
tack upon  the  Louisville  it  Nashville  Railroad,  at 
Elizabethtown,  Ky.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and 
paroled  and  soon  afterward  received  his  honorable 
discharge  on  account  of  disability.  He  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  politically,  and  socially  belongs 
to  the  (i.  A.  R.  He  is  a  man  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary intelligence,  a  deep  thinker  and  an  extensive 
reader,  and  the  man}*  friends  who  watched  his 
early  career  predicted  for  him  many  honors  from 
the  Church  of  his  choice,  in  whose  behalf  he  was  i 


t 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


;">67    <  ' 


willing  to  spend  his  time  and  strength.  His  im- 
pulses have  been  those  of  a  good  man  in  the  broad- 
est sense  of  the  term,  and  he  has  exercised  a  health- 
ful influence  upon  all  by  whom  he  has  been 
surrounded. 


ANIEL  W.  MILLS.  Probably  no  man  is 
more  popular  among  his  fellow  citizens 
than  Mr.  Mills,  who  is  prosecuting  agri- 
culture very  successfully  on  a  finely  culti- 
vated farm  of  196  acres,  comprising  a  portion  of 
section  2,  township  15,  range  13,  in  Scott  County. 
He  is  still  on  the  sunny  side  of  forty,  having  been 
born  July  16,  1848,  at  the  homestead  where  he  now 
lives  and  where  he  was  reared  to  man's  estate.  His 
boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  after  the  manner  of 
most  farmers'  sons,  and  he  assisted  in  the  various 
labors  around  the  homestead,  remaining  a  member 
of  the  parental  household  until  twenty  years  of  age. 
About  this  time  he  assumed  its  management,  and 
many  of  the  improvements  which  have  since  been 
effected  have  been  the  result  of  his  own  industry, 
he  having  put  up  buildings,  laid  rails  for  fences 
and  planted  hedges  for  the  same  purpose,  also  set- 
ting out  fruit  and  shade  trees  and  increasing  the 
area  of  cultivated  land,  so  that  lie  has  about  160 
acres  under  the  plow.  The  land  is  watered  by 
Mauvaisterre  Creek  and  is  exceedingly  fertile, 
yielding  to  its  owner  a  handsome  income.  There 
is  also  a  living  spring  on  the  farm  and  native  tim- 
ber sufficient  for  all  practical  purposes.  An  apple 
and  peach  orchard  and  trees  of  the  smaller  fruits 
yield  to  the  family  the  luxuries  of  the  season. 

Some  of  the  best  of  New  England  blood  flows 
in  the  veins  of  our  subject,  who  is  the  son  of 
Alford  Mills,  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  born 
in  1802.  The  paternal  grandfather,  James  Mills, 
who  was  also  born  in  the  Bay  State,  was  a  mill- 
wright by  trade,  which  he  followed  in  his  native 
place  and  in  Genesee  County,  New  York,  to  which 
he  subsequently  removed.  He,  with  one  of  his 
sons,  served  as  a  private  in  the  War  of  1812,  the 
latter  officiating  as  a  drummer.  Grandfather  Mills 
came  to  Illinois  jn  1821  and  located  near  Jackson- 
ville, where  he  lived  a  year,  then  removed  to  the 


vicinity  of  Exeter,  where,  in  partnership  with  Jesse 
Dickson,  he  put  up  a  saw  and  grist-mill,  the  first  of 
the  kind  in  this  section,  and  occupied  the  first  house 
in  Exeter,  which,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  was 
a  log  cabin.  He  finally  retired  from  active  labor 
and  died  in  Exeter. 

The  father  of  our  subject  came  to  Illinois  in 
1821  and  entered  eighty  acres  of  the  present  home- 
stead, which  he  improved  with  buildings  and 
fences.  Prior  to  this  purchase  he  had  been  em- 
ployed in  the  lead  mines  of  Galena,  and  thus  ob- 
tained the  money  with  which  to  buy  land.  He  was 
married,  August  29,  1830,  to  Miss  BedaLowe,  who 
was  born  in  New  Madrid,  Missouri,  March  27,  1807. 
Her  father,  Aquilla  Lowe,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  went  to  Tennessee  when  a  boy,  where, 
upon  approaching  manhood,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Later  he  served  in  the  War  of  1812,  was 
captured  and  confined  a  prisoner  at  New  Orleans 
for  some  time.  Prior  to  this,  however,  he  had  en- 
gaged as  a  live-stock  dealer  in  his  native  State. 
From  there  he  finally  removed  to  Missouri,  where 
he  dealt  in  live-stock  for  a  time,  then  returned  to 
Tennessee.  After  the  war  was  over  he  migrated 
again  across  the  Mississippi  and  operated  as  a  car- 
penter in  St.  Louis.  In  1819  he  came  to  Scott 
County,  this  State,  and  entered  a  tract  of  land  near 
what  was  then  the  small  hamletof  Geneva.  U[X)n 
this  he  effected  some  improvements,  but  later  re- 
moved to  the  vicinity  of  Evansville,  in  Cass 
County.  In  the  meantime  he  served  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  maintained  his  princi- 
ples as  a  member  of  the  old  Whig  party.  He  had 
the  honor  of  driving  the  first  stake  in  locating  the 
county  seat  of  Morgan  County,  and  one  of  his 
Democratic  friends  named  it  Jacksonville.  He 
died  in  Scott  County  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
The  maternal  great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Mills,  also 
named  Aquilla  Lowe,  was  a  native  of  Germany 
and  emigrated  to  America  prior  to  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  in  which  he  took  part.  He  settled  in 
Pennsylvania,  but  died  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  very  young 
when  she  removed  with  her  parents  to  Tennessee 
from  Missouri  and  made  her  home  with  her  uncle. 
Although  a  child  of  three  years  she  still  remembers 
the  earthquake  at  New  Madrid.  She  was  twelve 


I 


568 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


years  old  when  she  came  to  Illinois  and  remained 
at  home  until  her  marriage.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  to  her  and 
her  husband  there  were  born  eight  children: 
Harriet,  Mrs.  Webster,  lives  near  Exeter;  Laura, 
Mrs.  Straight,  is  a  widow  and  lives  with  her  mother; 
James,  during  the  Civil  War,  served  in  the  129th 
Illinois  Infantry,  enlisting  in  18G2.  He  contracted 
lung  trouble  from  which  he  died  soon  after.  Mary 
A.,  Mrs.  Graves,  lives  on  a  farm  in  Chautauqua 
County,  Kansas;  Aquilla  enlisted  the  same  year 
and  in  the  same  regiment  with  his  brother  .lames, 
served  all  through  the  war  and  was  the  color  bearer 
of  his  regiment  part  of  the  time.  He  is  farming 
in  Cowley  County,  Kansas.  Sarah  E.,  Mrs.  Ilas- 
kell,  is  the  wife  of  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Scott 
County;  Rhoda,  Mrs.  Funk,  lives  on  a  farm  neat- 
Exeter;  Daniel  W.,  our  subject,  was  the  next  in 
order  of  birth. 

Our  subject,  politically,  is  a  staunch  Republican 
and  has  served  on  the  Grand  Jury.  In  his  farming 
operations  he  makes  a  specialt}-  of  full-blooded  Ches- 
ter-White swine  and  graded  Short-Horn  cattle.  He 
employs  three  teams  to  operate  his  farm, and  is  a 
great  lover  of  fine  horses,  and  owns  some  valuable 
specimens  of  the  equine  race,  including  the  cele- 
brated Belgum,  ''Bai  Brussels,"  and  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Horse  Breeders'  Association  at  Bluffs. 

Mr.  Mills  was  married  near  Exeter,  November 
24,  1875,  to  Miss  Nellie  Funk,  a  native  of  Scott 
County  and  a  narrative  of  whose  parents  may  be 
found  in  the  sketch  of  Jacob  Funk  on  another 
page  of  this  Album.  Of  this  union  there  has  been 
born  one  child  only,  a  son,  Clifford,  October  7,  188G. 


ERMAN  D.  VANNIER  is  a  native  of  Han- 
over, Germany,  where  he  was  born  Oct.  1, 
18;!2,  and  reared  on  a  farm.  His  father, 
Frederick  Vannier,  was  also  a  native  of 
Hanover,  Germany,  and  by  trade  a  gunsmith.  He 
removed  to  London,  England,  and  there  enlisted  in 
the  English  arm}',  and  was  sent  back  to  Germany 
to  fight  the  French  from  1812  to  1815.  In  1851 
he  came  to  America,  and  died  very  soon  after  he 
landed,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  His  wife 


was  Kate  Shown.  She  was  also  born  in  Hanover, 
and  came  to  America  in  1851  and  died  in  1855, 
leaving  six  children:  Dick,  Henry,  Margaret,  An- 
nie, Herman  and  Mary.  Dick  and  Henry  were 
both  in  the  Mexican  War. 

Herman  D.  received  a  common-school  education 
in  his  native  land  and  after  he  became  ten  years  of 
age  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  his  father.  In  1851 
he  came  to  America  with  his  parents,  leaving 
Bremen  on  the  sailing  vessel  "Tousan;"  after  a  voy- 
age which  covered  eight  weeks  and  three  days,  they 
landed  in  New  Orleans,  whence  they  came  directly 
to  St.  Louis.  From  St.  Louis  he  came  to  Scott 
County  and  from  here  he  proceeded  to  Peoria, 
where  he  followed  the  work  of  firing  on  a  steam- 
boat, a  business  he  prosecuted  for  some  time.  In 
1857  he  came  to  Scott  County  and  rented  some 
land,  which  he  continued  doing  for  eight  years,  after 
which  time  he  bought  eighty  acres.  By  dint  of 
hard  work  and  under  many  disadvantages,  he 
cleared  this  tract  of  land  and  stayed  on  it  until 
1875,  when  he  purchased  his  present  place  of  290 
acres.  This  farm  was  an  improved  one,  partially, 
and  he  has  since  cleared  it  up  until  he  has  now 
175  acres  under  plow,  well  fenced,  and  containing 
a  splendid  orchard.  It  is  well  watered  by  springs, 
and  upon  it  is  erected  a  large  commodious  farm 
house  and  other  buildings.  He  is  engaged  in  a 
general  farm  business,  and  among  other  things, 
raises  Clydesdale  horses.  His  cattle  and  hogs  are 
of  improved  breeds,  and  a  source  of  considerable 
revenue  to  him. 

Mr.  Vannier  was  married  in  Peoria,  in  February, 
1852,  to  Miss  Mary  Middendorf,  a  native  of  Han- 
over. Her  father  was  a  soldier  in  Germany,  and 
also  a  farmer.  lie  came  to  America  in  1860  and 
located  at  Bluffs,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  August.  187K. 
Her  mother  was  also  a  native  of  Germany,  and 
died  July  4,  1886,  leaving  eight  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Vannier  was  the  eldest,  having  been  born 
Jan.  15,  1828.  While  yet  in  Germany  she  learned 
the  dressmaker's  trade,  a  calling  she  pursued  until 
her  emigration  to  America.  She  crossed  the  ocean 
on  the  same  ship  as  her  husband  did.  She  was  the 
mother  of  eight  children:  Henry  \V..  Annie. 
George  J.,  John  1).,  Mary  K..  Frederick  G.,  Carrie 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


569 


A.  and  William  (deceased).  Henry  married  Ada 
Bloyd,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Seward,  Neb.; 
Annie  married  John  Gansman,  and  they  also  reside 
at  Seward,  Neb.;  George  married  Emma  Aldridge, 
and  is  farming  at  Bluffs;  John  married  Annie 
Morthole,  and  they  are  residing  in  Scward,  Neb.; 
Mary  married  John  O'Hara,  who  is  a  coal  miner  at 
C'enterville,  Iowa.  The  rest  of  the  children  are  at 
home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Vannier  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  held  the 
oflice  of  School  Director  for  three  years.  He  is 
also  an  active  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  V.  is  of  the  hard  working  farmers  whose 
modesty  is  apparent,  and  is  adverse  to  publicly 
parading  his  actions,  but  nevertheless  he  is  one  of 
the  solid  farmers  of  this  county,  and  one  who  will 
leave  to  his  children  the  priceless  heritage  of  a  good 
name. 


M.  HOLLO  WAY.  This  fine  old 
gentleman  of  English  descent  and  Ken- 
tucky  birth,  has  nearly  rounded  up  the 
seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age,  and  if  what  his 
neighbors  say  about  him  is  to  be  relied  upon,  he 
has  reason  to  look  with  satisfaction  upon  a  life 
which  has  been  filled  in  with  good  and  pleasant 
deeds,  and  also  with  many  years  of  industrious 
labor.  He  owns  and  occupies  one  of  the  pleasant- 
est  homes  in  township  14,  range  13,  Scott  County, 
and  besides  possessing  a  competence  has  an  admira- 
ble share  of  sound  common  sense  and  a  genial 
temperament,  which  has  all  his  life  long  been  con- 
tinually winning  for  him  the  friendship  of  those 
with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 

Mr.  Holloway  was  the  youngest  of  the  nine 
children,  three  sons  and  six  daughters,  born  to  his 
parents,  and  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  family. 
His  native  place  was  in  Clark  County,  Ky.,  about 
eight  miles  from  Winchester,  and  the  date  of  his 
birth,  June  14,  1813.  He  commenced  going  to 
school  in  the  Blue  Grass  State,  but  in  1828  the 
f amity  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Morgan  County, 
upon  a  tract  of  land  from  which  they  constructed 
a  comfortable  homestead,  and  where  the  parents  of 
our  subject  spent  their  last  years,  after  having 
each  arrived  to  the  advanced  age  of  about  eighty 


years.  John  and  Millie  (Burch)  Holloway,  the 
parents  of  our  subject,  were  natives  respectively 
of  Virginia  and  Kentucky.  The  father  served  as 
a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  but  aside  from  this 
engaged  in  farming  all  his  life.  The  first  repre- 
sentatives of  the  family  in  this  country  came  over 
from  England  and  settled  in  Culpeper  County,  Va., 
during  the  colonial  times.  The  brothers  and  sis- 
ters were  all  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  family 
became  somewhat  scattered,  most  of  the  children 
making  their  homes  in  Illinois. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to  man- 
hood in  this  county,  -receiving  a  limited  education, 
but  growing  strong  and  healthy  in  body  and  mind 
and  well  fitted  for  the  future  duties  of  life.  When  a 
little  over  thirty  years  of  age  he  was  married  Aug. 
29,  1833,  to  Miss  Mary  New.  Mrs.  Holloway  was 
born  in  Ohio  County,  Ky.,  May  29,  1811,  and 
came  to  Illinois  a  few  years  after  the  arrival  of  her 
future  husband.  The  newly  wedded  pair  estab- 
lished themselves  in  a  modest  dwelling  on  a  farm 
in  township  14,  range  13,  but  after  occupying  that 
a  few  years  sold  out  and  purchased  their  present 
farm.  Upon  this  there  had  been  effected  only  a 
few  improvements,  and  Mr.  Holloway  for  maiij^ 
years  thereafter  labored  early  and  late  in  the  build- 
ing up  of  his  home  and  the  accumulation  of  some- 
thing for  his  declining  years.  The  household  cir- 
cle was  completed  by  the  birth  of  nine  children,  — 
Lucinda,  John  C.,  Permelia,  Mary,  Martha,  Saman- 
tha,  Lucy,  Wealthy  J.  and  Melissa. 


ILLIAM  W.  SHEPHERD,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of 
Morgan  County,  came  to  the  Prairie  State 
a  poor  man  and  by  the  exercise  of  diligence  and 
economy  has  amassed  a  modest  fortune.  His  real 
estate  comprises  a  farm  of  well-tilled  land,  230 
acres  in  extent,  with  a  handsome  residence,  a  sub- 
stantial barn  and  all  the  other  buildings  necessary 
for  the  prosecution  of  general  agriculture  and  the 
care  and  keeping  of  fine  stock.  In  the  latter  in- 
dustry he  is  associated  with  his  son,  Morris  H. 
They  make  a  specialty  of  Shorthorn  cattle  of  the 
best  strains  and  have  been  eminently  successful." 


570 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Their  reputation  in  this  line  is  not  confined  to  their 
own  immediate  neighborhood  but  extends  through- 
out the  State.  As  a  thorough  and  skillful  farmer 
Mr.  Shepherd  occupies  a  position  in  the  front  rank, 
while  as  a  citizen  he  is  first-class. 

A  native  of  Adams  Count}',  Ohio,  Mr.  Shepherd 
was  born  May  5,  1827,  and  spent  his  childhood 
and  youth  amid  the  pioneer  scenes  of  the  Buckeye 
State,  acquiring  a  fair  education  mostly  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  county.  In  1841, 
when  he  was  a  lad  of  fourteen  years  his  father  de- 
cided to  push  further  westward,  and  came  to  La- 
Salle  County,  this  State,  where  the  family  sojourned 
two  years.  In  1844  the  father  and  his  son,WilliamW. 
purchased  a  farm  near  Orleans,  which  remained  the 
family  homestead  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  The 
next  removal  was  to  the  farm  now  owned  and  oc- 
cupied by  our  subject,  where  the  parents,  William 
and  Jane  L.  (Blair)  Shepherd  spent  their  last  years. 
A  sketch  of  them  will  be  found  on  another  page  in 
this  volume. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five  years  was  first  married  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  Oct. 
12,  1852,  to  Miss  Susan  M.  Simpson,  who  was  born 
in  South  Hampton,  England,  April  6,1831.  Her 
mother  died  in  England  and  Susan  M.  came  with 
her  father  to  America  in  1844,  when  a  child  of 
thirteen  years.  She  had  then  received  the  rudi- 
ments of  a  good  education  in  that  well-known  in- 
stitution. Miss  Chapman's  Female  Seminary,  near 
London.  Her  union  with  our  subject '  resulted  in 
the  birth  of  five  children  who  are  recorded  as 
follows:  Morris  H.,  was  born  March  29,  1854,  is 
unmarried  and  engaged  with  his  father  in  operating 
the  homestead;  Emma  V.,  was  born  Dec.  6,  1855 
and  died  June  12,  1857;  Benjamin  Franklin  was 
born  April  24,  1858,  and  is  engaged  as  a  salesman 
for  the  Ilolliday  Lock  and  Safe  Co.,  of  St.  Louis, 
Mo.;  Kate  Ella  was  born  Sept.  8,  1860,  and  died 
Sept.  7,  1861;  William  was  born  Aug.  17,  1863, 
and  died  March  3,  1868. 

The  present  wife  of  our  subject,  to  whom  he  was 
married  May  29,  1877,  was  formerly  Mrs.  Susan  E. 
Witty,  of  Mount  Sterling,  111.  She  was  born  in 
Kentucky  from  which  State  her  parents  removed 
when  she  was  a  child  one  year  of  age.  The  Shep- 
herds are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 


I 


Pisgah  in  which  our  subject  has  been  Elder  for 
many  years.  Politically  he  is  a  sound  Republican 
and  an  enthusiastic  Harrison  man.  He  has  seen 
much  of  pioneer  life,  both  in  Ohio  and  Illinois  and 
in  the  former  State,  when  a  boy  attending  school, 
carried  wood  on  his  back  to  the  temple  of  learning 
to  assist  in  keeping  it  warm  during  the  day.  The 
contrast  between  then  and  now,  both  in  Ohio  and 
Illinois,  is  a  marked  one  and  Mr.  Shepherd  has 
contributed  his  full  quota  in  redeeming  a  portion 
of  the  wilderness  and  converting  it  to  the  abode  of 
a  civilized  and  intelligent  people. 


debt. 


AMUEL  W.  PUFFER,  engaged  as  a  lum- 
ber merchant  at  Winchester,  came  to  this 
place  in  the  fall  of  1860  with  only  $15  in 
his  "inside  pocket"  and  besides  was  $75  in 
He  now  transacts  several  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  business  annually  and  is  generally  con- 
sidered well  to-do.  He  owns  and  occupies  a  com- 
fortable home  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town 
and  is  known  to  a  large  proportion  of  the  people 
in  this  locality. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  born  in  Colerain, 
Franklin  County,  Mass.,  Jan.  8,  1837,  and  is  the 
son  of  Dr.  Chenery  and  Lucy  T.  (Alden)  Puffer, 
the  former  a  native  of  Sudbury,  Mass.,  and  whose 
paternal  ancester,  John  Puffer,  the  first  representa- 
tive of  the  family  in  America,  came  over  from 
England  in  the  "  Mayflower."  The  mother  was 
the  daughter  of  John  Alden,  a  descendant  of  John 
Alden  of  olden  times  who  was  principally  distin- 
guished as  the  friend  of  Miles  Standish,  the  Captain 
of  Plymouth.  She  was  born  in  Ashfield.  Mass., 
and  was  the  mother  of  four  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living,  viz:  Henry  M.,  an  Attorney  of 
Shelburne  Falls,  Mass.;  Samuel  W.,  our  subject, 
and  Charles  C.,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Puffer  and  his  brothers  received  a  good  edu- 
cation— all  being  graduated  from  the  Rochester 
University — Samuel  W.  and  Henry  M.  in  1860  and 
Charles  three  years  later.  In  1860  our  subject 
came  to  Scott  County  and  for  some  time  afterward 
followed  the  profession  of  a  teacher;  he  occupied 
the  position  of  Principal  of  the  Winchester  schools 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


571 


for  two  years.  In  the  meantime  lie  devoted  his 
leisure  hours  to  the  reading  of  law  and  was  ad  mi  ted 
to  Hie  bar  in  18(33,  but  instead  of  engaging  in  the 
practice  of  law  embarked  in  mercantile  business. 
lie  became  interested  in  the  lumber  trade  in  1868. 
The  marriage  of  Samuel  W.  Puffer  and  Miss 
Mary  C.  Powell  occurred  on  the  22d  of  May,  1 866. 
Mrs.  Puffer  was  born  in  Winchester  Dec.  6,  1843, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Starkey  R.  Powell,  an  old 
settler  of  this  place.  This  union  resulted  in 
the  birth  of  four  children,  only  two  of  whom  are 
living,  viz:  Starkey  Powell,  born  .July  10,  1874 
and  Chenery  Willis,  March  31,  1878.  Mr.  Puffer 
in  religious  matters  is  identified  with  the  Baptist 
Church  while  his  estimable  wife  belongs  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Our  subject,  politically, 
votes  the  Republican  ticket  but  steadily  declines  to 
take  upon  Uimself  the  responsibilities  of  the  office- 
bolder.  Socially,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity. 


•ALTER  L.  SIMPSON,  freight  agent  for 
the  Wabash  Railroad  Company,  has  been 
located  in  Jacksonville  since  the  6th  of 
December,  1885.  He  is  a  native  of  the  city  of 
Liverpool,  England,  was  born  April  6,  1856,  and 
was  brought  by  his  parents  to  the  United  States 
when  a  little  lad  three  years  of  age.  The  latter 
were  Alexander  and  Bathia  Souter  (Wright)  Simp- 
son. The  father  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  born 
near  the  town  of  MacDuff,  where  he  was  reared  to 
manhood  and  married.  He  was  at  one  time  cashier 
of  a  bank  in  the  city  of  Bamff,  Scotland,  and  was 
also  malinger  of  the  once  famous  Bone  Mill  of 
MacDuff.  The  family  only  sojourned  in  Liverpool 
two  years,  then  removed  to  London,  and  from  that 
city  sailed  to  the  United  States. 

The  parents  of  our  subject,  upon  reaching  Amer- 
ica, immediately  proceeded  Westward  and  located 
in  the  then  unimportant  town  of  Jacksonville,  this 
State.  The  wife  and  mother  lived  only  one  year 
thereafter,  her  death  taking  place  in  the  spring  of 
1860.  In  the  fall  succeeding,  the  father,  with  his 
youngest  child,  Eliza,  returned  to  Scotland,  where 
the  child  was  left  in  the  care  of  her  aunt.  The 


father  came  back  to  Morgan  County  in  1866,  and 
died  in  1874.  In  the  meantime,  Walter  L.,  after 
the  departure  of  his  father  to  Scotland,  was 
taken  into  the  home  of  his  uncle,  Dr.  John  Simpson, 
of  Woodson,  where  he  lived  until  the  fall  of  1864. 
Then,  with  his  eldest  brother,  Henry,  he,  too, 
crossed  the  ocean  again,  and  for  two  years  attended 
school  in  the  town  of  Turriff,  Scotland.  Upon  his 
return  to  America  he  was  accompanied  by  his 
father,  brother  and  sister,  and  he  subsequently  en- 
tered the  High  School  in  Jacksonville,  where  he 
completed  his  education. 

Our  subject,  upon  leaving  school,  engaged  for  a 
time  in  farm  pursuits,  and  July  16,  1875,  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  B.  Wyatt,  of 
Jacksonville.  The  young  people  began  the  jour- 
ncy  of  life  together  on  a  farm  which  had  been  left 
to  William  and  Walter  by  their  paternal  uncle, 
John  Simpson.  It  is  situated  ten  miles  southeast 
of  Jacksonville,  and  is  still  owned  by  Walter,  as 
the  home  of  his  childhood  and  the  scene  of  many 
happy  days.  Mrs.  Simpson's  health  failing,  in  1880 
they  removed  to  Jacksonville.  Then  Mr.  Simpson, 
abandoning  agriculture,  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Wabash  Railroad  as  Check  Clerk.  His  strict  at- 
tention to  his  duties  secured  his  promotion  at  dif- 
ferent times,  until  he  was  given  his  present  responsi- 
ble and  lucrative  position. 

Mrs.  Emma  B.  Simpson  was  born  Dec.  19,  1858, 
in  Morgan  County,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Will- 
iam T.  and  Margaret  (Harndy)  Wyatt,  natives  of 
the  same  county,  and  who  are  now  residents  of 
Jacksonville.  The  parental  family  included  eight 
children.  The  father  is  a  dealer  in  live-stock.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simpson  there  have  been  born  four 
children — Maggie  May,  Annie  D.,  Minnie  Pearl 
and  William  Henry. 

John  Simpson,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  also  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  lived  in 
Aberdeenshire,  two  miles  from  the  village  of  Turriff. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  belonged  to 
the  Established  Church  of  England.  He  married  a 
Miss  Mclutosh,  a  native  of  his  own  country,  and  to 
them  were  born  five  children,  Alexander,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  being  a  twin  to  William.  William 
and  John  came  to  the  United  States  in  1835,  and 
settled  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  where  they  were  intend- 


4*= 

,  >    572 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


f 


ing  to  follow  teaching,  for  which  they  had  fitted 
themselves  by  careful  education.  William  died 
about  1  840.  .John  entered  upon  the  study  of  med- 
icine, and  was  graduated  from  the  Medical  College 
of  Lexington,  under  the  famous  Dr.  Dudley.  Sub- 
sequently he  came  to  Morgan  County,  where  he 
practiced  successfully  until  his  death,  in  ISIS. 

John  H.  Simpson,  a  brother  of  our  subject,  is  a 
traveling  salesman  for  the  firm  of  A.  J.  Jordan  & 
Co.,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Annie,  a  sister,  is  the  wife 
of  John  McAlister,  of  Jacksonville;  Charles  and 
Catherine  died  in  infancy  in  the  city  of  Liverpool, 
England.  William  M.  was  drowned,  Aug.  8,  1878, 
while  bathing  in  the  River  at  Alton,  111.;  he  was  by 
occupation  a  railroad  engineer,  and  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railway  at  the  lime 
of  his  death.  Eliza,  the  youngest  sister,  makes  her 
home  with  her  sister  Annie. 


)  EORGE  W.  MOSS,  one  of  the  progressive 
farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  township  16, 
range  1 1,  has  a  fine  homestead  of  150  acres 
of  land  well  improved,  besides  twenty  acres  of 
timber.  In  addition  to  general  agriculture,  he  is 
able  to  exhibit  some  fine  stock — high  grade  Nor- 
man and  French  draft  horses  and  Short-horn  cattle. 
He  has  expended  much  time  and  labor  in  bringing 
his  farm  to  its  present  condition,  which  with  its 
appurtenances  very  nearly  approaches  the  ideal 
country  estate. 

Mr.  Moss  has  occupied  his  present  farm  probably 
twenty  years.  He  is  a  life-long  resident  of  Morgan 
County,  having  been  born  at  his  father's  old  home- 
stead, Nov.  5,'  1842.  William  Moss,  an  old  resident 
of  the  township,  was  one  of  its  earliest  pioneers.  He 
was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  and  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty -three  years.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  John  Moss,  and  he 
came  with  the  family  to  Morgan  County,  dying 
here  when  ninety-two  years  old. 

William  Moss,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a 
young  man  when  his  parents  removed  from  South 
Carolina  to  eastern  Tennessee,  and  he  was  there 
married  to  Rachael  Bratten,  who  was  born  and 
reared  there.  After  the  birth  of  most  of  their 


children,  they  emigrated  in  the  spring  of  1828  to 
Morgan  County,  settled  upon  a  tract  of  wild  land 
in  township  16,  range  11,  and  began  building  up  a 
homestead,  upon  which  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  days.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died 
when  the  latter  was  four  years  old,  and  his  father 
was  married  a  second  time  to  a  lady  who  also  died 
before  her  husband.  Mr.  Moss  was  a  true  specimen 
of  the  hardy  pioneer,  expert  with  his  rifle,  an  old- 
fashioned  flint-lock,  and  brought  down  many  a 
deer — sometimes  five  in  a  day — as  well  as  other  wild 
game. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  younger  of 
his  mother's  children,  and  after  her  death  made  his 
home  with  his  father  and  stepmother.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1868  to  Miss  Elizabeth  P.  Morrison,  who 
was  born  near  Concord,  Morgan  County,  Nov.  9, 
1850.  Her  parents,  Robert  and  Elizabeth  A.  (Pur- 
yer)  Morrison,  were  among  the  earliest  pioneers  of 
Morgan  County,  and  her  father  died  in  middle 
life.  Mrs.  Morrison  married  a  second  time,  and 
again  became  a  widow.  She  is  still  living,  is  scventy- 
two  years  old,  and  makes  her  home  with  our  sub- 
ject. She  is  an  excellent  old  lady  and  highly  res- 
pected by  all  who  know  her.  Mrs.  Moss  was  quite 
young  at  the  time  of  her  father's  death,  and  sup- 
ported herself  until  her  marriage.  She  is  now  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  three  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased— Mattie  L.,  Grove  and  an  infant  unnamed. 
The  survivors  are:  Charles  A.,  Ada  O.,  Walter 
L.,  Nettie  M.,  Oscar  R.  and  a  babe  unnamed.  Mr. 
Moss  is  politically  a  straightforward  Democrat,  and 
has  held  the  office  of  Road  Commissioner,  besides 
serving  in  other  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. 


ILLIAM  G.  RUSSELL,  a  well  educated  gen- 
tleman, and  a  successful  farmer,  is  located 
on  section  30,  township  14,  range  9.  He 
was  born  in  Morgan  County,  April  30,  1858,  and 
prosecuted  his  education  in  Jacksonville  College, 
taking  a  business  and  commercial  course.  He  is 
the  son  of  William  Russell,  who  was  born  in  Ayr- 
shire, Scotland,  and  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  in  1833,  shipping  from  Glasgow  and  land- 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


573 


ing  in  New  York  City,  whence  they  came  directly 
to  Morgan  County. 

Grandfather  Russell  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land,  and  built  up  a  fine  estate,  of  which  his  son 
William  is  now  superintendent.  The  latter  married 
Miss  Emily  Gallagher,  and  has  been  for  some  years 
a  prosperous  merchant  of  Jacksonville.  The  par- 
ental household  included  ten  children,  namely: 
Andrew,  James,  Jane,  Mary.  Elizabeth,  Margaret, 
Thomas.  Catherine,  Isabelle  and  William  G.,  our 
subject.  Andrew  is  cashier  of  the  Jacksonville 
Bank  and  a  very  capable  3'oung  business  man. 
With  the  exception  of  our  subject  the  others  are 
unmarried,  and  the  younger  ones  attending  school. 

Our  subject,  upon  reaching  man's  estate,  was 
married  to  Miss  Virginia  Martin,  of  Rails  County, 
Mo.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Russell  is  deceased,  but 
her  mother  lives  on  the  farm  in  Rails  County.  Her 
five  children  are  all  living  and  residents  of  that 
county.  The  four  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Russell  are  Emily,  Jane,  Susan  and  a  babe  un- 
named. Their  farm  comprises  200  acres  of  choice 
land,  finely  adapted  to  general  agriculture  and  stock 
raising,  in  which  latter  industry  Mr.  Russell  is 
meeting  with  success,  keeping  usually  fifty  head  of 
cattle,  fifteen  horses,  about  one  hundred  head  of 
swine  and  a  goodly  number  of  sheep.  Politically 
he  belongs  to  the  Republican  party,  and  religiously 
both  Mr. and  Mrs.  Russell  are  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  in  which  our  subject  is  an  Elder 
and  one  of  its  chief  pillars. 


APT.  E.  L.  GILLHAM,  a  prominent  figure 
of  Scott  County,  was  born  near  Winchester, 
111.,  on  July  14,  1823,  and  is  a  well-to-do 
farmer,  operating  260  acres  of  land.  His  father,  the 
Hon.  James  Gillham,  was  a  native  of  South  Caro- 
lina. His  grandfather,  Isaac  Gillham,  was  a  native 
of  the  same  State,  and  served  through  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  He  was  wounded  in  the  head  and 
left  on  the  field  for  dead,  but  recovered  sufficiently 
to  crawl  to  a  house,  where  he  recovered.  He  re- 
moved to  this  State  in  the  first  year  of  this  century, 
and  located  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  present  lo- 
cation of  St.  Louis,  on  what  is  called  the  "Ameri- 


can  Bottoms,"  where  he  engaged  in  stock  raising 
and  farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1847,  he  being  at  that  time  eighty-nine  years  of  age. 
The  Gillhams  are  of  Irish  descent. 

The  father  of  Capt.  Gillham  was  four  years  old 
when  he  came  to  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  with 
his  father  in  farming  until  the  War  of  1812  began, 
when  he  enlisted  as  an  ensign,  and  served  with  dis- 
tinguished bravery  for  two  years.  In  1820  he  re- 
moved to  what  is  now  Scott  County,  and  entered  a 
half  section  of  land,  which  he  improved  and  opera- 
ted. When  the  Black  Hawk  War  broke  out  he  en- 
listed as  Captain  of  a  company,  afterward  being 
promoted  to  Lieutenant  Colonel,  and  as  such 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  returned  to 
his  farm,  which  he  operated  until  his  death,  in  May, 
1870,  when  he  was  seventy-four  years  old.  Col. 
Gillham  held  inan3r  political  offices,  among  them 
that  of  State  Senator,  serving  in  the  years  1842-43. 
He  was  an  old-line  Democrat,  a  communicant  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Superintendent  of  a 
Sunday-school,  and  always  took  great  interest  in 
church  affairs,  for  in  the  early  days  his  house  was 
always  open  for  worship.  His  wife,  Sarah  L.  Lof- 
ton, was  a  native  of  South  Carolina, 'but  reared  in 
Kentucky.  She  died  in  1882,  at  the  good  old  age 
of  eighty-three  years.  She  pinned  her  faith  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  one  of  eight 
that  formed  the  first  Methodist  class  in  this  section 
of  Illinois,  which  event  occurred  in  1821.  She  was 
the  mother  of  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are 
living:  William  A.,  Capt.  Gillham  and  Margaret 
A.  The  following  are  deceased:  LeRoy  L.,  Al- 
vira  A.,  Elsie  J.,  Wesley  C.  and  Milton  F. 

Capt.  Gillham  was  a  child  of  the  frontier.  The 
rudiments  of  his  education  were  received  in  the 
old  log  school-house,  whose  benches  were  con- 
structed of  slabs,  and  which  contained  no  window 
except  an  aperture  in  the  side  of  the  building.  An 
abundance  of  wild  game  in  those  daj^s  abounded, 
deer  in  large  droves  were  daily  seen,  in  fact  there 
were  "none  to  molest  or  make  them  afraid."  The 
Captain  is  clearly  entitled  to  the  honor  of  being  a 
pioneer,  as  he  attended  the  first  school-house  erected 
in  Morgan  County,  and  there  learned  the  lessons 
that  in  after  life  were  so  valuable  to  him.  In  1846 
the  Mexican  War  broke  out,  and  Illinois  furnished 


574 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


many  brave  men  for  the  army,  and  among  them 
was  Capt.  Gillham.  He  enlisted  in  the  1st  Illinois 
Infantry,  under  Capt.  Montgomery  and  Col.  John 
.1.  Hardin.  His  regiment  was  mustered  in  at  Al- 
ton, and  was  sent  South  to  Texas,  from  where  it 
inarched  overland  to  Mexico.  The  regiment  was 
engnged  in  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  under  Gen. 
Taylor's  command.  It  remained  at  Saltillo  until 
their  lime  had  nearly  expired,  when  it  proceeded 
to  Monterey,  where  the  regiment  was  mustered  out 
of  service  in  July,  1847.  After  the  war,  and  in 
1848,  Capt.  Gillham  bought  120  acres  of  land, 
which  he  improved  and  developed  into  a  good 
farm.  Here  he  employed  himself  in  a  general 
farm  business,  and  was  one  of  the  first  of  Morgan 
County  to  engage  in  breeding  thoroughbred  live 
stock,  which  he  continued  for  a  period  of  twenty- 
five  years,  and  was  very  successful.  He  has  added 
to  his  farm,  and  at  the  time  of  his  enlistment  in 
the  Civil  War  he  was  in  the  possession  of  240  acres 
of  land. 

On  Aug.  13,  1862,  our  subject  enlisted,  and  pro- 
ceeded immediately  to  the  rendezvous  at  Pontiac, 
where,  on  the  8th  day  of  September,  he  was  mus- 
tered into  the  129th  Illinois  Infantry,  as  the  com- 
manding officer  of  Company  F.  His  regiment  was 
ordered  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  from  there  it  went 
in  pursuit  of  Bragg.  The  command  was  in  the 
battle  of  Bowling  Green,  after  which  it  was  ordered 
to  duty  guarding  railroads.  At  Buck  Lodge,  Tenn., 
on  account  of  disability,  Capt.  Gillham  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service,  on  May  14,  1863. 

After  leaving  the  army  Capt.  Gillham  came 
home  and  purchased  more  land,  which  added  to  his 
old  farm,  made  a  place  of  500  acres.  He  has  since 
continued  in  his  old  business,  and  with  notable  suc- 
cess, that  of  breeding  good  cattle.  The  Captain 
made  an  unfortunate  move  financial!}'  when  he  was 
persuaded  to  sink  a  coal  shaft,  losing  a  great  deal 
of  money,  but  he  still  has  a  fine  farm  of  260  acres, 
and  highly  improved,  with  commodious  buildings, 
his  house  being  built  of  brick,  36x50  feet.  lie  also 
has  a  warehouse  at  Merritt.  On  the  whole  Capt. 
Gillham  has  one  of  the  best  locations  in  his  pre- 
cinct. 

Our  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  He- 
craft,  near  Jacksonville,  in  1848.  His  wife  is  a  na- 


tive of  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  and  attended  school 
at  Jacksonville.  They  have  four  children:  James 
B.,  Hester  A.,  Sarah  E.  and  Erastus  N.  Three  of 
the  children  are  married,  while  the  youngest  re- 
mains at  home.  Capt.  Gillham  is  the  oldest  native 
resident  of  Scott  County.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  both  Blue  Lodge  and  Chap- 
ter. He  worships  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  has  been  Class-Leader  for  twenty 
years.  He  has  also  been  Superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school,  Steward  and  Trustee,  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  erecting  the  church  build- 
ing where  he  now  worships.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  represented  his  party  in  both 
County  and  State  Conventions.  By  self  culture 
Capt.  Gillham  has  become  a  man  of  a  great  deal  of 
general  information,  and  by  his  neighbors  he  is  ac- 
corded the  praise  of  being  a  good  citizen,  which 
verdict  is  fully  confirmed  by  his  every  day  life. 


[/'  ACOB  STRAWN  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  born  May  30,  1800.  His 

|l  father  was  Isaiah  Strawn,  who  came  of  a 
family  of  nine  sons  born  to  Jacob  Strawn, 
Sr.,  the  latter  being  born  in  the  city  of  London, 
England,  and  left  an  orphan  when  he  was  a  small 
boy.  In  company  with  his  mother,  in  his  boj'hood 
daj-s,  Jacob  Strawn,  Sr.,  emigrated  from  England  to 
America,  coining  on  a  ship  that  had  among  its  pas- 
sengers, William  Penn,  the  founder  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. When  the  widow  Strawn  and  her  son,  Ja- 
cob, landed  in  Philadelphia  after  a  long  voyage, 
they  were  strangers  and  friendless.  When  the  boy 
grew  to  manhood,  they  removed  to  Bucks  County, 
Pa.,  where  man}'  of  his  descendants  now  reside.  He 
was  married  to  a  Miss  Purcely,  whose  parents  had 
emigrated  from  Wales  to  Pennsylvania  when  she 
was  quite  young.  They  had  nine  sons  and  three 
daughters,  and  those  who  grew  up  to  maturity,  had 
families.  This  couple  died  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
their  son,  Isaiah  Strawn,  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  married  Miss  Rachael  Reed,  of  Sus- 
sex County,  N.  J.  Just  after  their  marriage  they 
removed  on  to  a  farm  in  Turkey  Bottom.  Somerset 
Co.,  Pa.,  and  there  Isaiah  and  his  wife  spent  the 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


=4 

575    -  , 


rest  of  their  active  days  as  fanners,  and  there  also 
their  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters  were 
born,  Jacob  being  the  youngest  child.  In  1 8 1 7  some 
of  the  Strawn  family  moved  to  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  where  the  elder  children  had  settled,  having 
grown  up  and  married  there. 

It  was  in  1837,  that  we  find  the  first  families  of 
the  Strawns  settling  in  this  State,  locating  in  Put- 
nam County,  where  Isaiah  S.  died  at  very  advanced 
age,  Aug.  ,4,  1844,  his  wife  dying  ripe  in  years 
April  4.  1843.  They  were  Quakers,  and  came  of  a 
hardy,  robust  stock.  Such  is  a  brief  account  of 
the  Strawn  family  in  America.  The  progenitors  of 
this  family  were  of  that  good,  old  honest  sort  of 
people,  that  it  would  be  refreshing  to  see  in  these 
latter  days. 

Jacob  Strawn  in  early  life  had  limited  advan- 
tages for  obtaining  an  education,  and  as  the  people 
of  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  were  as  a  rule,  not  well- 
off  in  this  world's  goods,  the  district  schools  were 
operated  on  as  economical  a  plan  as  possible.  But 
Jacob  was  a  determined  boy,  of  good  habits,  and 
possessed  a  great  deal  of  physical  endurance.  He 
went  through  the  district  schools  in  a  satisfactory 
manner,  and  thereupon  decided  to  make  his  life- 
work  that  of  a  cattle  raiser  and  dealer  in  live-stock, 
and  with  this  determination  in  his  mind,  he  set  out 
to  fight  his  way  through  the  world.  When  seven- 
teen years  old,  his  parents  removed  to  Licking 
County,  Ohio,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Matilda  Green,  daughter  of  the 
Kev.  Joseph  Green,  of  Licking  County.  As  a  basis 
upon  which  to  erect  a  fortune,  this  young  couple 
started  out  in  life  with  an  indebtedness  of  $7. 
From  that  time  forward  Mr.  Strawn's  financial  suc- 
cess in  life  was  extraordinary.  The  first  $100  he 
made,  was  invested  in  wild  land  in  Ohio,  and  while 
there  he  bought  and  sold  cattle  quite  largely,  but 
believing  that  Illinois  was  a  better  field  for  more 
extensive  operations,  he  came  to  this  State  in  1828, 
and  was  struck  with  the  rich  soil  of  the  prairies,  and 
the  remarkable  fattening  qualities  of  the  grasses. 
Instead  of  purchasing  cattle  with  his  money,  Mr. 
Strawn  invested  it  in  land,  a  part  of  which  after- 
ward became  his  homestead.  In  1831  he  returned 
to  Ohio,  where  he  disposed  of  his  property,  and 
came  back  with  his  family,  settling  in  Morgan 


County,  on  the  land  he  had  previously  purchased 
at  such  a  low  price. 

Mr.  Strawn  at  once  started  out  on  the  highway 
of  prosperity,  and  in  his  long  march,  which  covered 
a  great  many  years,  he  never  met  with  an  obstruc- 
tion. And  it  was  not  luck  that  was  the  foundation 
of  his  remarkable  victory.  lie  was  clear-headed, 
energetic,  and  above  all,  exhibited  excellent  judg- 
ment in  all  his  investments.  He  became  one  of  the 
largest  cattle-dealers  of  the  United  States,  and  be- 
sides this,  was  a  very  extensive  land  holder  in  Illi- 
nois. When  he  died  he  was  the  wealthiest  and  best- 
known  man  in  Morgan  County.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1865. 

Jacob  Strawn  was  a  man  of  generous  instincts, 
and  possessed  an  eminently  Christian  spirit.  He 
did  not  seek  political  preferment,  and  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  i>olitics  as  a  business,  but  he  al- 
ways exhibited  great  interest  in  his  party.  He  was 
an  Old-line  Whig,  and  a  Republican.  During  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  very  enthusiastic  in 
doing  what  he  could  to  support  stalwart  war  meas- 
ures, he  being  a  friend  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
willing  to  follow  where  the  great  war  President 

might  lead. 

*>*<• 

ISRAEL  ARMITAGE.  The  valuable  farm  prop- 
erty of  this  gentleman  comprises  140  acres  of 
land  lying  on  section  26,  adjacent  to  the  village 
of  Exeter,  Scott  County.  He  is  numbered  among 
the  leading  men  of  his  township,  is  more  than  ordi- 
narily intelligent  and  possesses  a  good  education, 
being  an  especially  fine  penman.  He  was  born  and 
reared  in  Yorkshire,  England,  first  opening  his  eyes 
to  the  light  Nov.  27,  1828.  He  lived  there  until  a 
lad  of  twelve  years,  then,  in  the  spring  of  1840, 
came  to  America  witli  his  parents. 

In  making  this  voyage,  the  Armitage  family 
boarded  the  sailing  vessel  "Sidney"  at  Liverpool, 
which  landed  them  six  weeks  later  in  the  city  of 
New  Orleans.  At  that  point  they  boarded  a  Mis- 
sissippi steamboat,  the  "Meteor,"  upon  which  they 
remained  five  days  and  five  hours,  and  were  then 
transferred  to  the  packet  "Eagle,"  which  conveyed 
them  to  Greene  County,  this  State.  The  balance  of 
their  journey  was  completed  on  a  prairie  schooner 
drawn  by  oxen,  and  the  father  took  up  a  tract  of 


i  ,     576 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


land,  where  he  improved  a  farm,  and  upon  which 
oiir  subject  grew  to  man's  estate.  In  18f>3  Mr. 
Armitage,  leaving  the  farm,  came  to  Exeter  ami 
secured  the  land  which  he  now  owns  and  occupies. 
This  he  operated  in  partnership  with  his  father  and 
brothers,  and  also  purchased  land  adjoining  the 
town  limits,  together  with  mill  properly,  and  in 
due  time  was  the  owner  of  280  acres.  He  culti- 
vated the  soil  and  carried  on  the  mill  successfully, 
shipping  flour  to  New  Orleans,  Chicago,  New  York 
and  Boston,  some  of  it  going  to  Europe  and  assist- 
ing to  provision  the  army  during  the  Crimean 
War. 

In  1870  our  subject  and  his  partners  dissolved, 
and  there  fell  to  Mr.  Armitage  120  acres,  to  which 
he  afterward  added  twenty  acres  adjoining,  and  this 
comprises  his  present  homestead.  Here  he  has  made 
all  the  improvements,  and  it  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  desirable  estates  in  the  township.  There 
is  a  sufficient  quantity  of  native  timber  and  an  ex- 
cellent vein  of  coal,  in  places  about  three  feet  thick, 
undt'r  eighty  acres.  The  land  is  watered  by  Mau- 
vaisterre  Creek,  and  admirably  adapted  to  raising 
all  kinds  of  grain.  Mr.  Armitage  raises  consider- 
able live-stock,  cattle,  horses  and  swine.  He  keeps 
about  twelve  head  of  horses,  using  two  teams  in 
the  farm  work.  His  operations  have  been  con- 
ducted with  that  system  and  good  order  which  are 
the  surest  guarantee  of  success. 

.Our  subject  was  first  married  in  Macoupiu 
County,  this  State,  Oct.  20,  1855,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Cundall.  This  lady  was  born  in  Chesterfield,  111. 
and  died  in  1872.  The  eldest  of  their  five  chil- 
dren, Charles  E.,  is  married,  and  is  employed  as  a 
machinist  in  Waterbury,  Conn.;  Mary  Ann  died 
when  about  two  and  a  half  years  old;  Israel  W. 
and  Elihu  W.,  twins,  are  at  home  with  their  father. 
Carrie  is  the  wife  of  Douglas  Borum,  a  farmer  and 
veterinary  surgeon  of  Exeter,  who  was  graduated 
in  one  of  the  schools  of  Toronto,  and  has  a  o-ood 
understanding  of  his  profession. 

In  1873  Mr.  Armitage  contracted  a  second  matri- 
monial alliance  with  Miss  Almara  J.  Sweeney,  who 
was  born  in  Sangamon  County,  this  State,  and  is 
now  the  mother  of  six  children,  namely:  Belle, 
William  C.  deceased,  Judith  A.,  Annie,  Stewart  and 
Fred.  Mr.  Armitage  is  a  sound  Republican,  and 


has  frequently  been  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  county 
conventions.  He  was  for  a  number  of  years  School 
Director  in  his  district,  and  has  served  as  Road 
Supervisor. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  Elihu  Armitage, 
a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  the  son  of 
Joshua  Armitage,  who  was  also  born  there,  and  en- 
gaged as  a  farmer  and  miller.  The  latter  became 
well-to-do,  and  was  numbered  among  the  English 
gentry.  The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject  en- 
gaged in  a  limited  degree  in  farming,  but  was 
mostly  connected  with  educational  matters,  gained 
the  title  of  Professor,  and  conducted  a  school. 

In  1840,  as  before  stated,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject came  to  America,  and  locating  near  Carrollton, 
purchased  280  acres  of  improved  land.  He  sold 
this  in  1852,  and  purchased  land  in  Scott  County, 
where  he  prosecuted  agriculture  a  number  of  years, 
and  then  retired  from  active  labor.  He  spent  his 
last  days  with  his  son,  our  subject,  and  died  in 
1880,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  The  maiden  name  of  the  mother 
of  our  subject  was  Judith  Johnson,  and  she  was 
born  in  Yorkshire,  England.  Her  father  was  also 
a  native  of  Yorkshire,  but  of  Welsh  descent. 
Grandfather  Johnson  carried  on  farming  and  mill- 
ing in  Yorkshire,  and  was  the  owner  of  a  good 
property.  Mrs.  Armitage  died  in  Greene  County, 
this  State,  in  1851.  The  parental  family  included 
thirteen  children,  all  of  whom,  with  one  exception, 
lived  to  mature  years.  Elihu  lives  in  Exeter,  Scott 
County;  Ann  lives  in  Alton;  Annis  and  Isaac  are 
deceased;  Christiana  resides  in  Texas;  Elizabeth  is 
-deceased;  Israel,  our  subject,  and  Mary  were  twins, 
and  the  latter  is  a  resident  of  Chicago;  Hannah 
lives  in  Sadorus,  111.;  Job  died  of  cholera  about 
1873;  Felix  died  in  Camp  Butler;  Sarah  is  de- 
ceased, and  Adah  lives  in  Chicago. 


GADDIS,  a  representative  farmer 
^'  and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  township 
16,  range  16,  owns  and  occupies  a  well- 
regulated  homestead  of  160  acres  on  section  20.  A 
residence  of  forty-three  years  at  this  place  has  made 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


577 


him  fairly  acquainted  with  the  people  of  this  sec- 
tion, who  have  learned  to  look  upon  him  as  one  of 
the  old  landmarks  and  respect  him  accordingly. 

Mr.  Gaddis  came  to  Morgan  County  in  1836  and 
spent  the  first  ten  years  northeast  of  Jacksonville, 
after  which  he  purchased  the  farm  which  he  now 
occupies.  It  was  then  a  wild  prairie  without  im- 
provement and  the  labor  of  bringing  it  to  its  pres- 
ent state  has  been  no  small  task.  The  whole  is  en- 
closed with  good  fencing  and  embellished  with 
neat  and  substantial  buildings  which,  without  mak- 
ing pretentious  to  elegance,  shelter  a  family  happy 
and  contented  in  their  home  life. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Davenport  Township, 
Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1819,  and  is  the  son  of 
Adam  and  Catherine  (MeKee)  Gaddis,  the  former 
a  native  of  County  Down,  Ireland,  and  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  the 
same  county  as  her  husband  where  they  lived  until 
after  the  birth  of  two  children.  Then  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1801  they  sailed  for  America  and  took  up 
their  abode  in  Orange  County,  New  York,  whence 
they  moved  later  to  Delaware  County.  The  wife 
and  mother  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years. 
Mr.  Gaddis  lived  to  be  seventy-three  and  both 
were  members  of  the  Secedcrs  Church. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  seventh  in  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  eight  sons  and  three 
daughters,  the  most  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years 
and  were  married.  Thomas  spent  the  first  twenty- 
one  years  of  his  life  in  his  native  county,  then 
came  to  Illinois  and  was  first  married  in  Morgan 
County  to  Miss  Sarah  McCoy.  This  lady  was  born 
in  Ohio,  lived  some  years  in  Kentucky  during  the 
the  time  of  Indian  troubles  and  then  came  to  Mor- 
gan County  while  still  quite  young.  After  the 
death  of  her  mother,  her  father,  David  McCoy,  re- 
moved to  Warren  County  and  died  at  about  the 
age  of  eighty  years  near  the  city  of  Monmouth. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Gnddis  became  the  mother  of  five 
children  and  died  at  the  homestead  when  seventy- 
one  years  old.  She  was  possessed  of  all  the  Chris- 
tian virtues  and  greatly  beloved  by  her  family  and 
friends.  There  is  living  only  one  of  her  chil- 
dren— David — who  married  Miss  Mary  Leonard 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Lancaster  County,  Ne- 
braska, where  he  follows  mercantile  pursuits.  The 


other  four  children  died  young.  Mr.  Gaddis  was 
married  a  second  time  at  Concord,  to  Mrs.  Fanny 
(Glasscock)  Ham ;  she  was  born  and  reared  in  Ken- 
tucky, where  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Ham  with 
whom  she  came  to  Morgan  County  and  where  Mr. 
Ham  died  when  past  middle  life,  leaving  three 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gaddis  live  quietly  in 
their  comfortable  home  and  have  sufficient  of  this 
world's  goods  to  provide  for  them  in  their  old  age. 
Mrs.  Gaddis  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church 
and  our  subject,  politically,  belongs  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 


R.  A.  H.  KELLOGG,  one  of  the  older  resi- 
dent physicians  and  surgeons  of  Jackson- 
ville, has  attained  to  more  than  his  three- 
score and  ten  years,  having  been  born 
Sept.  3,  1811,  in  Hampshire  Count}',  Mass.  His 
boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  mostly  upon  a  farm 
although  at  an  early  age  he  began  clerking  for  a 
wholesale  house  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  acquired 
his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  later  attended  Amherst  College  in 
Massachusetts.  He  commenced  the  study  of  den- 
tistry when  a  young  man  twenty-four  years  of  -age, 
and  practiced  several  years  in  Ohio.  Five  years 
later  he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine  in  1'ickaway 
County,  that  State,  and  subsequently  attended 
medical  lectures  in  the  Western  Reserve  College  at 
Cleveland.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1849. 
From  the  Buckeye  State  Dr.  Kellogg  migrated 
across  the  Mississippi  into  Ashley,  Pike  Co.,  Mo., 
where  he  followed  his  profession  until  1861.  Early 
in  that  year  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  furnished 
him  unlooked  for  employment  and  he  entered  the 
army  as  Assistant  Surgeon  in  the  8th  Missouri  In- 
fantry. Afterward  he  was  sent  to  Renton  Barracks 
at  St.  Louis  and  from  there  to  Mound  City  Hos- 
pital, in  the  vicinity  of  Cairo,  where  he  remained 
three  years.  In  the  meantime  he  performed  vari- 
ous other  duties,  gaining  a  rich  experience  in  the 
details  incident  to  army  life. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Dr.  Kellogg  located  in 
Jacksonville,  and  since  that  time  has  been  in  active 
practice  at  this  point  and  vicinity.  He  has  been 
for  many  years  the  attendant  physician  of  the 


f 


•       578 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Deaf  &  Dumb  Asylum  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Morgan  County  Medical  Society. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  Giles  C. 
and  Eunice  P.  (Cottrel)  Kellogg,  natives  of  the 
Bay  State.  The  paternal  grandfather.  William 
Kellogg,  was  also  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and 
of  Scotch  descent.  On  the  maternal  side  of  the 
house,  grandfather  Nicholas  Cottrel,  came  directly 
from  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  crossing  the  At- 
lantic with  his  parents  at  an  early  age,  and  settling 
with  them  in  Worthington,  Mass.  Both  the  grand- 
fathers did  good  service  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Giles  C.  Kellogg,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
reared  to  farm  pursuits,  and  left  his  native  New 
England  in  1832,  settling  on  the  Western  Reserve 
in  Ohio,  about  twelve  miles  from  the  city  of  Cleve- 
land, where  he  became  an  extensive  farmer.  He 
reared  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  two  daughters  of 
whom  five  are  still  living.  Of  these  our  subject  is 
the  eldest  and  was  the  second-born  of  the  family. 
The  sons  became  prominent  men,  holding  positions 
of  trust  and  responsibility  in  their  several  com- 
munities, the  eldest  brother,  Frank,  being  a  member 
of  Congress  several  terms,  representing  a  Michigan 
district.  Giles  C.  in  early  manhood  was  a  Jeffer- 
sonian  Democrat.  Later  he  felt  that  he  had  reason 
to  change  his  opinions  and  allied  himself  with  the 
opposition,  the  old  Whig  party.  After  its  abandon- 
ment by  the  organization  of  the  Republicans,  he 
affiliated  witli  the  latter  and  remained  in  accord 
with  them  until  his  death.  He  spent  his  last  years 
on  the  farm  near  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Both  he  and 
the  devoted  mother  were  members  in  good  stand- 
ing of  the  Congregational  Church.  The  mother 
died  about  1863. 

Miss  Martha  A.  Holmes  of  Pickaway  County, 
Ohio,  became  the  wife  of  our  subject,  Aug.  20, 
1839,  and  of  this  union  there  was  born  three  child- 
ren, one  of  whom  died  Oct.  2,  1863.  The  survi- 
vors are  James  11.,  a  practicing  attorney  of  this 
city,  and  Mary  E.,  Mrs.  Stillson,  of  Sandusky 
County,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Martha  A.  Kellogg  departed 
this  life  at  her  home  in  Ashley,  Mo.,  May  1,  1861. 
Dr.  Kellogg  was  subsequently  married,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1862,  to  Miss  Martha  J.  Orr,  who  at  that  time 
was  a  resident  of  Pike  County,  Mo.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Phillip  and  Lucy  (Draper)  Orr, 


who  were  natives  of  Tennessee,  and  are  now  de- 
ceased. Politically,  Dr.  Kellogg  votes  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  and  with  his  estimable  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber in  good  standing  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Their  home  is  pleasantly  located  at  No.  232  South 
East  Street.  Our  subject  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  His  practice  has  extended 
nearly  all  over  this  county  where  he  is  widely  and 
favorabty  known. 


AN1EL  W.  HASKELL.  The  home  be- 
longing to  this  gentleman  once  seen  is  not 
soon  forgotten.  It  comprises  130  acres 
of  highly  cultivated  farming  land,  but 
the  chief  feature  of  attraction  is  the  residence 
with  its  exquisite  surroundings,  comprising  pro- 
bably the  finest  grounds  in  the  township,  em- 
bellished with  shapely  trees,  evergreens  and  other 
choice  varieties,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  built  a 
greenhouse,  wherein  •  are  cultured  some  of  the 
choicest  exotics  of  the  world.  Mr.  Haskell  lias  been 
endowed  by  nature  with  an  ardent  love  of  flowers 
and  simply  for  the  gratification  of  his  tastes  in  this 
direction,  has  spent  a'  large  amount  of  time  and 
mone3',  besides  labor  in  beautifying  his  home.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  raising  tine  fruit  of  all  kinds, 
both  great  and  small,  and  has  made  this  business  a 
success  and  built  up  for  himself  an  enviable  repu- 
tation, second  to  that  of  no  man  in  the  county. 

The  career  of  our  subject  has  been  one  of  more 
than  ordinary  interest.  He  was  born  in  Scott 
Count}',  at  the  homestead,  which  he  now  owns  and 
occupies,  Jan.  3,  1840,  and  was  bred  to  farming 
pursuits,  acquiring  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  His  father  died  when  lie  was  a  lad  of 
twelve  years,  but  he  remained  at  the  homestead 
iinlil  he  reached  his  majority,  and  in  May  of  that 
year,  about  a  month  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War  he  proffered  his  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union. 
He  entered  the  ranks  as  a  member  of  Company  K, 
14th  Illinois  Infantry,  under  the  command  of  Col. 
John  M.  Palmer,  and  was  mustered  in  at  Jackson- 
ville on  the  llth.  The  regiment  was  at  once  sent 
to  the  front  and  marched  through  Missouri,  skir- 
mishing by  the  way  and  participating  in  the  battle 


I 

r 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


579 


of  Springfield,  which  was  surrendered  and  evacu- 
ated by  the  Rebel  General,  Price. 

Young  llaskell  subsequently  participated  in 
many  of  the  important  battles  of  the  war  including 
Shiloh  in  which  he  was  uninjured,  but  later,  while 
picking  over  some  cartridges,  an  explosion  occurred 
and  he  was  seriously  burned  about  the  face  and 
hands  and  laid  up  in  the  hospital  from  March  17, 
to  July  26.  After  rejoining  his  regiment  he  acted 
as  Color  Sergeant  and  participated  in  the  battles  at 
Hatchie's  Run,  was  at  thcseige  of  Vicksburgand  at 
the  capture  of  Ft.  Beauregard,  went  on  the  Meri- 
dian raid  and  remained  in  the  service  until  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  enlistment,  when  he  was 
mustered  out  at  Springfield,  June  20,  1864,  and 
there  received  an  honorable  discharge.  He  experi- 
enced some  hairbreath  escapes  and  at  one  time  the 
simple  point  of  a  bayonet  saved  his  life. 

After  retiring  from  the  army  Mr.  Haskell  re- 
turned home  to  the  farm,  where  he  sojourned  until 
1869.  He  learned  the  blacksmith  trade  at  Exeter 
and  purchased  a  shop  in  partnership  with  J.  W. 
Covington  and  they  operated  together  for  two 
years,  doing  general  blacksmithing.  In  1871  he 
sold  out  and  purchased  his  present  homestead  upon 
which  he  has  effected  nearly  all  the  improvements 
which  are  viewed  with  such  admiration  by  all  who 
look  upon  it.  A  large  area  is  enclosed  with  neat 
hedge  fencing  and  about  eighty  acres  are  under  the 
plow.  The  location  is  especially  fine,  with  good 
springs  and  a  sufficiency  of  timber.  The  residence 
was  completed  in  1875,  the  main  part  being  16x26 
feet  in  dimensions  and  the  wing  16x18.  In  his 
growing  of  small  fruits  Mr.  llaskell  has  been  re- 
markable successful  and  has  made  quite  a  little 
fortune.  He  is  also  considerably  engaged  in  the 
breeding  of  live-stock,  making  a  sociality  of  full- 
blooded  Chester  and  Poland-China  swine,  raising 
about  eighty  head  each  year. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Exeter  Precinct, 
Nov.  18,  1869  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Mills,  a  native  of 
Scott  County,  and  the  daughter  of  Alford  and 
Beda  (Lowe)  Mills,  a  sketch  of  whose  parentage 
will  be  found  in  the  biography  of  her  brother, 
1).  W.  Mills,  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The  Mills 
family  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Scott  County, 
and  Mrs.  Haskell  before  her  marriage  was  engaged 


as  a  teacher  some  seven  or  eight  years.  Of  her 
union  with  our  subject  there  have  been  born  three 
children:  Maude,  now  deceased;  Fritz  and  Dovie. 
Mr.  Haskell  meddles  very  little  with  public  affairs, 
but  gives  his  undivided  support  to  the  Republican 
party.  lie  at  one  time  served  as  County  Commis- 
sioner and  Road  Supervisor  and  has  been  on  the 
Grand  and  Petit  juries.  Socially  he  belongs  to 
the  Modern  Woodmen. 

Benjamin  llaskell,  the  father  of  our  subject  and 
John  Haskell,  his  paternal  grandfather,  were  na- 
tives of  Maine,  where  the  latter  carried  on  farming 
and  stock-raising  until  his  removal  to  Ohio.  He 
was  of  English  descent  and  spent  his  last  days  in 
the  Buckeye  State.  Benjamin  was  a  boy  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Ohio.  They  settled  near  the 
present  sight  of  Batavia,  and  during  his  early  man- 
hood he  employed  himself  at  rafting,  hunting  and 
trapping  along  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers. 
In  1826,  he  came  to  Illinois  and  while  passing 
through  this  section  of  the  country  entered  the 
land  from  which  he  afterward  constructed  a  home- 
stead. He  labored  upon  it  during  the  summer  sea- 
son, but  did  not  give  up  his  home  in  Ohio  until 
some  time  later.  He  was  married  in  1 8,'!8,  in  Scott 
County  after  coming  here. 

Upon  his  arrival  here  for  the  purpose  of  per- 
manent settlement  the  father  of  our  subject  put  up 
with  his  own  hands  a  house  which  is  still  standing 
and  is  well  cared  for  by  our  subject.  He  was 
obliged  to  cut  away  a  great  deal  of  timber  and  he 
brought  a  goodly  portion  of  the  soil  to  a  state  of 
cultivation.  He  was  an  expert  hunter  in  which 
pasttime  he  took  much  delight  and  kept  both  his 
own  family  and  his  neighbors  supplied  with  the 
choicest  of  wild  meats.  Daniel  W.  has  in  his  pos- 
session the  gun  used  by  his  father  and  which  is 
familliarly  known  as  "Long  Tom".  This  firearm  in 
its  day  brought  down  many  a  deer  of  the  forest  as 
well  as  wild  turkies  and  other  game.  The  elder 
Haskell  was  the  owner  of  300  acres  of  land  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  this  State.  Political^'  he  was  an  old 
line  Whig  and  coincided  with  the  ideas  of  Webster 
and  Clay.  He  departed  hence  in  1852  at  the  age 
of  fifty-four  years. 

Mrs.  Sarah  (Coonrod)  llaskell,  the  mother  of 
our  subject  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1801,  and  was 


580 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


the  daughter  of  George  Coonrod,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who,  after  his  emigration  to  the  United 
States,  became  a  Virginia  planter.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  Ohio,  where  the  family  resided  until 
1820.  They  then  came  to  Illinois  by  water  and 
located  on  land  in  Scott  County,  where  the  father 
engaged  in  farming,  but  died  soon  afterward.  The 
grandmother  died  in  1803;  she  was  a  woman 
remarkable  in  many  respects  and  a  sincere  Chris- 
tian. 

Miss  Coonrod  was  twice  married  and  by  her  first 
husband  became  the  mother  of  six  children — 
Henry,  who  is  now  deceased;  James  of  Macoupin 
County,  this  State;  Sarah  of  Morgan  County;  Eliza, 
deceased;  George,  of  Washington;  and  Julia,  of 
Missouri.  James  and  George  during  the  Civil  War 
served  in  a  Missouri  regiment,  the  former  during 
the  entire  period  of  the  war  and  the  latter  two 
years;  both  held  the  rank  of  Lieutenant.  Of  the 
second  marriage  of  the  mother  of  our  subject  there 
were  born  five  children,  viz:  Daniel  W.,  of  this 
sketch;  Beda  S.,  now  deceased;  John  II.,  in  Cali- 
fornia; an  infant,  who  diedunamed;  and  Elizabeth, 
a  resident  of  Nebraska. 


1  OHN  H.  COATS,  the  leading  grocery  mer- 
chant of  Winchester,  is  a  native  of  Peters- 
burg, Pike  County,  Indiana,  and  was  born 
Sept.  23,  1843.  His  father,  William  Coats, 
emigrated  to  Pike  County,  111.,  in  1844,  thence  to 
Scott  County,  whert  he  died  in  1855  at  the  age  of 
sixty -one  years.  The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Coats, 
the  mother  of  John  H.,  was  Amelia  Barrett.  She 
died  in  1862.  Both  she  and  Mr.  Coats  were  na- 
tives of  North  Carolina,  and  they  reared  a  family 
of  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  John  H.  being  the 
youiigest.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  our  subject 
was  left  fatherless  at  a  tender  age,  his  mother  an 
invalid,  and  he  had  no  resources  except  a  brave 
spirit  and  a  courageous  heart. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  at  the 
common  schools,  advantages  being  denied  him  that 
would  have  aided  him  in  procuring  a  higher  educa- 
tion. Being  of  a  studious  and  religious  turn  of 
mind,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  in  1860,  he 


united  with  the  Baptist  Church.  He  remained  a 
member  of  that  church  until  1869,  when  on  account 
of  certain  doctrinal  views  of  the  denomination,  he 
withdrew  from  that  organization  and  became  iden- 
tified with  the  Christian  Church.  In  that  church 
he  was  ordained  and  began  preaching  at  once.  He 
was  so  successful  in  this,  his  chosen  calling,  that  in 
twelve  years  he  baptized  into  that  faith  over  1400 
persons.  Very  much  to  the  regret  of  himself  and 
the  members  of  his  congregation,  he  was  unfortun- 
ately forced  by  an  irreparable  failure  of  his  voice 
and  throat  to  abandon  the  pulpit  in  1884,  since 
which  time,  and  for  a  year  previous,  he  has  been 
exclusively  engaged  in  his  present  business  at 
Winchester. 

In  May  1861,  Mr.  Coats  entered  the  army  as  a 
private  soldier  in  Company  A,  68th  Illinois  In- 
fantry, which  regiment  was  called  out  by  President 
Lincoln  for  the  period  of  three  months.  After- 
ward as  a  member  of  Company  K  14th  Illinois 
Infantry  lie  served  gallantly  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Champion 
Hills,  in  the  campaign  in  front  of  Atlanta,  Big 
Shanty,  and  other  engagements.  At  Big  Shanty 
his  regiment  was  captured  by  the  rebel  Gen.  Hood 
and  in  consequence  Mr.  Coats  partook  of  the  over- 
whelming and  consuming  hardships  of  that  prison- 
hell,  Andersonville.  During  his  confinement  he 
made  two  unsuccessful  attempts  to  escape,  but  the 
third  attempt  proved  to  be  a  success.  Being  de- 
tailed by  Capt.  Wirz,  under  whose  immediate 
charge  the  prison  was  conducted,  and  who  after- 
ward paid  the  penalty  of  his  many  misdeeds  at  the 
end  of  a  rope,  to  make  out  exchange  rolls,  Mr. 
Coats,  by  answering  to  a  dead  man's  name,  flanked 
his  way  out,  and  on  to  Vicksbtirg,  where  he  was 
permitted  to  go  free. 

After  his  return  to  Glasgow,  Mr.  Coats  engaged 
in  the  ministry  as  above  stated,  and  afterward  in 
the  mercantile  business,  which  latter  occupation  he 
followed  for  several  years.  In  1873  being  elected 
County  Treasurer,  he  removed  to  Winchester,  which 
has  ever  since  been  his  place  of  residence.  He 
served  three  full  terms  as  Treasurer  by  election, 
and  held  over  one  year  by  reason  of  a  change  in 
the  law  regulating  the  tenure.  In  1880  he  was  a 
prominent  candidate  before  the  convention  at 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


581 


Springfield  for  the  office  of  State  Treasurer,  and  in 
1  882  represented  Scott  County  in  the  Legislature. 
In  almost  every  State  convention  held  since  the 
war  by  the  Republican  party,  he  has  been  chosen 
as  a  delegate,  and  in  1884  he  was  the  alternate 
delegate  from  this  congressional  district  to  the  con- 
vention that  nominated  James  G.  Elaine.  Mr. 
Coats  has  alwa\'s  been  an  active,  influential,  and 
conscientious  adherent  of  the  Republican  party  and 
an  enthusiastic  worker  in  its  ranks.  He  is  now  a 
member  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee. 
He  is  a  forcible  and  pleasing  speaker  in  public;  a 
man  of  the  highest  integrity  and  a  citizen  whose 
daily  life  reflects  credit  and  honor  upon  his  com- 
munity. He  is  a  Knight  Templar;  an  Odd 
Fellow;  an  enthusiastic  worker  in  the  ranks  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  and  a  member  of  the  Mutual  Aid  Society. 
Oct.  8,  1865  at  Winchester,  Mr.  Coats  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Fannie  McEvers,  the  accomplished 
daughter  of  James  McEvers,  Esq.,  of  Glasgow.  Of 
this  union  there  have  been  born  three  children, 
whose  names  follow:  Charles  B.,  Lillie  B.  and  J. 
Harry.  The  first  named  died  in  1879  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years. 


t 


OIIN  W.  CORINGTON,  a  native  of  Bour- 
bon County,  Kentucky,  may  be  usually 
found  at  his  rural  homestead  on  section  12, 
township  15,  range  9,  where  he  has  operated 
successfully  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and  gathered 
around  himself  and  his  family  all  the  comforts  of 
life.  He  was  born  Nov.  11,  1824,  and  when  a  lad 
of  ten  years  came  to  Morgan  County  with  his 
parents,  of  which  he  has  since  remained  a  resident. 
Joel  Corington,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
likewise  a  native  of  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  and 
born  about  1795.  He  learned  saddlery  and  har- 
ness-making, at  which  he  worked  in  the  Blue  (  !  rass 
State  until  coming  to  Illinois,  then  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming.  He  departed  this  life  July  31, 
1879.  Mrs.  Ella  (Nichols)  Corington,  the  wife 
and  mother,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1805  and  was  of 
English  descent.  The  parental  household  included 
eight  children,  only  three  of  whom  are  living  — 
James  C.,  Emily  E.  and  John  W.,  our  subject 


The  deceased  are  Rosaline,  Amanda,  Wesley  W. 
and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  James  C.  married 
Miss  Mary  Fitch  of  Ohio,  and  lives  on  a  farm  in 
Buchanan  County,  Mo.;  they  have  six  children. 
Emily  was  first  married  to  Daniel  McCoy  of  Bour- 
bon County,  Ky.,  and  who  died  leaving  his  widow 
with  one  child — Fanny;  she  was  then  married  to 
Joseph  Cunningham,  a  retired  farmer  of  Jackson- 
ville. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  upon  reaching  man's 
estate,  was  married  to  Miss  Ann  Cassell,  of  his 
native  county.  Her  parents,  Robert  and  Mary 
Cassell,  came  to  this  county  when  their  daughter 
was  a  child  of  three  years.  Of  this  union  there 
were  born  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living. 
William  married  Alice  Tincher  and  is  farming  in 
this  county;  Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  J. 
Cochran,  a  merchant  of  this  county;  John  B. 
married  Mamie  Reeves,  who  became  the  mother  of 
two  children  and  died,  and  he  was  then  married  to 
Eugenia  Thompson;  he  is  farming  in  Morgan 
County.  Charles  married  Miss  Sadie  Hurst  and  is 
a  resident  of  Morgan  County.  Jennie  is  the  wife  of 
William  Woods,  a  farmer  and  stock-dealer.  Emily 
E.,  Clifton  and  Kate  complete  the  list  of  survivors. 

Our  subject,  Oct.  13,  1887,  was  married  to  Miss 
Grace  Curts.  His  father,  when  coming  to  Morgan 
County,  purchased  275  acres  of  partially  improved 
land.  John  W.,  in  addition  to  owning  a  home- 
stead, has  a  farm  of  600  acres  and  makes  a  special- 
ty of  breeding-  fine  horses,  while  he  also  handles 
cattle  and  swine.  He  is  a  member  in  good  stand- 
ing of  the  Christian  Church,  and  has  held  the 
office  of  Trustee  for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years. 
He  is  a  sound  Democrat,  politically,  and  labors 
earnestly  in  support  of  his  party. 


H.  RUSSW INKLE.  This  prosper- 
ous farmer  and  stock-raiser,  who  is  residing 
on  section  17,  township  16,  range  12,  was 
born  in  Morgan  County,  Feb.  23,  1860.  His  par- 
ents were  John  II.  and  Ella  Russwinkle,  natives  of 
Germany.  The  father  came  to  this  county  when 
a  young  man,  poor  in  purse,  and  occupied  himself 
as  a  farm  hand  until  he  had  laid  up  sufficient  money 


t 


582 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


to  purchase  the  land  which  his  widow  now  occupies 
and  where  he  built  a  good  home.  But  forty  acres 
were  broken  at  the  time  of  purchase,  and  lie  added 
to  his  real  estate  until  he  was  the  owner  of  300 
acres,  all  of  which  he  had  accumulated  through 
his  industrious  efforts.  Not  only  did  he  come  to 
this  country  without  means,  but  was  obliged  to 
borrow  $1.50  in  order  to  get  from  New  Orleans  to 
St.  Louis. 

To  the  parents  of  our  subject  there  was  l>orn 
quite  a  large  family  of  children,  of  whom  six 
survive,  viz:  John,  George  H.,  our  subject,  Will- 
iam, Mary,  the  wife  of  Henry  .lording  of  Lafayette 
County,  Mo.,  Annie,  the  wife  of  John  Bullis  of 
Broken  Bow,  Neb.,  and  Ella.  After  the  death  of 
the  mother  the  elder  Russwinkle  was  married  the 
second  time,  and  there  were  born  two  more  child- 
ren, Lizzie  and  Lotta.  Mr.  R.  was  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  served  as  Trustee, 
and  in  politics  was  a  Democrat.  His  sterling  worth 
and  integrity  were  the  means  of  gathering  around 
him  many  friends.  He  served  as  School  Director 
in  his  township  and  was  numbered  among  the  pros- 
perous German  farmers  of  Morgan  county. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  reared  to  man's 
estate  in  this  count3"  and  received  his  education  in 
the  common  school.  He  remained  a  member  of 
his  father's  household  until  twenty-three  years  old, 
assisting  in  opening  up  the  new  farm,  and  remained 
unmarried  until  after  the  death  of  his  father,  which 
occurred  in  October,  1885.  On  the  5th  of  May, 
1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie,  daughter  of 
George  Werries  of  Morgan  county,  and  they  have 
one  son,  George  H.  Mr.  Husswinkle  owns  eighty 
acres  of  good  land  which  he  has  accumulated  by 
his  own  industry.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  like  his  father,  and  also  like  him  belongs 
to  the  Democratic  party.  Mrs.  Russwinkle  died  at 
the  homestead,  Oct.  3,  1888. 


"jf)  ESSE  YOUNG.     The   Young  family  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  of  Scott 
'     County,  and    this    branch  represents  prop- 
erty  to  the  amount  of  468  acres   in   town- 
ship   13,  range    13.     The    subject  of    this    notice 


was  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  this  region, 
coming  to  what  was  then  a  partof  Morgan  County, 
but  is  now  Scott,  probably  as  early  as  1831.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  industry  and  enterprise,  and 
accumulated  a  fine  property.  The  homestead  is 
operated  by  his  three  sons — Robert,  George  and 
Charles,  and,  in  addition  to  general  farming,  they 
make  a  specialty  of  stock-growing,  principally 
Shorthorn  and  Durham  cattle. 

The  widow  of  our  subject,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Young, 
was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ky.,  April  4,  1822,  and 
lived  there  until  about  ten  years  old,  when  she  was 
brought  by  her  parents  to  Illinois.  Her  father  se- 
lected a  tract  of  land,  north  of  the  present  site  of 
Winchester,  some  years  before  there  were  any  in- 
dications of  a  town.  Her  early  educational  advan- 
tages were  exceedingly  limited,  but  she  was  care- 
fully trained  in  all  useful  housewifely  duties,  and 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  became  the  wife  of 
Mr.  Young,  the  wedding  taking  place  at  the  home 
of  the  bride,  March  4,  1841.  Mr.  Young  was  like- 
wise a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass  State,  and  came 
with  his  father's  family  to  what  is  now  Scott 
Count}'  in  his  youth. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  com- 
menced life  together  in  a  modest  manner  on  a 
farm,  and  worked  their  way  steadily  upward  to  a 
good  position,  socially  and  financially.  Mr.  Young, 
personally,  was  what  might  be  called  a  good  man 
in  the  broadest  sense  of  the  term,  kindly,  generous 
and  hospitable,  who  made  for  himself  scores  of 
friends.  He  was  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand 
to  those  in  need,  and  his  whole  career  was  dis- 
tinguished by  those  qualities  which  made  him  be- 
loved and  revered  by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact. He  rounded  up  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy- 
six  years,  nine  months  and  twenty-three  days,  de- 
parting hence  on  the  12th  of  April,  1889.  Not 
only  was  he  deeply  mourned  by  bis  own  family 
and  immediate  relatives,  but  by  the  whole  commu- 
nity, wherein  his  influence  had  been  nothing  but 
good. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  there  were  born  nine 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living.  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  Patrick  O'Donnell,  and  they  have  eleven 
children,  nine  of  whom  are  living,  viz:  Johnie, 
Lizzie,  Olive,  Mary  Ann,  Nellie,  Charles,  Thomas, 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


583 


Lilly,  and  Susie.  Miss  Susie  Young,  together  with 
Robert  and  Annie,  remain  at  home  with  their 
mother.  The  fourth  child  was  an  infant,  who  died 
unnamed.  George  married  Miss  Mar}1  Mouldridge, 
and  they  have  two  children — Joe,  and  an  infant 
unnamed.  This  son  lives  on  a  part  of  the  farm. 
Emma  married  William  McLaughlin,  became  the 
mother  of  one  child,  who  died,  and  she  died  in 
1876.  Miss  Olive  Young  died  when  an  interesting 
young  lad_y  of  twent3T-two  years;  Charles  married 
Miss  Alice  Fletcher,  and  is  the  father  of  two  chil- 
dren— Ilardiu  and  Percy. 

The  Young  homestead  is  considered  one  of  the 
most  valuable  in  this  part  of  Scott  County.  It  is 
embellished  with  good  buildings,  and  supplied 
with  all  the  machinery  for  carrying  on  agriculture 
in  the  most  profitable  manner.  The  family  repre- 
sents in  a  high  degree  the  worth  and  respectability 
of  Scott  County. 


-5- 


E  W.  MOORE,  a  life-long  resident  of 
Morgan  County,  was  born  within  its  limits 
in  1833,  completed  his  education  in  Illinois 
College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  185G,and 
chose  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  which  lie  has  since 
followed.  Upon  reaching  man's  estate,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Nannie,  daughter  of  Col.  G.  M.  Cham- 
bers, of  Jacksonville,  and  a  native  of  Bourbon 
County,  Ky.  The  only  child  born  of  this  union  is 
a  daughter — Eleanor  I.,  who  has  been  given  an 
excellent  education,  graduating  from  Jacksonville 
Female  Academy  with  honors  in  the  class  of  '89, 
and  still  lives  with  her  parents.  They  reside  upon 
a  beautiful  farm,  seven  miles  east  of  the  city, 
where  Mr.  Moore  is  largely  engaged  in  stock-rais- 
ing and  feeding,  which  he  has  prosecuted  with 
marked  success. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Edmund  Moore, 
who  was  born  in  Roscommon  County,  Ireland, 
and  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1 71)8. 
During  Hie  first  few  years  of  his  residence  in  the 
United  States  he  had  the  unusual  experience  of 
living  under  three  forms  of  Government — first,  the 
French  in  Louisiana,  under  the  first  Consul,  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte;  second  the  Spanish  in  Florida, 


under  King  Charles  the  Fourth,  and,  lastly,  under 
the  great  Republic.  He  completed  his  education 
in  the  Seminary  at  Bardstown,  Ky.,  now  known  as 
Nazareth,  and  later  took  up  the  study  of  medicine. 
In  due  time  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  O'Neal, 
a  native  of  Bardstown,  and  later  removed  to  Rock- 
port,  Ind.,  where  he  followed  his  chosen  profession 
for  five  years.  Then,  in  1827,  he  came  to  this 
county,  where  he  operated  as  a  successful  practi- 
tioner for  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years,  and  died 
an  honored  and  respected  citizen. 

Mrs.  Mary  (O'Neal)  Moore,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  departed  this  life  eleven  years  prior  to  the 
decease  of  her  husband.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children,  one  of  whom,  a  son  Lewis,  a  re- 
tired farmer,  is  an  intelligent  and  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Glendora,  Cal.;  Ellen  became  the  wife 
of  Samuel  Tindall,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Morgan 
County;  Sylvester  L.  is  a  resident  of  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  George  W.,  our  subject,  completes  the  list. 
Two  of  the  sons  served  in  the  Union  army  during 
the  late  Civil  War,  Sylvester  being  a  member  of 
the  101st  Illinois  Infantry,  in  which  for  gallant 
services  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major. 
George  W.,  our  subject,  held  a  Lieutenant's  com- 
mission in  the  1st  Missouri  Cavalry,  and  distin- 
guished himself  for  his  bravery  and  fidelity  to 
duty. 

Mr.  Moore  is  everywhere  recognized  as  a  man 
of  superior  intelligence,  and  as  the  encourager  of 
all  measures  tending  to  elevate  the  people.  lie  is 
liberal  in  his  religious  views,  but  friendly  to  all 
church  denominations  whose  influence  will  make 
men  wiser  and  better.  Mrs.  Moore  is  a  lady  of 
cultivation  and  refinement,  and  greatly  attached  to 
her  beautiful  country  home.  She  is  an  earnest 
Presbyterian — the  church  of  her  ancestors — de- 
voted to  her  family,  kind  and  obliging  to  her 
neighbors,  and  universally  esteemed. 


the 


AMUEL  WARREN  NICHOLS,  editor  of 
the  daily  and  weekly  Jacksonville  Journal, 
is  a  native  of   Hancock  County,  this  Slate, 
and   was  born   Feb.  5,  1844.     His  father, 
Rev.    Warren    Nichols,    of    the    Presbyterian 


584 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Church,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  died  in 
1862,  in  Ohio,  where  he  had  resided  for  some 
years. 

At  Lima.  Ohio,  in  May,  18C4,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  enlisted  as  a  Union  soldier  in  Company  E, 
15 1st  Ohio  la  fan  try,  and  served  four  months  in  and 
around  Washington,  D.  C.  Upon  leaving  the  arm}-, 
he  came  to  this  county,  settling  in  Jacksonville, 
and  for  some  time  attended  the  Illinois  College. 
Later  he  became  a  student  of  the  Jacksonville 
Business  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated, 
and  taught  therein  one  year.  From  1867  to  1870 
he  was  Treasurer  of  the  Jacksonville  Gas  Light 
and  Coke  Company,  and  during  the  latter  year  was 
Teller  of  the  First  National  Bank. 

Later,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Nichols  & 
Brennan,  our  subject  was  engaged  in  the  stove 
business  in  this  city  six  years,  and  from  187G  to 
1885,  he  was  in  the  photograph  business.  About 

1884  he  began    writing   for   the  Journal,  and    in 

1885  he  was  employed  regularly  on  the  staff  of  that 
paper.     The  Journal  Company  was  organized  in 
November,    1886,    and   since    that    time    Messrs. 
Nichols  &  Fay  have  directed  its  editorial  columns. 

Mr.  Nichols  is  a  live,  wide-awake  newspaper 
man.  and  the  columns  of  the  Journal  attest  his  de- 
votion to  the  very  best  interests  of  the  city  and 
its  people.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  is  prominently  identified  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  the  G.  A.  R. 


i()HN  A.  CRAIN,  a  dry-goods  merchant  and 
banker  of  Waverly,  is  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  J.  A.  Crane  it  Co.,  and  lias  been  a 
resident  of  Morgan  County  since  March, 
1  846.  He  was  born  in  Fleming  County',  Ky.,  Nov. 
.5,  1822,  and  is  of  English  ancestry.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  James  Crane,  was  born,  reared  and 
married  in  England  and  emigrated  to  America 
about  1728.  He  made  settlement  in  Fauquier 
County,  V a.,  where  he  resi.led  until  1798,  then  with 
his  son  Samuel,  removed  to  Fleming  Count}',  Ky., 
the  wife  and  mother  having  died  in  the  Old  Do- 
minion. Grandfather  Crain  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 


pation,  reared  a  large  family  and  lived  to  be  over 
ninety  years  old.  His  children  settled  mostly  in 
in  South  Carolina. 

Samuel  ('rain,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  1760,  and  served  four  years  as  a  private  in  the 
Revolutionary  War  under  the  direct  command  of 
Washington,  and  was  present  at  the  surrender  of 
Yorktown.  In  1785  he  was  married  to  a  Virginia 

O 

lady  of  English  descent.  In  1798  they  removed  to 
Fleming  County,  K/y.,  where  the  wife  and  mother 
died  about  1810.  The  children  born  of  this  mar- 
riage were  named  respectively,  Simeon,  John,  Will- 
iam, James,  Lewis,  Elizabeth,  Lucinda,  Fhebe  and 
Sarah.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Crain 
was  married,  in  1819,  to  Jane  B.  Moffett,  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  of  Irish  and  German  parents.  He 
became  owner  of  a  plantation  where  he  spent  his 
remaining  years,  being  successful  financially,  lie 
owned  a  number  of  slaves,  several  of  whom  were 
freed  at  his  death,  which  occurred  in  June,  1825, 
the  result  of  a  fall.  Of  his  second  marriage  there 
were  born  six  children,  viz.:  Thomas,  John  A., 
Charles,  Samuel,  Elijah  and  Louise,  all  of  whom, 
with  the  exception  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  are 
deceased. 

John  A.  Crain  continued  a  resident  of  his  native 
State  until  a  .young  man  of  twenty-four  ye:irs. 
Then  coming  to  Illinois  he  located  in  Waverly,  es- 
tablishing the  pioneer  store  in  the  place,  which  he 
conducted  with  signal  success.  It  was  probably 
also  the  oldest  store  in  the  county.  In  1870  he 
established  a  private  bank,  which  is  still  in  opera- 
tion. He  has  at  different  times  owned  large  tracts 
of  real  estate,  sometimes  as  high  as  2,000  acres. 
lie  disposed  of  a  large  portion  of  this,  having  now 
600  acres  besides  his  town  property. 

Mr.  ('rain  has  been  twice  married,  first  in  lH48to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Manson, whose  parents  were  earl v  set- 
tlers of  Morgan  county.  She  was  born  in  Ernmetts- 
burg,  Md.,  and  died  in  1852,  leaving  two  children, 
both  daughters:  the  elder,  Mary,  became  the  wife 
of  Byron  L.  Carter,  and  died  in  Waverlv,  leaving 
three  children;  Lucy  married  James  Dennis, and  died 
in  Waverly,  leaving  one  child.  Emma  also  died  in 
Waverly.  In  185C  Mr.  ('rain  married  his  second 
wife,  Eleanor  M.,  daughter  of  Dempsey  and  Mary 
(Roberts)  Kennedy;  this  lady  was  born  in  I'ennsyl- 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


585 


I" 

T 


v:mia,  and  came  to  Illinois  with  her  parents  when 
quite  young.  Of  this  union  there  have  been  born 
six  children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Kate,  is  the  wife 
Rev.  George  R.  Boatty,  and  resides  in  Ocala,  Fla.  ; 
Klla  is  the  wife  of  Newton  H.  Roher,  of  Waverly; 
Maude  was  the  third  child;  Oliver  remains  with  his 
father,  and  has  charge  of  the  bank;  Chase  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Florida,  and  Thomas  resides  at  home.  Mr. 
Grain,  politically,  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religious 
matters  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  since  1840. 


WILLIAM  J.  CLA  YWELL,  familiarly  known 
as  "Jasper"  Claywell,  stands  second  to  no 
man  in  Scott  County,  in  point  of  popular- 
ity and  genuine  worth  of  character.  Personally 
he  is  of  robust,  portly  frame,  six  feet  two  in  height, 
and  weighing  300  Ibs.  Within  this  ample  frame 
nature  has  placed  a  heart  in  keeping  with  its  other 
proportions  —  one  which  feels  for  its  fellow-men, 
has  always  an  impulse  of  kindness  toward  the  un- 
fortunate and  downfallen,  and  which  prompts  the 
bestowal  of  substantial  aid.  A  man  more  than 
ordinarily  devoted  to  his  family,  Mr.  Claywell  is 
also,  outside  of  this,  uniformly  benevolent  and 
active  in  all  good  works,  a  devoted  Christian,  and 
prominent  in  church  circles,  one  who  is  looked  up  to 
as  the  moving  spirit  in  every  good  enterprise  and 
who  not  only  gives  his  time  and  influence,  but  con- 
tributes of  his  means  as  he  has  opportunity. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  Mr.  Claywell  is  his 
force  of  character,  mingled  with  great  native  abil- 
ity and  sound  common  sense.  These  have  been 
his  attendants  in  all  his  walks  in  life,  whether 
exercised  as  beneficiary  to  his  fellow-men  or  in 
the  immediate  surrondiugs  of  his  home.  The  lat- 
ter perhaps  is  more  plainly  stamped  with  his  true 
character,  and  on  all  sides  there  is  the  evidence  of 
industry,  enterprise  and  ample  means.  The  dwell- 
ing is  a  neat  and  substantial  frame  structure,  while 
the  fences,  yards,  barns  and  other  outbuildings  de- 
note on  every  hand  thrift  and  prosperity.  The 
homestead  forms  a  picture  delightful  to  contem- 
plate and  the  proprietor  is  one  of  those  men 
whom  to  meet  is  a  matter  of  solid  satisfaction,  not 


alone  to  the  biographer,  but  to  all  who  are  thrown 
within  the  sphere  of  his  influence.  Mr.  Claywell 
owns  and  operates  174  acres  of  choice  land,  pleas- 
antly located  on  section  1,  township  13,  range  13. 
He  purchased  this  in  the  fall  of  1852,  and  cleared 
all  but  ten  acres  of  it,  which  was  fenced  at  the  time 
of  purchase.  In  addition  to  general  farming  he 
has  been  largely  interested  as  a  stock-raiser,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  thoroughbred,  Short-horn  cattle 
and  Poland-China  swine.  One  of  his  maxims  is 
"the  fewer  promises  a  man  makes,  the  better  he  is 
off."  Following  out  this  idea  he  has  been  espec- 
ially prompt  to  meet  his  obligations  and  this  habit 
concisely  adhered  to  has  perhaps  more  than  any- 
thing else  the  effect  to  establish  a  man  in  the'esteem 
of  his  fellow  citizens. 

Mr.  Claywell  was  born  at  the  old  Claywell  home- 
stead Aug.  8,  1831,  and  acquired  his  education  in 
the  primitive  log  school-house,  with  its  puncheon 
floor  and  slabs  for  seats  and  desks,  and  its  huge  fire- 
place, witli  the  chimney  built  outside  of  earth  and 
sticks.  He  was  a  bright  and  ambitious  boy  and 
when  but  fifteen  years  old,  assisted  in  the  organi- 
zation of  subscription  schools,  lie  has  always 
taken  a  lively  interest  in  educational  matters  and 
especially  in  the  Sand  Ridge  school  to  which  he 
donated  land  for  the  grounds  and  otherwise  assisted 
in  its  establishment  and  maintenance.  At  the  nge 
of  twenty  years  he  was  married,  Aug.  7,  1851,  to 
Miss  Permelia,  daughter  of  Bird  and  Harriet  (Wil- 
liams) Peak,  who  were  among  the  earliest  pioneers 
of  Scott  County,  and  are  now  residents  of  Winches- 
ter. A  sketch  of  them  will  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  volume. 

After  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Claywell 
lived  upon  a  rented  farm  two  seasons,  and  then  re- 
moved to  that  which  they  now  occupy.  Here 
there  were  born  their  nine  children,  the  eldest  of 
whom.  Ilattie,  died  when  fifteen  months  old.  Bird 
is  married  and  a  resident  of  Scott  County ;  he  has 
three  children — Annie,  Permelia  and  Charles. 
.John  married  a  Miss  New,  and  is  a  traveling  sales- 
man for  the  firm  of  Walter  A.  Woods,  manufact- 
urer of  harvesting  machinery;  he  has  one  child, 
William  J.,  Jr.  William  J.,  died  at  the  age  of  six 
years;  Lucinda  died  in  infancy  ;Cornelia  is  the  wife 
of  Joseph  McClure,  and  has  charge  of  our  subject's 


580 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


farm;  they  have  one  child,  Elmer.  Thomas  mar- 
ried Miss  Emma  Taylor,  is  a  resident  of  Kansas, 
and  lias  two  children — Percy  Mabel  and  Lilly;  Ol- 
ive and  Dolly,  (twins)  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Claywell  are  members  in  good  standing  of 
the  Christian  Church,  at  Winchester,  in  which  Mr. 
Clay  well  has  been  a  Trustee  and  one  of  its  most 
liberal  supporters.  Politically,  he  supports  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  has  been 
Township  Treasurer  seven  or  eight  years. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Joel  and  Lu- 
cinda  (Cain)  Clay  well,  natives  of  Cumberland 
County,  Ky.,  to  which  the  paternal  grandfather 
removed  from  North  Carolina,  and  where  lie  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  days.  Joel  Clay  well  remained 
in  Kentucky  until  after  his  marriage  and  the  birth 
of  two  children,  then  in  1826,  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  little  family  and  settled  on  section  6, 
township  12.  range  13.  The  country  was  then 
mostly  in  its  primitive  condition  and  the  Clay  well 
family  experienced  all  the  vicissitudes  of  pioneer 
life.  In  Scott  County,  there  were  added  to  the 
family  circle  seven  more  children,  in  all  there  were 
four  sons  and  five  daughters.  William  J.  was  the 
eldest  son.  The  father  for  a  time  after  coming 
West  operated  as  pilot  on  the  flatboats  of  the 
Mississippi,  Illinois  and  Ohio  rivers.  These  crafts 
were  utilized  in  conveying  produce  from  this 
county  to  New  Orleans.  William  J.  thus  was  left 
at  an  early  age  in  charge  of  the  homestead.  The 
land  in  this  region  was  then  heavily  timbered  and 
the  neighborhood  log-rollings,  while  furnishing 
plenty  of  laborious  work,  were  also  the  occasion  of 
hilarity  and  pleasure  among  the  young  people  who 
assembled  in  the  evenings  for  enjoyment.  The 
grain  for  many  years  was  cut  with  cradles  and  a 
large  proportion  of  it  was  harvested  by  our  sub- 
ject and  six  other  young  men  who  worked  together 
and  were  experts  at  the  business,  doing  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  cradling  in  their  neighborhood. 
These  employments  served  to  develop  strong  and 
sturdy  frames,  and  made  the  men,  who,  later,  were 
instrumental  in  developing  the  resources  of  the 
country  and  building  up  their  community,  morally 
as  well  as  financially. 

Mis.  Clay  well  was  born  on  the  old  Peak  home- 
stead, April  16,  1835,  and  lived  there  with  her  par 


cuts  until  leaving  the  home  roof  to  preside  over  a 
household  of  her  own.  She  has  been  in  all  res- 
pects the  suitable  partner  of  her  husband  and  both 
enjoy  the  unqualified  respect  of  all  who  know 
them. 


?ILLIAM  B.  JOHNSON,  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  W.  B.  Johnson  &  Sous,  occu- 
pies a  fine  business  block,  which  he  put  up 
in  the  summer  of  1877.  and  which  embraces  Nos. 
65  to  70  on  the  east  side  of  the  Square,  in  Jack- 
sonville. He  gives  employment  to  twenty  men,  and 
has  supervision  over  one  of  the  most  important 
industries  of  the  city.  He  came  to  this  place  in 
1850  when  it  was  an  unimportant  village,  and 
started  business  in  a  small  way  in  tinware  and 
stoves.  In  1862  he  added  furniture  to  his  stock, 
and,  under  the  impetus  of  a  steadily  increasing 
patronage,  the  house  rapidly  attained  its  present, 
position  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  furnishing  busi- 
ness. 

The  Blue  Grass  State  was  the  early  home  of  our 
subject,  his  birth  taking  place  in  1829.  His  par- 
ents, Lively  and  Agnes  (Thurman)  Johnson,  were 
natives  of  Virginia.  They  lived  in  Kentucky 
until  1830,  the  father  in  the  meantime  engaged  in 
farming  in  Cass  County,  his  land  being  located 
three  miles  from  the  town  of  Chandlerville.  This 
was  Government  land  when  he  settled  upon  it,  and 
the  first  dwelling  of  the  parents  was  a  cabin  in  the 
timber.  It  contained  but  one  room,  and  was  built  in 
the  most  primitive  manner,  no  shingles,  iron,  sawed 
timber  or  glass  being  accessible.  The  fireplace  ad- 
mitted sticks  of  wood  ten  feet  in  length.  Upon 
leaving  Kentucky,  they  came  to  this  county,  where 
the  father  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  in  1834,  while  he  was  still  a 
young  man.  He  had,  however,  signalized  himself 
as  a  worthy  citizen,  and  had  been  especial^  act- 
ive as  a  temperance  advocate.  Religiously,  he  be- 
longed to  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  mother  survived  her  husband  a  period  of 
thirty-six  years,  and  spent  her  last  days  on  the 
old  homestead,  her  death  taking  place  in  1870. 
The  nine  children  of  the  parental  family  all  lived 
to  mature  years.  Those  surviving  at  the  present 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


587 


! 


time  are  Sarah, 'Mary,  William  15.,  our  subject,  and 
John  B.  The  deceased  are  Martha,  Nancy,  Susan, 
Elizabeth  and  Catherine. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  younger 
wars  under  the  home  roof,  and  later  learned  the 
tinner's  trade  in  the  city  of  Springfield.  He  estab- 
lished in  business  for  himself,  first  in  Mt.  Pulaski, 
Logan  County,  but  fourteen  months  later  removed 
to  Fulton,  Whiteside  County,  and  thence  came  to 
Jacksonville  in  1850.  In  1851  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Lawson,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Of 
this  union  there  were  born  six  children,  two  of 
whom  died  at  an  early  age.  The  four  living  are 
all  sons.  William  II.  married  Miss  Florence  Mc- 
("lill,  a  native  of  New  York  State, and  is  the  father 
of  one  child,  a  son,  Frederick  M.  William  is  a 
partner  of  his  father.  John  L.  and  Edward  are 
members  of  the  same  firm.  Charles  A.  is  pursuing 
his  studies  in  the  city  schools. 

The  family  residence  is  pleasantly  located  at  No. 
•123  West  State  street,  and  in  its  furnishings  and  sur- 
roundings is  fully  in  keeping  with  the  means  and  sta- 
tion of  its  inmates.  Death  entered  this  peaceful  abode 
in  November,  1887,  calling  away  the  devoted  wife 
and  mother.  Mrs.  Johnson  was  a  very  estimable 
lady,  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
for  many  years.  About  the  time  of  her  connection 
with  this  church,  Mr.  .Johnson  also  became  a  mem- 
ber, and  has  served  some  twenty  years  as  Trustee. 
In  political  matters  his  sympathies  are  with  the 
Republican  party.  He  has  ever  maintained  a  lively 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  city,  and  has 
aided  in  the  development  of  coal  mines,  the  secur- 
ing of  railroad  advantages  through  this  region  and 
the  building  of  factories.  He  has  thus  signified  the 
public  spirit,  without  which  no  city  can  attain  to 
prominence  or  prosperity. 


ENRY  B.  SWETTART.  This  prosperous 
and  well-known  manufacturer  of  spring 
wagons,  carriages  and  buggies  at  Chapin, 
needs  but  little  in  the  way  of  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  people  of  Morgan  County,  who  have 
long  known  him  as  one  of  the  much  valued  citi- 
zens of  this  community.  He  is  a  native  of  Han- 


over,  Germany,  where  he  was  born  on  the  13th  of 
December,  1837.  He  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Mary  Swettart,  natives  of  the  same  place.  His  par- 
ents gave  him  a  as  good  an  education  as  they  were 
able  in  the  schools  of  Hanover,  and,  being  quite 
fond  of  reading,  and  having  become  well  acquainted 
with  English,  he  is  able  to  take  his  place  among 
the  well-informed  English-speaking  people  of  the 
county. 

Mr.  Swettart  emigrated  to  this  county,  in  1855, 
from  Bremen,  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  a  sailing- 
vessel,  the  voyage  lasting  forty-nine  days.  He 
lauded  at  New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  about 
six  months;  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to 
Memphis,  and  subsequently  to  Louisville,  where  he 
made  his  home  for  three  years,  working  at  wagon- 
making — having  begun  the  same  in  New  Orleans. 
His  settlement  in  Morgan  County  dates  from  the 
year  1859.  He  first  worked  for  Mr.  John  Webb  in 
the  village  of  Bethel,  continuing  to  follow  his  trade 
until  August,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company 
101st  Illinois  Infantry,  as  a  private.  Subsequently 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Sergeant,  which 
position  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  honorable  dis- 
charge at  the  close  of  the  war,  on  the  7th  of  June, 
1865.  He  was  present  as  an  active  combatant  in 
the  battles  of  Lookout  Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge, 
Peachtree  Creek,  and  Newhope  Church;  was  one 
of  the  men  to  accompany  Sherman  in  his  famous 
march;  he  also  fought  throughout  the  entire  At- 
lanta campaign,  and  finished  his  experiences  in  the 
ranks  at  the  grand  review  at  Washington.  He  was 
captured  at  Holly  Springs,  Miss.,  and,  after  being 
held  about  four  hours,  was  paroled.  This  was  his 
only  experience  as  a  prisoner-of-war. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Swettart  returned  to 
Morgan  County,  and  began  business  for  himself  in 
Bethel,  where  he  continued  until  1882,  when  he 
removed  to  Chapin,  where  he  still  resides.  His 
business  has  grown  most  satisfactorily,  and  consists 
of  two  departments — the  one,  that  of  his  manufac- 
tory of  various  vehicles,  and  the  other,  that  of  the 
sales  of  all  kinds  of  farming  implements  and  ma- 
chinery, of  which,  although  not  a  manufacturer,  he 
handles  quite  a  large  quantity. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Swettart  was  cele- 
brated in  July,  1865,  with  Lucinda  Sullins,  by 


588 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


whom  he  became  the  father  of  one  son,  who  re- 
ceived the  name  of  William  R.  On  the  3d  of 
June,  1877,  he  contracted  a  second  matrimonial 
alliance  with  Mary  Plainer.  To  them  was  born  a 
daughter,  who  received  the  name  of  Lena.  In  the 
community  this  family  is  held  in  high  regard,  our 
subject  commanding  the  respect  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens, both  in  a  business  and  social  way.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post  at  C'hapin,  and  is  at 
present  the  Quartermaster  of  the  Post.  He  is  also 
identified  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 
Religiously,  he  is  connected  with  the  Christian 
Church,  and  in  matters  political  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  one  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Chapin,  of 
which  he  has  served  as  President. 


ENRY  II.   HALL,  a  retired  farmer  in  good 
iy  circumstances  and  a  resident  of  Jacksonville, 


1 

f 


was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Morgan 
county,  and  prominent  during  the  years  of 
its  early  growth  and  development.  lie  was  born 
in  Accomack  County,  Va.,  Aug.  17,  1827,  and  is 
the  son  of  Henry  II.  and  Anna  (Beard)  Hall,  whose 
family  consisted  of  the  following  children,  namely : 
John,  Ann,  Eliza,  Henry  (Brst  and  second),  Henry 
II.  (our  subject),  John  Pitt,  Eliza  (2d),  Robert,  and 
Jane,  five  of  whom  are  deceased. 

The  father  of  our  subiect  was  born  near  Belfast, 
Ireland,  in  1795,  and  received  a  classical  education, 
being  graduated  from  one  of  the  best  schools  in 
Edinburg,  Scotland.  Later  he  studied  surgery  in 
Dublin,  and  in  due  time  was  appointed  a  Surgeon 
in  the  British  army,  in  which  capacity  he  served  a 
number  of  years.  He  came  to  America  in  1817, 
settling  in  Virginia,  and  the  following  year  was 
married.  Upon  coming  to  Illinois  he  settled  in 
that  part  of  Morgan  County,  which  is  now  Cass 
Count}',  and  laid  out  the  town  of  Virginia.  He 
entered  a  large  tract  of  land  from  the  Government^, 
and  became  well-to-do,  living  there  until  his  death), 
in  1847.  He  was  recognized  as  a  liberal-minded 
and  public-spirited  citizen,  and  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  all  that  pertained  to  the  welfare  of  his 
adopted  county.  He  identified  himself  with  theDem- 
ocratic  party,  and%became  a  warm  personal  friend  of 


.Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Though  not  a  member  of 
any  church  organization,  he  led  a  truly  Christian 
life,  filled  with  deeds  of  charity  and  kindness,  and 
enjoyed  the  highest  respect  of  all  who  knew  him. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  traced  her  ancestry  back  to  the  family  of 
which  William  Pitt  was  a  scion,  in  England.  She 
was  a  devout  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  a 
faithful  wife  and  a  devoted  mother.  Her  death  took 
place  in  1  882,  after  she  had  reached  a  ripe  old  age, 
in  which  she  enjoyed  the  full  possession  of  all  her 
faculties,  being  remarkably  strong  both  mentally 
and  physically. 

Our  subject  remained  under  the  parental  roof 
during  the  lifetime  of  his  father,  and  was  educated 
mostly  in  a  private  school.  He  embarked  in  mer- 
chandising about  1850,  but  a  few  years  later,  on 
account  of  failing  health,  turned  his  attention  to 
farming  and  stock-raising.  Later  he  organized  the 
Farmers'  National  Bank  of  Virginia,  Cass  County, 
of  which  he  officiated  as  President  four  years. 
In  1870  he  retired  from  active  business,  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  Jacksonville,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  He  was  first  married  to  a  daughter  of  Judge 
Epler,  of  Jacksonville,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Charles  H.,  Ida  M.,  Mary  E., 
Grace  M.,  and  John  R.,  all  living.  Charles  and 
John  were  both  educated  in  the  Illinois  College, 
and  the  former  is  now  living  in  Minneapolis, 
Minn. 

Our  subject,  in  1872,  contracted  a  second  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Anna  Savage,  of  Jacksonville. 
Of  this  union  there  has  been  born  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Helen  II.  Mr.  Hall,  politically,  is  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  belongs  to 
the  Congregational  Church. 


J"  AMES  BLUE.     This  very  well-known    resi- 
dent of  Jacksonville  was   born    in  Monroe 
County,  Mo.,  Dec.    11,  1842,  and  is  the  son 
^  '    of  Robert  and  Eliza  Blue,  who  were  natives 
of  Kentucky.     The  mother  died   in  August,  1870, 
and  the  father  is  still  living  in  Missouri.     lie  was 
born  in  1813,  and  has  followed  farming  the  greater 
part  of  his  life. 


4- 

589   ,  > 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch,  when  a  youth  of 
fourteen  years,  made  his  way  to  Kansas  and  lived 
there  until  1867.  Next  he  came  to  Jacksonville, 
and  purchased  the  two  lots  where  he  now  lives,  and 
ui>on  which  he  has  put  up  a  neat  and  tasteful  resi- 
dence, and  the  other  necessary  buildings.  Like  his 
father  before  him,  he  likewise  has  made  agriculture 
his  life  occupation.  When  ready  to  establish  a 
home  of  his  own  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret 
Richardson,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky.  Their 
eldest  child,  Eliza,  is  the  wife  of  Burl  Hitt,  and 
Mary  married  Charlie  Hitt.  The  next  child  was 
John  F. ;  Willie  died  when  a  promising  youth  of 
eighteen  years;  Ella,  Birdie  and  James  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  remaining  children  are  Stella,  Robert 
and  Maggie. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blue  are  members  in  good 
standing  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Blue  has 
held  the  office  of  Deacon  in  this  church  for  several 
years,  and  has  been  one  of  its  chief  pillars.  He  has 
also  officiated  as  Treasurer  and  Church  Trustee. 
He  is  an  earnest  advocate  of  temperance,  and  lends 
his  political  influence  to  the  Prohibitionists. 


W.  GREEN.  This  honored  pioneer 
of  Scott  County  has  been  successful  in 
accumulating  a  fine  property,  being  the 
owner  of  560  acres  of  good  farming  land, 
with  a  residence  finely  located  on  the  banks  of 
Mauvaisterre  Creek.  The  dwelling,  with  its  sur- 
roundings, its  well-kept  grounds  and  its  air  of 
comfort  and  plenty,  presents  a  very  inviting  spot 
to  the  weary  traveler,  under  whose  hospitable  roof 
he  frequently  finds  rest  and  refreshment.  Mr. 
Green  is  one  of  the  oldest  living  residents  of  this 
section,  and  while  engaged  in  the  building  up  of 
his  homestead,  also  established  himself  in  the  es- 
teem and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

Of  excellent  English  ancestry,  our  subject,  who 
was  born  in  Bluffs  Precinct,  this  county,  Jan.  7, 
1831,  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  Green,  who  was  born 
in  Yorkshire,  England,  Jan.  7,  1800.  The  pater- 
nal grandfather,  John  Green,  a  substantial  English 
yeoman,  owned  a  large  farm  in  Yorkshire,  and 
served  for  several  years  in  the  English  army  as  a 


lieutenant.  Benjamin  Green,  in  1829,  emigrated 
to  America,  and  coming  directly  to  this  county, 
entered  a  tract  of  land  from  the  government,  and 
also  purchased  School  land  in  Bluffs  Precinct.  He 
was  greatly  prospered,  and  in  due  time  became  the 
owner  of  450  acres,  which  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
in  June,  1882,  was  all  under  a  fine  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  supplied  with  good  buildings.  The  father 
of  our  subject  was  an  active  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  and  in  politics  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. He  embraced  religion  at  the  early  age  of 
fifteen  years,  and  was  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  church 
at  Naples,  which  he  assisted  in  organizing.  He 
officiated  as  Class- Leader  a  number  of  years,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  decease  was  a  Steward  and  Trustee. 
He  donated  largely  to  the  maintenance  of  the 
society  and  the  building  of  the  church  edifice. 

Mrs.  Hannah  (White)  Green,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  which 
was  also  the  birthplace  of  her  father.  She  came  to 
America  with  her  husband  and  died  in  1851,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  The  parental  house- 
hold included  eight  children,  five  of  whom  lived  to 
years  of  maturity.  Mary,  Mrs.  Woodman,  is  a 
resident  of  Jacksonville,  this  State;  Annie,  Mrs. 
Chance,  lives  at  Bluffs;  John  W.,  our  subject,  was 
the  next  in  order  of  birth ;  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Merras, 
lives  at  Bluffs;  William  died  when  twenty-three 
years  old.  He,  during  the  civil  war,  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  129th  Illinois  Infantry,  was  mustered 
in  at  Decatur,  took  part  in  many  important  battles, 
and  died  at  Mitchellville,  Tenn.,  in  1863. 

John  W.  Green  pursued  his  early  studies  in  the 
district  school,  and  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  twenty  years  old.  In  1854  he  purchased 
the  land  comprising  his  present  homestead,  and 
which  was  then  in  its  primitive  condition,  without 
any  improvements  whatever.  lie  entered  at  once 
upon  the  task  before  him,  and,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years,  found  himself  on  solid  ground.  He 
purchased  land  adjoining,  until  at  one  time  he  was 
the  owner  of  1000  acres  in  one  body.  He  put  up 
a  $6000  residence,  and  besides  general  farming, 
engaged  in  stock-raising,  threshing  and  saw-mill- 
ing, and  from  all  these  resources  realized  a  hand- 
some income. 

In  1886  Mr.  Green  sold  off  320  and  120  acres  of 


590 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


t 


his  land  and  retired  from  active  labor.  Many  and 
great  have  been  the  changes  he  has  witnessed  since 
coining  to  this  county,  where  beset  foot  when  wild 
game  of  all  kinds  was  plentiful,  and  lie  often  saw 
as  many  as  twelve  deer  in  one  herd.  Wolves  also 
howled  around  the  cabin  door  at  night,  and  there 
was  plenty  of  wild  turkeys  and  other  game,  which 
afforded  the  settlers  many  a  rare  meal.  Mr.  Green 
set  out  fruit  and  forest  trees,  orchards  of  peach, 
apples  and  the  smaller  fruits,  and  constructed  a 
fish  i>ond,  which  lie  stocked  with  a  choice  variety 
of  the  finny  tribe.  He  made  a  specialty  of  full- 
blooded  Poland-China  swine,  and  bought  and  fed 
cattle  in  large  numbers,  shipping  usually  two  cars 
each  year.  He  kept  draft  horses  to  the  number  of 
twenty  head  usually,  and  employed  five  teams  in 
operating  the  farm.  He  is  still  the  owner  of  the 
full-blooded  Clyde  Stallion,  Prince,  a  magnificent 
animal  who  pulls  down  the  scales  at  1700  pounds. 

The  29th  of  October,  1854,  witnessed  the  mar- 
riage of  our  subject  at  Bluffs  with  Miss  Margaret 
Jane  Ohler.  Mrs.  Green  was  born  in  Adams 
County,  Pa.,  and  came  to  Illinois  with  her  parents 
when  quite  young.  1)103'  settling  on  land  in  Bluffs 
Precinct.  She  remained  a  member  of  her  father's 
household  until  her  marriage  with  our  subject,  and 
of  this  union  there  have  been  born  six  children. 
The  eldest,  a  daughter,  Margaret,  is  the  wife  of  W. 
G.  Pine,  a  farmer  of  Oxville  Precinct,  and  they 
have  five  children:  Harry,  William,  John,  Grant 
and  Ross.  Ann  is  the  wife  of  Eli  McLaughlin,  a 
farmer  of  Winchester  Precinct,  and  they  have  six 
children — Harvey,  Mabel,  Flo,  Jauey,  Claude  and 
Carrie;  Benjamin,  a  grain-buyer  of  Riggston,  this 
county,  is  married  and  has  one  boy — John:  Will- 
iam, Carrie  and  Harvey  arc  at  home  with  their  pa- 
rents. William  took  kindly  to  his  books,  studied 
in  different  colleges,  and  now  follows  the  profes- 
sion of  a  teacher ;  he  is  also  the  assessor  of  town- 
15,  range  13 — a  fine,  jolly  lad  who  is  a  favorite 
with  all. 

Mr.  Green  political^-,  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  has  been  quite  prominent  in  the  councils  of  his 
party,  frequently  representing  it  in  the  county 
conventions.  He  has  served  as  County  Commis- 
sioner and  School  Director;  was  Township  Trustee 
a  period  of  fifteen  years,  and  is  now  President  of 


the  Board.  He  has  also  served  on  the  Grand  and 
Petit  juries.  He  was  at  one  time  connected  with 
both  the  I.  O.  ().  F.  and  the  Masonic  fraternity. 
He  is  a  very  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  at  Naples,  to  which  he  contributes  a 
liberal  and  cheerful  support,  has  served  as  Steward 
and  Trustee,  and  has  been  Sunday  School  Superin- 
tendent. 


IIARLES  F.  VIRGIN  is  numbered  among 
the  intelligent  and  wide-awake  young  Ameri- 
s,  who  arc  actively  promoting  the  various 
interests  of  Morgan  County.  He  devotes  himself 
to  farming  in  a  general  way,  raising  both  grain  and 
stock,  and  is  rightly  considered  one  of  the  most 
skillful  and  energetic  of  the  younger  members  of  his 
calling.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Menard 
County,  Aug.  26,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Vir- 
gin, well  known  as  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists 
of  this  part  of  Illinois.  For  his  life  record  see  his 
biography  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 

Our  subject  was  quite  young  when  his  parents 
removed  to  Morgan  County,  and  'he  was  reared  to 
man's  estate  on  his  father's  farm  in  this  township. 
He  gained  the  basis  of  a  liberal  education  in  the 
local  district  school,  and  was  sent  to  the  Business 
College  at  Jacksonville  to  complete  it,  and  there 
pursued  a  fine  course  of  study.  He  was  a  bright 
and  apt  pupil,  and  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of 
his  teachers  and  and  fellow  students,  both  on  ac- 
count of  his  excellent  scholarship,  and  his  pleasant, 
genial  manners.  He  had  been  bred  to  the  life  of  a 
farmer,  and  as  a  keen  observer  and  an  intelligent  lad 
he  had  gained  a  good  practical  knowledge  of  the 
calling  in  all  its  branches,  and  when  it  came  time 
for  him  to  decide  upon  a  vocation  he  naturally 
turned  his  attention  to  agriculture,  and  has  since 
pursued  it  with  characteristic  energy,  bringing  to 
his  work  a  clear  judgment  and  a  good  capacity  for 
labor,  and  the  success  that  has  followed  his  efforts  is 
well  merited. 

Feb.  2,  1888,  Mr.  Virgin  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Hattie  Lathom,  daughter  of  one  of  the 
leading  families  of  this  section.  For  parental  his- 
tory see  sketch  of  her  father,  W.  J.  Lathom,  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Virgin  have 


f 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES 


591 


a  pretty,  attractive  home,  whose  pleasant  hospitali- 
ties are  graciously  extended  to  hosts  of  warm 
friends.  Mr.  Virgin  is  a  member  of  the  Anti- 
Horse  Thief  Association,  of  Prentice,  and  he  is 
active  in  every  enterprise  that  is  likely  in  any  way 
to  benefit  the  community,  and  elevate  its  moral 
and  social  status. 


WILLIAM  McCURLEYwas  born  in  Morgan 
County,  April  17,  1838.  He  attended  a 
subscription  school  in  his  youth,  which 
resulted  in  a  fair  education.  His  father,  Ezekiel 
McCurley,  came  to  Morgan  County  in  1827,  and  in 
the  same  fall  returned  to  Alabama,  his  native  State, 
and  the  following  spring,  in  company  with  his 
father  and  mother,  returned  to  Morgan  County, 
settling  on  a  tract  of  Goverment  land  amount- 
ing to  eighty  acres,  whicli  at  one  time  he  increased 
to  900  acres.  lie  died  April  13,  1885,  while  his 
wife  preceded  him  to  the  better  land  Oct.  15, 
1883.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children. 
seven  of  whom  are  living:  Samuel,  Julia,  Erne- 
line,  Margaret,  Susan,  Mary  E.  and  William.  Sam- 
uel was  married  twice,  his  first  wife  being  Elizabeth 
Seymour,  who  died  soon  after  their  marriage.  Mary 
A.  Mooreland  was  the  maiden  name  of  his  second 
wife,  ami  by  whom  he  had  nine  children:  Nancy  J., 
Lavina,  Julia  A.,  Caroline,  William  E.,  and  Agnes. 
Mary,  George  W.  and  Emma  are  deceased. 

William  McCurley  married  Telitha  Davidson, 
daughter  of  Joshua  and  Elizabeth  Davidson.  She 
was  born  May  27,  1836.  Her  parents  came  to  Mor- 
gan County  in  1830,  from  Alabama.  Her  father 
died  in  1844,  while  the  mother  survived  him  until 
July  G,  1873.  They  were  of  German  descent, 
and  had  the  following  children:  "David,  William 
F.,  James,  Thomas  J.,  Albert,  Mary,  Martha  and 
Telitha.  David  married  Rebecca  Gibson,  now  de- 
ceased. They  had  one  child,  Mary  Ellen.  Da- 
vid is  now  farming  in  Macoupin  County,  and  is  the 
father  of  four  children  by  his  last  marriage  —  Fran- 
cis 1?.,  Emma,  Harvey  and  Clara.  William  F.  mar- 
ried Mary  Seymour,  a  school  teacher  of  this  county, 
and  to  whom  was  born  four  children  —  Hattie  L., 
Alice,  Marion  W.,  Marstoii  M.  James  married 


Louisa  Norville;  they  are  now  living  in  Jasper  Coun- 
ty, Mo.  Thomas  J.  married  Mary  Phillip,  of  this 
county,  and  is  now  residing  in  Florida;  they  have 
three  children  —  Amy,  Annie  and  James.  Albert 
married  Frances  D.  O'Ryan  (deceased.)  His  sec- 
ond wife  was  Frances  Brown.  Albert  is  now  liv- 
ing in  Morgan  County,  and  is  a  dealer  in  real  es- 
tate. Mar}'  married  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Gibson,  of  this 
county;  they  are  the  parents  of  nine  children  — 
John  M.,  Elizabeth,  George  C.,  Hannah,  James  W., 
Albert  D.,  Mary  E.,  Richard  Y.  and  Julia.  Martha 
man-led  Gideon  Jennings,  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
who  is  now  a  rancher  in  the  Indian  Territory;  they 
have  six  children  —  Henry,  Granville,  Susan,  Annie 
Martha  and  Marinda. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  seven  children  — 
Amanda  J.,  Alice,  Louella,  John  II.,  Ezekiel  H., 
Mary  E.  and  Zeruah.  Amanda  married  Albert 
Hoyer,  a  fanner  of  Van  Buren  County,  Iowa,  and 
they  have  four  children  —  Lulu,  Reuben  W.,  Dora 
B.  and  Ivan  H.  Alice  married  Newton  Henry; 
her  husband  is  dead,  and  she  is  residing  with  her 
father.  Louella  married  George  Moore,  and  is  re- 
siding in  Macoupin  County;  they  have  one  child, 
Maud  M.  The  rest  of  the  children  are  with  their 
parents. 

William  McCurley  at  the  time  of  his  marriage 
was  the  owner  of  his  present  farm,  and  has  since 
improved  it  with  comfortable  buildings,  and  has 
brought  his  land  into  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
He  is  considered  by  his  neighbors  as  a  model  far- 
mer. The  family  are  all  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  McCurley  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  polities,  and  has  been  Postmaster  for  several 
years. 


USTIN  MOODY,  well  known  as  among  the 
oldest  settlers  and  prosperous  citizens  of 
Morgan  County,  is  a  native  of  Somerset- 
shire, England,  the  date  of  his  birth  l>eing 
the  29th  of  October,  1834.  He  is  the  son  of  Austin 
and  Jane  Moody,  to  whom  were  born  thirteen 
children,  of  whom  the  following  are  known  to 
survive:  Austin,  the  subject  of  this  writing; 
Charles,  who  lives  in  England;  Christopher,  in 
Australia;  Richard  ;  Ann,  the  wife  of  James  Bryant; 


1 


592 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  Mr.  Smith,  and  Martha, 
wife  of  William  Parnell,  nil  of  Somersetshire,  En- 
gland. 

The  education  of  Mr.  Moody  was  received  in  the 
schools  of  the  parish  where  he  was  horn,  and  was 
fairly  thorough  in  the  usual  English  branches.  At 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  began  to  learn  the  trade 
of  a  butcher,  and  served  a  three-year's  apprentice- 
ship— paying  $100  as  a  premium  for  the  same.  In 
1845  he  emigrated  to  America,  taking  passage  at 
the  port  of  Liverpool  upon  a  sailing  vessel,  and 
after  an  ocean  voyage  of  five  weeks,  landed  in  New 
York  city,  whence  he  came  almost  at  once  to 
Naples,  111.,  making  the  entire  trip  by  water.  He 
followed  the  following  route:  via  Hudson  River 
from  New  York  to  the  Erie  Canal,  which  he  fol- 
lowed to  the  lake,  thence  to  Cleveland,  where 
he  took  the  Ohio  Canal  to  Portsmouth,  which  is 
adjacent  to  Cincinnati,  and  there  he  followed  the 
course  of  the  Ohio  River  and  that  of  the  Missis- 
sippi to  St.  Louis,  and  thence  to  Naples. 

Arriving  in  Naples,  our  subject  began  work  on 
a  farm,  and  continued  for  about  three  years;  in 
1850  he  purchased  a  farm  for  himself  in  section 
14,township  15,  range  12,  now  known  asMerritt  Pre- 
cinct, Scott  County.  For  this  property  he  paid  $8 
per  acre.  His  first  purchase  included  but  100  acres, 
but  to  this  he  has  added  from  time  to  time  until  it 
comprised  490  acres.  He  came  to  this  country  a 
poor  man,  and  had  practically  nothing  to  begin 
with,  but  by  long  continued  effort,  intelligently 
directed,  perseveringly  continued  in  and  sustained 
by  thrift,  he  has  been  thus  successful,  assisted  al- 
ways by  the  most  estimable  companion  of  his  life, 
who  has  been  in  every  regard  a  true  helpmate, 
faithful  in  every  responsibility  that  has  come  to  her 
in  the  domestic  relation. 

Mr.  Austin  was  married  on  the  12th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1850,  being  most  favorably  impressed  with  the 
admirable  disposition  and  many  happy  qualities 
possesses  by  Mary  Lazenby,  the  lady  of  his  choice, 
who  was  born  upon  the  13th  of  October,  1828,  in 
Yorkshire,  England.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John 
(deceased)  and  Sarah  Lazenby,  by  whom  she  was 
brought  to  America  when  about  six  months  old. 
Her  parents  settled  in  Morgan  County  in  1829, 
near  Jacksonville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moody  were  the 


parents  of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  living, 
viz:  John,  who  is  a  resident  of  Scott  County; 
Sarah,  the  wife  of  B.  DeLapp  of  California;  Mary, 
now  Mrs.  Charles  Rawson  of  this  county;  Emma, 
the  wife  of  Walter  Birch,  a  railroad  agent;  James 
B.,  of  Scott  County.  The  deceased  child  is  Henry. 

Mr.  Moody  lived  on  his  farm  in  Scott  County 
until  1875,  in  which  year  he  removed  to  Chapin, 
where  he  has  lived  a  retired  life  for  man}'  years. 
He  is  a  very  earnest  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  Both  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife 
are  respected  members  of  society  and  in  every 
circle,  both  social  and  religious.  The  relation  of 
our  subject  to  questions  of  government  and  politi- 
cal economy  is  with  the  Democratic  party,  of  which 
he  is  an  old  and  tried  member.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Moody  have  been  hard  workers  throughout 
their  lives,  and  now  in  their  declining  years  are 
reaping  the  harvest  thereof,  but  their  days  are  not 
spent  in  idleness  or  inactivity,  but  being  relieved 
from  the  embarrassing  responsibilities  and  cares  of 
business,  they  are  careful  to  spend  them  in  acts  of 
kindness  and  deeds  of  usefulness. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Moody  were  very  early 
settlers  in  Morgan  County,  and  settled  about  five 
miles  west  of  Jacksonville.  To  them  were  born 
seven  children,  of  whom  it  was  their  privilege  to 
bring  five  to  the  estate  of  man  and  womanhood. 
These  are:  Mary,  the  wife  of  our  subject;  John  and 
Charles,  both  of  this  county;  William,  who  resides 
in  Missouri,  and  Isaac,  also  of  this  county.  The 
names  of  those  deceased  are  as  follows:  Elizabeth 
and  James.  In  the  death  of  John  Lazenby  the 
county  sustained  the  loss  of  one  of  its  best  and 
representative  citizens.  His  widow,  who  is  in  her 
eighty-sixth  year,  resides  with  our  subject. 


> 


EBEY.  This  gentleman  is  an 
honor  to  the  citizenship  of  Scott  County, 
and  no  one  of  its  citizens  is  more  worthy  of 
the  consideration  and  veneration  in  which  he  is 
held  by  all  who  know  him  than  he,  for  he  is  a  thor- 
oughly upright,  high-minded  man.  whose  life-rec- 
ord is  without  blemish.  He  represents  the  indus- 
trial interests  of  Winchester  Precinct  where  he 


f 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


593 


resides,  both  as  a  prosperous  farmer  and  as  a  suc- 
cessful potter. 

Mr.  Ebey  comes  of  sturdy  Revolutionary  stock. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  a  German  by  birth  and 
descent,  emigrating  to  America  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  Colonists,  and 
bravely  fought  with  them  for  freedom  from  British 
rule,  and  yielded  up  his  life  in  the  cause  at  the 
storming  of  Stony  Point.  The  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject, George  and  Mary  (Ellebarger)  Ebey,  were 
born  in  Penns3'lvania,  and  married  and  settled  in 
their  native  State.  The  father  was  a  man  of  good 
ability,  full  of  ambition  and  enterprise.  He  was  a 
millwright,  and  owned  a  flour-mill  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  used  to  ship  his  flour  on  his  own  boats  from 
his  manufactory  on  the  Juniata  River  to  Baltimore. 
Desirous  of  making  money  still  faster,  he  built 
two  vesssels,  and  loading  one  with  flour  and  the 
others  with  castings  bought  from  a  foundry  on 
credit,  he  dispatched  them  to  the  Baltimore  market. 
But  while  going  down  the  Susqnehaiina  River  the 
vessels  were  run  upon  a  rock  near  its  mouth  and 
wrecked,  the  pilot  having  been  bribed  to  do  the 
act,  and  both  vessels  with  their  entire  cargo  and 
three  of  the  crew  were  lost.  Mr.  Ebey  was  on 
board  of  one  of  the  vessels,  and  not  being  able  to 
swim,  he  lay  upon  the  bow  of  the  sinking  boat  dur- 
ing that  entire  March  night,  and  when  rescued  in 
the  morning  was  entirely  helpless  jfrom  wet,  col<'? 
and  exposure.  This  accident  was  a  serious  in- 
.terruption  in  his  hitherto  prosperous  career,  and 
caused  him  to  sell  his  property  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  1804  to  remove  with  his  family  to  Ohio. 
He  bought  a  tract  of  heavily  timbered  land  in  the 
primeval  forests  of  that  State,  twelve  miles  north 
of  Columbus,  on  the  Sciola  River,  and  there  en- 
tered upon  the  pioneer  task  of  hewing  out  a  farm. 
He  also  engaged  in  his  business  as  a  miller,  erect- 
ing a  saw  and  grist  mill  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
John  Sells.  He  there  reared  his  family  until  after 
the  sad  death  of  his  wife  (in  1815)  broke  up  his 
home — misfortune  having  once  more  set  its  seal 
upon  his  financial  affairs,  as  the  title  to  his  land 
was  found  to  he  defective  and  he^had  to  give  it  up. 
The  mill,  however,  had  been  built  on  his  partner's 
land,  so  that  he  did  not  lose  his  share  of  that.  He 
rented  a  mill  near  Columbus,  and  lived  there  five 


years,  and  then,  some  of  his  children  having  mar- 
ried, he  broke  up  housekeeping  and  lived  among 
them,  his  death  occurring  in  1848,  at  the  venera- 
ble age  of  eighty-four  years.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  was  the  tenth  in  order  of  birth.  He  was 
bom  in  Ohio  Jan.  18,  1811.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  various  places,  as  his  brother-in-law,  with 
whom  he  lived,  moved  frequently.  His  father 
came  to  Illinois  in  1828,  and  he  came  with  him, 
and  they  settled  first  in  Sangainon  County,  whence 
our  subject  made  several  trips  back  to  Ohio.  He 
had  learned  the  potter's  trade  from  his  brother-in- 
law,  and  when  nineteen  years  old  established  him- 
self at  that  calling,  and  not  having  money  enough 
to  carry  on  the  business  alone,  was  obliged  to 
work  on  shares  for  about  three  years. 

May  3,  1832,  our  subject  was  married,  in  Ohio, 
to  Miss  Matilda,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Jane 
Kilpatrick,  natives,  respectively,  of  County  An- 
trim, Ireland,  and  of  Washington  County,  Pa.  The 
father  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  and  migrated  to  this 
country  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  He  married 
there,  and  in  1815  removed  with  his  family  to 
Ohio,  becoming  a  pioneer  of  that  State.  He  died 
in  1824,  and  the  mother  in  1855.  They  had  eleven 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Ebey,  the  fifth  in  order  of 
birth,  is  now  the  only  living  representative.  She 
was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Pa.,  March  31,  1812. 
To  her  and  her  husband  ten  children  have  been 
born,  seven  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom 
have  lived  to  maturity,  but  four  have  since  died. 
In  the  hour  of  their  country's  greatest  need,  they 
loyally  sent  forth  three  of  their  beloved  sons  to  do 
battle  in  her  honor,  and  two  of  them  were  sacrificed 
to  preserve  the  Union  in  its  entirety.  Their  son, 
Fletcher,  enlisted  in  Company  K,  14th  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 
Another  son,  George  W.  P.,  enlisted  in  Company 
C,  28th  Illinois  Infantry,  was  badly  woundad  at 
Shiloh,  came  home,  after  lingering  in  ill-health  some 
years,  and  died  from  the  effects  of  his  wound,  Oct. 
18,  1876.  Their  eldest  son  now  living,  Thomas, 
served  three  years  as  a  member  of  Company  K, 
14th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  spared  to  return  to 
his  parents  and  friends.  He  was  born  Nov.  24, 
1835,  and  is  now  happily  established  in  a  hoiiie  of 


594 


MORGAN   AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


his  own  near  his  father's.  He  married  Emma 
Alder,  and  they  have  three  children.  The  record 
of  the  other  three  children  of  our  subject  and  his 
wife  is  as  follows:  Mary  Jane,  born  May  12,  1840, 
married  William  Garland,  of  Wyoming,  and  they 
have  three  children;  Eliza,  born  Jan.  29,  1843, 
married  Henry  Stahl,  of  Elkhart,  111.,  and  they 
have  five  children  living;  Minnie,  born  Nov.  29, 
1845,  lives  at  home  with  her  parents;  Olive,  born 
Dec.  17,  1848,  lives  in  Custer,  Dak.;  Orville,  born 
Dec.  27,  1851,  lives  on  his  father's  place,  married 
Mary  Buhner,  and  they  have  five  children;  David, 
born  April  27,  1854,  married  Lucy  Summers,  and 
had  two  children,  Katie  and  a  younger  one,  who, 
having  been  born  just  after  her  father's  death,  was 
named  Davie  in  memory  of  him.  This  son  died 
June  22,  1882,  in  the  very  prime  of  early  man- 
hood, and  thus,  shortly  after  the  golden  aniversary 
of  their  wedding  day  a  half-century  before,  these 
worthy  people  lost  their  "baby"  in  his  twenty- 
eighth  year. 

After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ebey  lived  in 
Ohio  until  the  following  year,  1833,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Manchester,  111.,  and  the  next  year  came 
to  Winchester,  and  thus  became  numbered  among 
the  pioneers  of  this  place.  Two  years  later  Mr. 
Ebey  bought  this  place  and  here  they  have  lived  for 
over  half  a  century.  lie  erected  a  pottery,  and  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  that  business  to  this  day. 
He  has  also  gradually  worked  into  farming,  and  now 
has  a  fine  farm  of  200  acres  of  land,  of  exceeding 
fertility,  one  mile  northeast  of  Winchester. 

Mr.  Ebey  is  a  thoroughly  patriotic  citizen,  and 
during  the  late  war  contributed  his  quota  toward 
carrying  it  to  a  successful  issue.  Thirteen  volun- 
teers went  out  from  the  shelter  of  his  home  to  join 
the  Union  Army.  Three  of  them  were  his  sons, 
one  a  son-in-law,  and  the  others  were  men  in  his 
employ.  He  constituted  himself  a  committee  of 
one,  to  look  after  the  boys,  and  made  eight  trips  to 
the  seat  of  war;  visiting  the  battlefield  of  Shiloh, 
and  bringing  home  his  three  sons  who  had  fought 
nobly  there;  one  was  dead  and  another  severely 
wounded,  as  heretofore  mentioned.  Mr.  Ebey  was 
a  personal  friend  of  President  Lincoln,  Richard 
Yates  (the  War  Governor  of  Illinois),  Peter  Cart- 
wright,  and  other  notable  men  of  this  State.  The 


famous  preacher  (Peter  Cartwright)  used  to  make 
his  home  his  abiding-place  for  the  night  when  he 
was  holding  quarterly  meetings  in  this  neighbor 
hood.  Mr.  Ebey  raised  a  company  for  the  Mexican 
War,  was  elected  its  captain,  but  was  not  called 
upon  to  serve,  as  the  quota  was  filled.  In  early 
ti?nes  he  was  a  Whig  in  politics,  and  was  one  of 
the  first  of  the  Abolitionists,  and  until  1884  was  a 
supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  but  in  that  year 
he  jointed  the  ranks  of  the  Prohititionists,  and  has 
stood  by  that  party  ever  since.  He  and  his  wife 
are  both  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  they  let  their  light  so  shine  as  to 
be  seen  of  others  who  recognize  inthem,  happy,  sin- 
cere Christians. 

The  life-record  of  our  subject  shows  him  to  be  a 
man  pure  and  spotless  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  one 
who  has  always  aimed  to  do  good.  Sound  discre- 
cretion,  promptitude  and  method  in  his  business 
transactions,  have  been  important  factors  in  bring- 
ing about  his  success  in  his  undertakings.  At  this 
writing  he  possesses  good  mental  powers  and  a  fine 
physique,  so  that  he  has  passed  the  milestone  that 
marks  seventy-nine  years  of  a  busy  life,  and  yet 
does  not  bear  the  marks  of  such  a  venerable  age, 
but  is  still  hale  and  vigorous,  and  it  is  the  ho|>e  of 
his  many  friends  that  his  kindly  presence  may  be 
spared  to  them  many  years  before  he  is  called  to 
pass  over  the  river. 


K.  JONES,  L.  L.  D.,  M.  D.,  Motor  member 

l'i  of  the  firm  of  II.  K.  &  C.  G.  Jones,  bc- 
ir  came  a  student  of  the  Literary  Depart- 
ment of  Illinois  College  in  1839,  and  was 
graduated  from  that  department  in  1844.  He  then 
entered  the  Medical  department  of  the  same  Col- 
lege in  1844,  graduating  in  1840.  After  this  im- 
portant event  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Missouri,  where  he  lived  for  several 
years.  But  his  old  attachments  drew  him  back 
to  Jacksonville,  where  he  has  resided  since  that 
time,  a  period  now  of  nearly  forty  years.  His 
career  has  been  that  of  a  conscientious  practitioner, 
an  honest  man.  and  a  good  citizen.  A  native  of 
Rappabannock  County,  Ya.,  our  subject  was  born 


MORGAN   AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


595 


1    i 

!= 


August  5,  18111,  ;uid  is  the  son  of  Stephen  and 
Mildred  (Kinnaird)  .Jones,  who  where  also  natives 
of  the  Old  Dominion.  The  father  emigrated  from 
his  native  State  to  Missouri  about  1827.  He  had 
been  an  extensive  farmer  in  Virginia  and  carried 
on  the  same  occupation  after  crossing  the  Missis- 
sippi. He  died  in  Lincoln  County,  Mo.,  in  1831. 
The  mother  survived  thirteen  years,  dying  in  1844. 

The  paternal  grand  parents  of  our  subject  were 
from  Wales  and  Scotland.  Grandfather  Jones 
crossed  the  Atlantic  in  time  to  do  good  service  in 
the  Revolutionary  Army  under  the  direct  com- 
mand of  Washington.  He  spent  his  last  years  in 
Virginia.  To  Stephen  and  Mildred  Jones  there 
were  born  five  children,  namely:  Mrs.  Maria  Foil- 
son  and  Mrs.  Nancy  Kimes,  deceased  :  Hiram  K., 
our  subject;  Richard  M.,  who  was  also  a  physician 
and  is  now  deceased;  and  Cumberland  G.,  the  asso- 
ciate of  our  subject  in  his  practice. 

Mr.  Jones  was  reared  on  the  farm  in  Missouri, 
and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  a  youth 
of  sixteen  years.  In  the  meantime  lie  improved 
his  opportunities  for  education,  and  after  leaving 
school  was  occupied  in  leaching  for  a  period  of 
eight  years  in  the  academies  and  other  schools  of 
Lincoln  County,  Mo.  About  1844-45  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine,  fitting  himself  for 
the  collegiate  course.  He  emerged  from  the  class- 
ical department  of  the  Illinois  College  in  1844, 
and  from  the  Medical  department  in  1846.  He 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Troy, 
Lincoln  Co.,  Mo.,  and  four  years  later  was  ap- 
pointed Assistant-physician  of  the  Insane  Hospital 
in  Jacksonville,  which  position  he  held  until  1854. 
That  year  he  became  a  resident  of  Jacksonville. 
For  ten  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Hoard 
of  Trustees  of  Illinois  College,  and  in  1855  was 
appointed  to  fill  one  of  its  vacant  chairs  and  de- 
liver lectures  during  the  winter.  He  is  a  member 
of  most  of  the  medical  societies  of  both  the  State 
and  county. 

In  187'J  Dr.  Jones  in  company  with  live  oilier 
gentlemen  organized  the  Concord  Summer  School 
of  Philosophy  at  Concord,  Mass.,  and  for  live;  years 
thereafter  attended  and  delivered  a  course  of  lec- 
tures each  summer.  This  organization  was  ofli- 
cered  as  follows:  A.  Bronson  Alcolt,  of  Concord, 


Mass.,  Dean;  Prof.  F.  B.  Sanborn,  of  Concord, 
Secretary;  Prof.  L.  H.  Emery.  Jr.,  of  Quiney,  111., 
Director;  Prof.  Dr.  W.  T.  Harris,  L.  L.  D.,  of  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  and  Dr.  H.  K.  Jones,  Directors.  This 
institution  is  entirely  self-supporting  and  at  each 
session  there  are  delivered  lectures  b}-  the  famous 
literary  men  and  women  of  the  country,  such  as: 
Dr.  A.  C.  Bartol,  of  Boston;  Miss  Elizabeth  P.  Pea- 
body,  of  Massachusetts ;  Pres.  Noah  P.  Porter,  of 
Yale  College.  Julia  Ward  Howe,  of  Boston;  John 
Abbie,  of  Massachusetts,  and  Mrs.  Edna  Cheney, 
Boston.  The  session  commences  in  July  of  each 
year  and  continues  four  weeks.  Its  existence  and 
purposes  are  familiar  to  the  cultured  and  literary 
people  of  both  East  and  West. 

The  lady  chosen  for  the  life  companion  of  our 
subject,with  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  1844 
was  in  her  girlhood  Miss  Elizabeth  Orr,  a  native  of 
Pike  County,  Mo.,  and  the  daughter  of  Judge  Philip 
and  Lucy  Orr,  natives  of  Missouri,  and  at  the  time 
residents  of  that  county. 

Mrs.  Jones  is  a  lady  of  much  literary  ability  and 
with  her  husband  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of 
the  Congregational  Church.  Their  beautiful  home 
with  its  modern  improvements  is  finely  located  on 
West  College  avenue,  where  the  doctor  also  has 
his  office.  He  has  little  to  do  with  politics,  otherwise 
than  to  support  the  Republican  principles  by  his 
voice  and  vote. 


LEXANDER  YOUNG,  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  oldest  families  of  Scott  County, 
was  born  three  miles  northeast  of  Win- 
chester, Aug.  1'J,  1826,  and  is  consequently 
approaching  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age.  lie 
is  comfortably  located  in  township  13,  range  13, 
where  he  has  a  good  farm  of  275  acres  with  fair 
improvements.  Many  and  great  have  been  the 
changes  which  he  has  looked  upon  as  he  has  "been 
growing  up  with  the  country,"  and  he  can  relate 
many  an  interesting  tale  of  life  in  the  pioneer 
days.  He  and  his  estimable  wife  are  widely  and 
favorably  known  throughout  this  section,  as  honest, 
industrious  and  praiseworthy  people,  who  number 


4 


1    596 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


their  friends  by  the  score.  Although  their  lives 
have  passed  in  a  comparatively  quiet  and  unevent- 
ful manner,  they  have  uniformly  exercised  a  good 
influence  in  their  community,  and  their  names  will 
be  held  in  kindly  remembrance  long  after  they 
have  departed  hence. 

Jonathan  Young,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born,  reared  and  married  in  Adair  County,  Ky., 
and  lived  there  until  1824,  engaged  in  farming 
pursuits.  That  year  he  determined  to  seek  the 
West,  and  accordingly  with  his  wife  and  five  child- 
ren came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  that  part  of 
Morgan  which  is  now  Scott  County.  lie  was  one 
of  the  first  men  to  venture  into  this  region,  and 
taking  up  a  tract  of  wild  land  established  himself 
in  the  wilderness  and  proceeded  to  build  up  a 
homestead.  He  endured  many  hardships  and  pri- 
vations, but  he  possessed  that  spirit  of  resolution 
and  perseverance  which  admitted  no  such  word  as 
fail,  and  in  due  time  reaped  the  reward  of  his  toil 
and  sacrifices.  He  was  a  man  of  good  judgment 
and  sound  common  sense, — one  who  invariably 
made  friends  wherever  known.  After  the  labors 
of  a  long  and  useful  life  he  died  at  the  old  home- 
stead when  about  seventy-six  years  old. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Young,  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  died  prior  to 
the  decease  of  her  husband,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years.  The  parental  family  included  nine 
children,  viz:  William,  Jesse,  Chloe,  Robert,  Ervin, 
Campbell,  Altnina,  Alexander  and  Ephraim.  Five 
of  these  are  living  and  making  their  homes  in  Greene 
and  Scott  counties.  Alexander,  our  subject  was 
born  at  his  father's  homestead,  close  to  the  present 
site  of  Winchester,  and  still  remembers  very  many 
of  the  incidents  connected  with  Ids  boyhood  days. 
Wild  game  was  plentiful  around  the  pioneer  home, 
deer,  turkeys,  geese  and  ducks  abounded.  The 
wolves  also  made  night  hideous  with  their  howlings. 
The  Young  boj-s  were  at  an  early  age  taught  to 
make  themselves  useful,  and  assisted  their  parents  in 
opening  up  the  new  farm.  The  nearest  school  was 
eight  miles  distant  and  consequently  our  subject, 
like  his  brothers  and  sisters  had  no  educational  ad- 
vantages. They  grew  up,  however,  strong  in 
muscle  and  healthy  in  mind  and  ampljr  fitted  for  the 
duties  of  citizenship,  having  been  carefully  trained 


in  those  principles   which  made  of    them  good  and 
useful  members  of  the  community. 

In  1848,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  Alex- 
ander Young  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Emily,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Dorsia  (Holley) 
Glasson.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Young  were  natives 
of  Virginia,  whence  they  removed  later  to  Ken- 
tucky, where  their  daughter,  Emily,  was  born  Aug. 
9,  1828.  The  family  came  to  Illinois  while  she 
was  an  infant,  in  1829,  and  settled  near  the  present 
site  of  Winchester,  upon  which  there  was  then 
nothing  to  mark  it  as  the  location  of  a  future  town. 
Mrs.  Young  was  reared  under  the  parental  roof 
and  acquired  a  limited  education  in  the  subscrip- 
tion schools.  She,  however,  was  a  bright  and  in- 
telligent girl  and  taking  advantage  of  the  few 
books  which  came  in  her  way,  became  quite  well 
informed,  artd  was  a  great  favorite  among  her 
young  companions.  She  became  acquainted  with 
her  future  husband  when  about  fifteen  years  old, 
•  in  fact  they  practically  grew  up  together,  and  at 
quite  an  early  day  there  was  formed  between  them 
the  mutual  attachment  which  resulted  in  their 
marriage. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  commenced  their  wedded 
life  in  a  modest  manner,  in  township  13,  range  13, 
and  our  subject  for  several  years  thereafter  farmed 
one  of  his  father's  farms,  lie  made  his  first  pur- 
chase of  land  probably  in  1852,  and  he  and  his 
estimable  wife  have  labored  hand  in  hand  in  the 
accumulation  of  their  property  with  a  common 
interest  for  themselves  and  their  children.  There 
were  born  to  them  three  sons  and  three  daughters, 
the  eldest  of  whom,  Mary  J.,  is  the  wife  of  Richard 
Cowen,  and  they  occupy  a  part  of  the  homestead; 
they  have  six  children, — Robert,  Alex,  Emma, 
Harry,  Nellie  and  Joseph.  Oscar  married  Miss 
Harriet  Langly,  rents  his  father's  farm,  and  lias  one 
child, — Alex,  Jr.,  named  after  his  grandfather. 
Ella  is  the  wife  of  John  Longnecker,  a  pros]>eroii3 
farmer  of  Scott  County,  and  a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  volume;  they  have  four 
children, — Carrie,  Mabel,  Emma  and  Nancy.  Elmer 
married  Miss  Anna  McLaughlin,  and  resides  three 
miles  west  of  Winchester;  he  is  occupied  as  a 
teacher,  and  is  both  successful  and  popular.  Mrs. 
Young  is  a  member  of  the  United  Baptist  Church 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES: 


597    - 


at  Glasgow.  Our  subject  cast  his  first  Presidential 
vote  for  James  K.  Polk,  and  for  a  long  period  of 
forty-two  years,  has  given  his  undivided  support  to 
the  Democratic  party. 


,    C.  VALLENTINE. 


The  science  of  farm- 

ing  has  received  much  attention  from  the 
I    subject  of  this  notice,  who  telieves  that  a 


Hl/j  small  tract  of  land  thoroughly  cultivated 
yields  more  satisfactory  results  than  a  large  area 
partially  neglected.  He  therefore  secured  only 
eighty  acres,  but  it  comprises  some  of  the  choicest 
land  in  township  1C,  range  11,  and  is  eligibly  lo- 
cated on  section  19.  Mr.  Vallentine,  however,  has 
his  residence  in  the  village  of  Concord,  where  he 
owns  a  good  home,  and  is  practically  retired  from 
active  labor. 

Our  subject  came  to  this  part  of  Morgan  County 
in  the  fall  of  181<>,  and  since  that  time  has  devoted 
himself  largely  to  the  business  of  a  carpenter  and 
joiner,  also  having  a  good  understanding  of  the 
liner  trade  of  cabinet-making.  Soon  after  coming 
here  he  established  a  shop  in  Concord,  but  there 
being  then  little  call  for  the  products  of  his  handi- 
work, he  secured  his  land  and  interested  himself  in 
agriculture  until  an  increase  of  population  should 
give  him -employment  at  his  trade. 

Mr.  Vallentine  first  landed  in  Morgan  County  at 
Meredosia,  March  5,  1845,  a  young  man,  and  with 
a  capital  of  118  and  his  trade.  He  loaned  all  but 
$3  of  his  capital  at  12  per  cent  interest  for  a  year, 
then  palled  it  in  and  decided  to  locate  in  Concord, 
of  which  he  has  since  been  a  resident,  lie  was 
born  near  Adamsburg,  in  what  was  then  Adams 
but  is  now  Westmoreland  County,  Pa.,  Dec.  21, 
isill,  and  is  the  son  of  Michael  Vallentine,  a  native 
of  Lebanon  County,  that  State.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Germany, 
and  coming  to  America  when  a  young  man,  settled 
in  the  unbroken  wilderness  of  Lebanon  County, 
Pa.,  where  he  improved  a  farm  and  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dying  when  quite  aged.  He 
married  a  lady  of  his  own  country,  who  accom- 
panied him  to  the  1'nited  States  and  shared  his 
fortunes  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  she  too  living 


to  be  well  advanced  in  years.  Grandfather  Val- 
lentine,  although  working  industriously,  did  not 
accumulate  a  very  great  amount  of  property,  but 
lived  honestly,  and,  with  his  estimable  wife,  stead- 
fastly adhered  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Michael  Vallentine,  the  father  of  our  subject,  ac- 
quired a  thorough  knowledge  of  farming,  and  also 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade.  In  fact,  he  was  a 
natural  mechanic,  and  could  do  almost  anything 
with  tools.  When  a  young  man  he  emigrated  to 
Adams  Count}',  Pa.,  and  was  there  married  to  Miss 
Catherine  Fillmau,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Lycoming  County,  and  came  of  German  parentage. 
After  their  marriage,  the  parents  of  our  subject' 
lived  in  Pennsylvania  until  1847,  and  then  deter- 
mined to  seek  the  'young  State  of  Illinois.  They 
set  out  on  the  journey  overland  with  teams,  ac- 
companied by  their  nine  children,  camping  and 
cooking  by  the  wayside,  and  sleeping  in  their 
wagon  wherever  night  overtook  them. 

On  landing  in  this  county  the  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject settled  near  the  present  sight  of  Concord,  to 
which  their  son,  J.  G.,  had  preceded  them  two 
years.  Here  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives,  the  mother  dying  about  ISfi'J,  at  the  age  of 
seventy -two  years,  and  the  father  in  1878,  aged 
eighty-four.  The  latter  belonged  to  the  Lutheran 
Church,  while  the  mother  was  a  member  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  four  sons  and  seven  daughters, 
and  nearly  all  lived  to  mature  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest  son  and 
second  child  of  his  parents,  and  received  only  such 
school  advantages  as  were  afforded  in  a  section  of 
country  thinly  populated,  with  the  cabins  of  set- 
tlers few  and  far  between.  He  set  Out  at  an  early 
age  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  cabinetmaker,  under  the 
instruction  of  Andrew  Wise,  in  Allenwell,  Millin 
Co.,  Pa.,  and  two  years  later  commanded  good 
wages,  being  an  expert  workman.  He  came  to 
Morgan  County  a  single  man,  and  in  due  time  met 
and  married  Miss  Elizabeth  lientschler.  This  lady 
was  born  in  Snyder  County,  Pa.,  in  1824,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  George  and  Catherine  (Survey) 
Rcntschlcr,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
who  came  to  Morgan  County  about  1838.  They 


598 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


located  near  Concord,  and  occupied  one  home  until 
the  death  of  the  father,  which  occurred  in  1879. 
The  mother  is  still  living,  although  in  feeble  health, 
and  is  about  eighty-four  years  of  age. 

The  childhood  and  youth  of  Mrs.  Vallentine 
were  spent,  in  a  quiet  and  uneventful  manner,  un- 
der the  home  roof,  amid  the  pioneer  scenes  of 
Morgan  County,  where  she  developed  into  a  pleas- 
ing womanhood,  and  in  due  time  became  the  wife 
our  subject.  Of  the  six  chijdren  who  blest  their 
union,  two — Mary  L.  and  Lovina — died  in  early 
childhood;  the  eldest  daughter  living — Catherine — 
is  the  wife  of  C.  Roach,  a  painter  by  trade,  and 
they  reside  iu  Concord  ;  Rosa,  the  widow  of  Samuel 
Martin,  has  one  child,  and  makes  her  home  with 
her  father;  John  Major  married  Miss  Jennie  Stand- 
ley,  and  they  live  on  a  farm  in  Clark  County,  Kan.; 
Effie  M.  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Martin,  a  carpenter 
of  Collinsville,  III.  Mr.  Vallentine,  since  becoming 
a  voting  citizen,  has  uniformly  supported  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party. 


i 


V.  BLACK,  M.  D.,  D.  D.S.,  a  popular  prac- 
titioner of  Jacksonville,  is  a  native  of  this 
State,  having  been  born  in  Scott  County, 
Aug.  3,  183C.  His  younger  years,  when  he  was  not 
in  school,  were  spent  on  a  farm,  and  lie  commenced 
the  study  of  medicine  under  the  instruction  of  his 
brother,  Hon.  Dr.  Thomas  G.  Black,  of  Clayton, 
Adams  County.  He  made  rapid  headway,  and 
three  years  later  went  to  Winchester,  and  opening 
an  office,  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
which  he  followed  there  until  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war.  Since  18C4  he  has  given  close  attention 
to  his  profession  in  Jacksonville. 

In  September,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
129th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  thereafter  engaged 
principally  in  scouting.  He  was  injured  while  on 
duty,  and  for  a  period  of  six  months  was  confined 
in  the  hospital  in  Louisville  with  brain  fever.  He 
retired  from  the  service  in  the  spring  of  1864,  and 
coming  to  Jacksonville,  resumed  the  practice  which 
he  has  since  followed  with  success. 

Dr.  Black  is  a  gentlemen  of  fine  literary  attain- 
ments, and  has  devoted  his  talents  mostly  to  mat- 


ters  connected  with  his  profession.  His  first  work, 
published  in  1884,  is  entitled  "Formations  of  Poi- 
sons by  Micro  Organisms."  In  1885  he  contributed 
several  articles  to  the  publication  entitled  "The 
American  System  of  Dentistry."  In  1887  he  pub- 
lished "llistological  Character  of  Periosteum  and 
Peridental  Membranes."  In  1888  "The  Compen- 
dium of  Dentistry,"  a  German  work,  by  Jul  Par- 
reidt,  translated  by  Louis  Ottofy,  was  annotated  l>y 
Dr.  Black.  He  also  invented  for  dental  purposes 
two  engines,  and  for  a  period  of  ten  years  gave 
much  of  his  time  to  microscopical  investigations, 
being  the  possessor  of  about  4,000  slides. 

Dr.  Black  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Illinois 
State  Dental  Society,  which  was  established  in  1865, 
and  has  also  been  President  of  the  Illinois  State 
Board  of  Dental  Examiners.  In  the  St.  Louis  Den- 
tal College  he  was  a  lecturer  for  several  years,  and 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Chicago  College 
of  Dental  Surgery  in  1883.  For  more  than  four 
years  he  held  the  Chair  of  Pathology  in  that  insti- 
tution, and  in  September,  1887,  was  elected  its  Su- 
perintendent, holding  the  office  until  the  expiration 
of  the  term  of  1889,  when  he  withdrew  and  re- 
turned to  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Jack- 
sonville. He  is  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Na- 
tional Science,  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  a  corres- 
pondent of  the  Microscopical  Society  of  Central 
Illinois,  also  of  the  First  District  Dental  Society  of 
the  State  of  New  York. 

A  large  share  of  the  dental  practice  in  Jackson- 
ville for  many  years  has  fallen  to  Dr.  Black.  lie  is 
a  man  genial  and  companionable  by  nature,  prompt 
to  meet  his  obligations,  and  is  as  popular  among  his 
fellow-citizens,  socially,  as  among  the  members  of 
his  profession.  He  identified  himself  with  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  about  1870,  having  previously  be- 
come a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Davenport,  a  native  of  Jack- 
sonville, III.,  became  the  wife  of  our  subject,  Sept. 
14,  1865.  She  was  born  May  5,  1840,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Ira  and  Minerva  Davenport,  natives  of 
Kentucky  and  Ohio,  and  who  spent  their  last  years 
in  Jacksonville.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Black  occupy  with 
their  children  a  beautiful  home  at  No.  349  East 
State  street.  In  addition  to  this  property,  the  Doc- 
tor is  the  owner  of  other  valuable  real-estate  iu  the 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


599 


I 


I 


city.  Their  two  sons  and  two  (laughters  arc  named 
respectively:  Carl  E.,  Clara,  Arthur  D.,  and  Olive. 
The  eldest  son  of  our  subject  was  graduated 
from  the  Jacksonville  High  School,  in  the  class  of 
'81,  and  from  Illinois  College  in  1883.  Later  he 
turned  his  attention  to  newspaper  work,  having 
charge  for  two  years  of  the  local  department  of  the 
Jacksonville  Journal.  Upon  withdrawing  from 
this,  he  engaged  with  Dr.  Price  as  a  medical  stu- 
dent at  the  Sanitarium.  Then  entering  the  Chicago 
Medical  College,  he  pursued  his  studies  closely 
until  March,  1886,  when  he  was  graduated.  Two 
years  later  he  spent  six  months  in  Europe  perfect- 
ing himself  in  his  medical  studies.  After  his  re- 
turn to  America,  lie  commenced  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Jacksonville.  His  office  is  at  his 
father's  residence  on  East  State  street.  He  is  a 
young  man  of  fine  attainments,  and  it  is  predicted 
that  in  the  near  future  he  will  take  his  place  among 
the  best  physicians  in  the  State. 


;1LLIAM  C.   MANLEY,  M.  D.,  one  of  the 

most  efficient  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
Morgan  County,  has  for  many  years  been 
a  resident  of  Franklin  village,  and  in  this  place  and 
vicinity  has  built  up  a  good  business.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  Prairie  State,  having  been  born  in 
Knox  County,  July  18,  1849,  and  lived  there  until 
nine  years  old.  He  then  moved  with  his  father, 
Archibald  Manley,  to  the  vicinity  of  Lincoln,  in 
Logan  County,  where  the  latter  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  sojourned  until  1869. 

During  the  year  above  mentioned  the  father  of 
our  subject  sold  his  farm  property,  and  crossing 
the  Mississippi  with  his  family  purchased  160  acres 
of  improved  land  near  1'aola,  Miami  Co.,  Kan.  He 
died  of  paralysis  in  1888.  The  mother.  Mrs. 
Mary  (Capps)  Manley,  was  a  native  of  Fayette 
County,  Ohio.  The  Capps  family  was  of  Irish  an- 
cestry and  removed  from  Ohio  to  Knox  County, 
this  State,  at  an  early  day.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  died  in  May,  IK82. 

Archibald  and  Mary  Manley  became  the  parents 
of  seven  children  only,  three  of  whom  are  living, 
viz:  Margaret  E.,  Benjamin  L..  and  William  C.  of 


this  sketch.  The  deceased  were  Richard  S.,  Almira 
E.,  Mary  J,  and  Harriet  M.  Mary  became  the  wife 
of  C.  F.  Johnson,  a  farmer  of  Logan  County,  this 
State,  and  the  mother  of  one  son.  Henry.  The 
latter  married  Miss  Jennie  Lawterman.  Margaret 
E.  Manic}-  married  Charles  F.  James,  of  McDon- 
ough  Count}',  111.,  who  is  now  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising  in  Jefferson  County,  Neb.;  they 
have  five  children.  Benjamin  L.  was  married  to  a 
Kansas  lady,  and  is  also  engaged  as  a  farmer  and 
stock-dealer  in  Jefferson  County,  Neb. 

Our  subject  accompanied  his  father  to  Kansas; 
but  on  account  of  ill-health  returned  to  Logan 
Count}',  this  State,  in  September,  1871.  He  re- 
ceived a  good  education,  attending  school  at 
Springfield,  III.,  and  completing  a  course  in  the 
Business  College  of  that  place.  For  four  years 
thereafter  he  followed  the  profession  of  a  teacher 
and  in  the  meantime  employed  his  leisure  hours 
in  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  W.  YV.  How- 
ser,  of  Lincoln.  In  the  winter  of  1877  he  went 
to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  attended  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  College,  and  was  graduated  in  medi- 
cine and  surgery  in  February,  1879.  The  same 
year  Dr.  Manley  came  to  this  county  and  es- 
tablished himself  at  Franklin,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  a  resident.  Not  only  has  he  gained  laurels 
in  his  profession,  enjoying  a  fine  practice,  but  lie  is 
a  general  favorite,  both  in  social  and  business  cir- 
cles. In  Franklin  he  was  married  to  his  pres- 
ent wife.  Miss  Maggie  E.  Wright,  daughter  of 
James  Wright,  of  Scott  County,  Ky.  Mr.  Wright 
was  born  in  1 794,  and  departed  this  life  in  1888. 
His  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  (Head)  Wright,  also  of  Scott 
County,  Ky.,  was  born  in  1811,  and  is  still  living, 
making  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Manley. 

Carl  W.,  the  only  son  of  the  doctor  and  his  esti- 
mable wife,  was  born  May  7,  1882.  The  younger 
child,  Mary,  was  born  Nov.  11,  1888.  Our  sub- 
ject, politically,  is  a  working  Republican,  and  in- 
variably does  good  service  for  his  party  at  the 
polls.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Village  Board 
of  Trustees,  and  at  one  time  was  connected  with 
the  Board  of  Health.  He  is  a  Master  Mason  and 
belongs  to  the  lodge  at  Franklin,  in  which  he  has 
frequently  held  official  positions.  Both  he  and  his 
estimable  wife  belong  to  the  Christian  Church: 


I 


coo 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


They  occupy  a  neat  home,  and  enjoy  Hie  acquaint- 
ance and  friendship  of  the  best  people  in  the  com- 
munity. The  doctor  is  genial  and  companionable, 
— one  who  readily  makes  many  and  warm  friends. 


HARLES  A.  WILDAY,  one  of  the  most 
public-spirited  and  enterprising  citizens  of 
Meredosia  Precinct,  is  numbered  among  its 
leading  farmers  and  stock-raisers,  and  has  a  fine 
estate  on  section  17,  township  16,  range  12.  He  is 
a  native  of  the  Prairie  State,  and  was  born  in 
Logan  County,  Dec.  22,  1843,  being  thus  a  man  in 
the  prime  of  life  and  the  midst  of  his  usefulness. 

Benjamin  and  Sarah  (Hults)  Wilday,  the  parents 
of  our  subject,  were  both  natives  of  Ohio,  where 
they  were  reared  and  married,  and  whence  1)103' 
came  to  Logan  County,  111.,  early  in  the  forties. 
They  resided  there  a  comparatively  brief  time,  then 
came  to  Morgan  county  and  settled  on  section  3,  of 
the  precinct  in  which  our  subject  now  resides.  The 
father  took  up  a  tract  of  wild  land  where  he  made 
many  improvements  and  brought  the  soil  toa  good 
state  of  cultivation.  Not  being  satisfied  with  his 
surroundings,  however,  he  removed  to  a  point 
about  four  miles  southeast  of  Meredosia,  building 
up  a  comfortable  home  which  he  still  occupies. 
The  mother  departed  this  life  in  December,  1861. 
Their  six  children  were  named  respectively,  Will- 
iam II.,  Elizabeth,  Charles  A.,  our  subject,  Arthusa 
,T.,  James  M.  and  Benjamin  R. 

The  father  of  our  subject  came  to  Illinois  with 
no  means  to  speak  of,  but  is  now  the  owner  of  200 
acres  of  good  land,  and  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  the  county.  He  is  a  pillar  in  the 
Baptist  Church  and  enjoys  an  extended  acquaint- 
ance in  the  community  where  he  has  made  many 
and  life-long  friends.  His  head  is  silvered  by  the 
snows  of  many  winters  but  his  life  has  been  such 
that  he  is  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  green  old  age, 
surrounded  by  children  and  friends;  and  with  a 
consciousness  of  having  performed  his  part  in  life 
in  a  manner  to  reflect  honor  upon  his  posterity. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  a  limited 
education,  and  has  always  been  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  was  married  at  the  age  of 


nearly  twenty-six  years,  Nov.  18,  1869,  to  Miss 
Sadonia  Houston,  whose  parents  were  natives  of 
Kentucky,  and  for  a  number  of  years  residents  of 
Cass  County,  Ohio.  -Of  the  five  children  born  of 
this  union  two  are  deceased.  The  survivors  are, 
Florence,  Guy  and  Maude  S.  Morris,  and  one 
child  unnamed  are  deceased. 

The  Wilday  homestead  comprises  280  acres  of 
choice  land,  which,  with  the  exception  of  about 
sixty  acres,  is  situated  in  the  famous  Meredosia 
bottoms,  noted  for  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  The 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party  coincide  with 
the  political  views  of  our  subject,  although  in  local 
matters  he  votes  for  the  man  whom  he  considers 
best  qualified  for  office.  He  was  elected  School 
Trustee  in  the  spring  of  1887,  for  a  terra  of  three 
years,  and  has  signalized  himself  as  the  friend  of 
education  and  progress.  While  having  no  use  for 
the  drones  in  the  world's  great  hive,  no  man  is 
more  ready  to  assist  those  who  will  try  to  help 
themselves. 


BROWNLOWr  's  one  of  Morgan  County's 
representative  men.  lie  has  been  active 
as  a  farmer  in  previous  years,  but  is  now 
enjoying  the  fruit  of  his  toil,  a  retired  but  by  no 
means  inactive  life.  He  was  born  in  Sutton-npon- 
Trent,  Nottinghamshire,  England,  on  the  9th  of 
Oct.  182:?.  His  parents,  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
Brownlow  were  both  natives  of  England.  They 
provided  their  son  with  as  good  an  education  as 
possible,  which  was  however,  somewhat  limited  in 
scope,  but  has  been  greatly  extended  by  subsequent 
reading,  so  that  upon  all  general  topics  he  is  well 
versed.  He  has  been  engaged  in  farming  from  his 
youth  and  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  prac- 
tical points  connected  with  his  chosen  calling. 

Prior  to  leaving  England  he  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Olden.  His  second  matrimonial  alliance 
was  with  Maria  Bingham.  Of  this  union  six  chil- 
dren were  born,  five  of  whom  survive.  Their 
names  are  as  follows:  Thomas,  George,  Henry, 
Winfield  and  William.  The  deceased  child  was  the 
daughter,  Mary. 

Mr.  Brownlow  emigrated  to  America  in  1850. 
Seven  weeks  were  consumed  by  the  ocean  passage 


t 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


601 


from  Liverpool  to  New  York.  Upon  landing  he 
almost  immediately  started  West,  coming  to  Mor- 
gan County  and  for  a  short  time  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  for  Dr.  Thomas  Wakeley,  near  Markham, 
after  which  lie  bought  a  farm  in  Scott  County,  and 
there  resided  for  several  years.  Returning  again 
to  Morgan  County  in  1868  he  settled  upon  a  farm 
in  section  3,  township  15,  range  12,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  live  until  the  spring  of  1883,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Chapin.  Retiring  from  active  farm  la- 
bor he  prepared  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  years 
in  the  quiet  rest  and  enjoyment  he  had  so  well 
earned.  He  owns  152  acres  of  thoroughly  good 
land  and  his  farm  is  well  stocked  and  provided 
with  all  things  necessary  to  its  successful  opera- 
tion. The  success  that  has  perched  upon  his  ban- 
ners is  the  success  that  must  come  to  honest,  per- 
severing endeavor,  when  such  efforts  are  intelli- 
gently directed.  In  the  upward  struggle  lie  has 
ever  been  cheered  and  encouraged  by  his  wife,  who 
has  been  nobly  true  throughout  the  years  of  her 
wifehood  and  has  largely  contributed  to  the  bright- 
ness and  success  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Brownlow  for  several  years  and  while  a  res- 
ident of  Scott  County  was  School  Director.  In 
political  affairs  he  has  espoused  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party  and  usually  votes  its  ticket.  He 
has  always  had  the  interests  of  the  community  and 
State  at  heart  and  this  being  recognized  he  is  ac- 
corded the  hearty  respect  and  esteem  of  the  people. 


ON.  JAMKS  M.  KIGGS  is  one  of  the  lead- 
im  i"g  citizens  of  Scott  County,  and  in  its  his- 
i"  tory  has  played  a  prominent  part,  lie  is  a 
native  of  Scott  County,  and  was  born  April 
17,  1830.  He  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, snppiementiBg  thai  later  by  a  partial  colle- 
giate course. 

After  leaving  college,  Mr.  Kiggs  chose  the  law 
as  his  profession,  and  after  studying  the  required 
length  of  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  has 
since  practiced  with  successful  results,  except  when 
holding  the  ollice  of  Sheriff,  which  position  he  oc- 
cupied for  two  years,  having  been  elected  in  No- 
vember, 1864.  In  1871-72  he  was  chosen  to  rep- 


resent  Scott  County  in  the  House  of  the  Twenty- 
Seventh  General  Assembly  of  Illinois.  For  four 
years  he  served  the  people  faithfully  and  well  as 
States-Attorney  for  Scott  County,  having  been 
chosen  to  that  office  in  November,  1872.  He  was 
elected  to  the  Forty-Eight  Congress  and  then  re- 
elected,  as  a  Democrat,  receiving  22,046  votes, 
against  15,177  for  Black,  Republican;  820  for 
Parker,  Greenbacker;  161  for  Wallace,  Prohibi- 
tionist, and  forty  votes  scattering. 

James  M.  Riggs  is  a  son  of  John  Adams  Riggs 
and  Orpha  (Campbell)  Riggs,  who  were  natives  of 
Tennessee.  Grandfather  Riggs  came  to  Illinois 
during  the  territorial  days,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  first  Illinois  Legislature.  His  name  was  Scott 
Kiggs.  Edward  Riggs,  the  head  of  the  family  in 
this  country,  emigrated  from  England  and  settled 
at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  early  in  the  summer  of  1633. 
He  brought  his  wife  and  family  of  two  sons  and 
four  daughters  with  him.  His  son  Edward  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Roosa,  in  1635.  He  was  a  Sergeant 
in  the  Pequot  War,  and  greatly  distinguished  him- 
self in  rescuing  his  commander  and  twelve  of  his 
companions  from  an  ambuscade,  and  he  was  ever 
after  known  as  "  Sergeant  Riggs."  In  1646  he 
settled  at  Milford,  Conn.  In  1655  he  was  a  lead- 
ing man  in  the  purchase  of  a  district  north  of  Mil- 
ford,  and  in  making  a  new  plantation  there.  His 
location  is  known  as  "  Riggs  Hill,"  and  is  still  in 
possession  of  his  descendants.  His  family  consisted 
of  Edward,  Samuel,  Joseph  and  Mary.  Thus  is 
shown  a  synopsis  of  the  history  of  the  head  of  the 
family  in  America,  and  to  carry  this  genealogy 
down  to  the  succeeding  generations  would  be  alto- 
gether beyond  the  compass  of  this  biography. 

James  M.  Riggs  married  Lilly  Berry  Dec.  31, 
1868.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Dr.  L.  Berry,  who 
was  at  that  time  a  resident  of  Winchester.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Riggs  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Lecie,  Ralph,  Roy,  Berty,  Cecil,  Kent, 
Lilly  Belle,  Max,  and  Lillie  Belle  (deceased).  Mr. 
Riggs  is  ah  Only  SOh  of  his  parents,  and  had  two 
sisters  who  died  in  infancy,  and  two  now  living,  one 
in  Winchester  and  another  in  Wichfta,  Kan. 

Scott  Riggs,  the  grandfather  mentioned  before, 
was  born  in  Oaks  County,  N.  C.  His  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Hannah  Berry.  The  maternal  grand- 


602 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


father  was  Jiunes  Campbell  and  the  grandmother 
Margaret  Berry.  The  ancestors  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  were  distinguished  for  their  high  char- 
acter, and  for  the  part  they  have  taken  in  the  early 
history  of  this  country.  During  the  Revolutionary 
War  the  Higgs  family  was  brave  and  patriotic,  and 
the  descendants  have  inherited  many  of  their 
characteristics.  The  Hon.  James  M.  Higgs,  of 
whom  we  write,  is  a  man  of  great  natural  ability, 
and  one  who  has  acquitted  himself  well  in  all  of  the 
high  and  responsible  positions  lie  has  held.  He  is 
extremely  popular  with  all  classes,  and  is  held  in 
high  esteem  as  a  neighbor. 


CASTLED1NE.  Among  the  old 
and  much  valued  citizens  of  Morgan  County 
must  be  mentioned  the  gentleman  whose 
biography  is  here  sketched,  at  present  residing  at 
Chapin.  He  is  a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  England, 
where  he  was  born  on  the  17th  of  November,  1823, 
to  John  and  Mary  Castled  inc.  He  was  reared  to 
the  years  of  manhood  in  his  native  country,  and 
received  a  somewhat  rudimentary  education,  after 
which  he  devoted  himself  to  farming,  which  occu- 
pation he  has  followed  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
For  about  one  year  he  drove  a  stage-coach  in  Eng- 
land. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  emigrated  to  America 
in  1851,  taking  passage  on  a  sailing-vessel  at  Liver- 
pool. The  ocean  trip  lasted  for  about  twenty-eight 
days,  and  provided  much  food  for  thought,  as  the 
wonders  of  Neptune's  empire  were  presented  for 
the  first  time.  Landing  in  New  York  City,  he  came 
direct  to  New  Albany,  ind.,  and  there  remained 
for  a  few  months,  when  he  came  to  Scott  County, 
111.,  and  worked  for  two  years  and  one  month  as  a 
farm  hand,  for  Thomas Coultns,  after  which  he  came 
to  Morgan  County  and  bought  a  farm  of  eighty- 
three  acres  on  section  11,  near  Chapin.  Subse- 
quently he  purchased  an  additional  seventy  acres 
on  section  9,  township  15,  range  12,  making  in  all 
150  acres  which  he  still  owns,  all  of  good  and  im- 
proved land. 

Mr.  Chapin  was  first  married  on  the  22d  of  De- 
-  cembor,  1853,  when  he  was  united  with   Mary  A. 


Coultas.  To  them  were  born  two  children,  Sarah  J., 
and  John  F.,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  The  dis- 
tressing feature  of  their  death,  was  perhaps,  that 
both  died  within  an  hour  of  each  other  in  October, 
1885,  the  cause  of  death  being  malarial  fever. 
Their  mother  died  on  the  17th  of  May,  1860.  On 
the  3d  of  January,  1865,  our  subject  was  married 
the  second  time,  the  lady  being  Mary  Middleton, 
born  on  the  10th  of  May,  1835.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  and  Martha  Middleton.  In  I860 
she  emigrated  to  this  country  from  England,  the 
land  of  her  nativity,  and  came  direct  to  Illinois 
and  continued  to  make  her  home  in  Scott  County 
for  about  four  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period 
she  came  to  Morgan  County,  where  she  has  resided 
ever  since. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Castledine  are  identified  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  our  subject  being 
one  of  the  church  Stewards  for  many  years.  Both 
are  now  in  the  declining  years  of  life,  and  their 
westerning  sun  casts  its  rays  over  the  pathway  of 
lives  well  spent,  and  filled  with  deeds  that  have 
won  for  them  the  highest  regard  and  esteem  of  all 
who  know  them.  Our  subject  has  served  in  the 
office  of  Road  Supervisor  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  also  as  School  Director.  He  has  always  been 
a  true  citizen,  and,  as  becomes  a  pioneer,  a  man 
filled  with  that  spirit  which  elevates  the  interest  of 
the  community,  even  above  that  of  self.  At  a  very 
early  age  he  began  to  work  upon  a  farm,  and  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  His  success  to  be 
appreciated  must  be  contrasted  with  his  early  en- 
vironment, with  all  its  limitations  and  lack  of  pri- 
vilege, despite  all  of  which  he  has  come  to  occupy 
the  place  and  position  he  does  to-day,  and  to  enjoy 
the  confidence  and  high  regard  of  the  community 
of  which  he  is  a  member. 


JfelLLIAM  B.  MARKHAM.  Morgan  County 
has  few  more  valued  or  esteemed  citizens 
than  the  subject  of  this  biography.  It  is 
his  native  county,  his  birth  occurring  on  the  15th 
of  November,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Edward  and 
Ann  Markham,  natives  of  England.  They  emi- 
grated to  this  country  about  1838,  and  came  direct 


f 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


603 


to  Illinois,  settling  in  this  county  on  a  farm-adjoin- 
ing the  site  of  the  present  Markliam  Station.  Upon 
settling  here  Mr.  Markliam  purchased  160  acres  of 
hind,  paying  for  the  same  at  the  rate  of  16  pel- 
acre.  The  land  had  few  improvements,  and  he  oc- 
cupied himself  for  man}'  years  in  developing  it 
from  its  dreary  and  primeval  condition.  Here  he 
made  his  home  until  his  decease,  in  1848.  His  farm 
then  comprised  260  acres  of  land,  in  a  very  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  provided  with  everything 
in  the  line  of  farm  buildings  needed  for  a  well- 
managed  farm  of  that  extent.  His  wife  survived 
him  about  ten  years,  and  died  in  the  year  1858. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom 
five  only  survived,  these  are:  Ellen,  widow  of  the 
late  John  McCluskey,  of  Jacksonville;  Mary  A., 
wife  of  John  T.  Longley;  David,  who  lives  at 
Springfield;  Mathilda  A.,  now  Mrs.  O.  C.  Ducket; 
and  William  B.,  our  subject.  Those  deceased  are 
as  follows:  George,  Caroline,  Eliza,  Jane,  Eliza- 
beth and  Thomas. 

Edward  Markliam  was,  in  his  political  relations, 
a  member  of  the  Whig  party.  lie  was  a  thorough 
pioneer,  and  upon  his  demise  his  fellow-citizens 
showed  in  all  possible  ways  their  appreciation  of 
his  efforts  on  behalf  of  the  public  good,  as  well  as 
personal  respect  and  sympathy  for  his  family.  He 
was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  county,  and  also 
in  religious  circles,  being  a  devout  and  earnest 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  en- 
joyed the  confidence  and  esteem  of  those  who  were 
connected  witli  him  in  that  relation,  as  well  as  of  the 
community  at  large. 

William  B.  Markliam,  the  subject  of  our  sketch, 
was  reared  upon  a  farm.  Such  education  as  was 
obtainable  was  given  him,  although  it  would  now, 
perhaps,  be  considered  quite  incomplete.  In  1858 
he  went  to  Alabama,  where  he  remained  until  1865, 
when  he  returned  home.  Since  that  time  he  has 
continued  his  residence  uninterruptedly  in  this 
county.  He  was  married  on  the  20th  of  February, 
1868,  the  maiden  of  his  choice  being  Harriet  J. 
W  illlams,  daughter  of  Uell  and  Emily  Williams,  who 
like  his  own  parents,  were  early  settlers  in  the 
county,  having  come  hither  about  the  year  1838. 
Her  father  died  in  February,  1880,  and  her  mother 
in  April,  1884.  She  was  one  of  four  children  born 


to  them,  whose  names  are  recorded  as  follows:  EI- 
zina,  wife  of  Lynas  Williams,  of  Whiteside  County ; 
Mary,  deceased;  Charles,  of  this  county;  and  Em- 
ily, Mrs.  W.  B.  Markham. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Markham 
has  been  fruitful  in  the  birth  of  five  children, 
whose  names  are:  Eftie  J.,  who  was  born  on  the 
15th  day  of  May,  1869;  Thomas  IL.Oct.  29,  1872; 
Annie  E.,  Dec.  13,  1874;  Fannie  P.,  July  20,  1878; 
and  Harry  W.,  Feb.  22,  1873.  This  interesting 
family  is  being  brought  up  by  our  subject,  so  far 
as  religious  training  is  concerned,  in  the  Christian 
Church,  of  which  both  parents  are  devout  mem- 
bers, our  subject  having  served  as  an  Elder  in  the 
same  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Markham  and  his  wife  are  now  in  the  prime  of 
life,  and  enjoy  it  in  their  beautiful  home,  sur- 
ro uned  as  they  are  by  all  the  conveniences,  and  not 
a  few  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  They  are  always 
found  taking  an  active  part  in  any  project  or  en- 
terprise that  is  for  the  benefit  of  the  people,  relig- 
ious organizations,  or  the  younger  members  of  the 
community.  They  move  in  the  best  circles  of  so- 
ciety, and  are  everywhere  highly  respected.  Our 
subject  served  three  years  as  School  Director,  per- 
forming every  duty  that  came  to  him  in  that  rela- 
tion with  careful,  conscientious  punctiliousness. 
He  has  always  been  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  being  an  ardent  friend  and  supporter  of  the 
same. 


OLUMBUS  HAIRGROVE,  who  during  his 
younger  j'ears  w;is  engaged  first  as  a  car- 
penter and  builder  and  later  as  a  farmer,  is 
now  living  retired  from  active  labor  in  the  city  of 
Jacksonville  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  of  life, 
the  result  of  his  early  enterprise  and  industry.  A 
native  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  he  was  born  in 
Troup  County,  April  29,  1828,  and  went  with  his 
parents  to  Aberdeen,  Miss.,  where  he  was  reared  to 
farm  pursuits  and  acquired  a  common-school  edu- 
cation. When  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  years 
he  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  being  equipped 
with  a  good  knowledge  of  the  trades  of  carpenter 
and  millwright.  He  secured  emploj'inent  at  the 
former  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion 


f 


*> 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


t 


and  then  enlisted  on  the  61h  of  August,  1 862,  in 
Company  D,  101st  Illinois  Infantry  as  a  private 
and  served  two  years  and  ten  months. 

The  army  experience  of  Mr.  llairgrove  was 
largely  as  a  sharpshooter  on  the  gunboats  Cricket 
and  Rattler.  While  on  the  former  going  up  the 
Little  Red  River,  lie  happened  to  be  standing 
about  one  foot  from  the  port  hole  of  the  vessel, 
when  a  twenty-four  pound  cannon  was  discharged 
and  from  that  moment  the  hearing  departed  from 
his  left  ear  and  has  never  been  recovered.  His 
father  was  in  the  service  one  year,  joining  his  five 
sons  in  conflict  with  the  enemies  of  the  Union. 
With  the  exception  of  Columbus  and  his  brother, 
John  A.,  they  came  out  of  the  service  unharmed. 
John  was  wounded  in  the  leg  but  not  seriously. 

During  the  border  war  the  father  of  our  subject 
was  shot  in  the  lungs  in  Lane  County,  Kan.,  in  the 
year  1858.  He  was  wounded  in  the  lungs  and  back 
while  his  son  at  the  same  time  was  shot  in  the  face 
and  hands.  They  were  left  for  dead,  having  lain 
as  still  as  they  could  under  the  circumstances.  The 
Rebels  coming  along  turned  both  men  over,  the 
latter  in  the  meantime  keeping  perfectly  quiet  and 
appearing  as  if  dead.  With  a  remark  that  they 
"  were  dead  as  hell  "  their  foes  departed  and  the 
victims  thus  made  their  escape. 

While  at  Holly  Springs,  Miss.,  our  subject  was 
taken  prisoner  and  was  at  once  exchanged  and 
ordered* to  Jefferson  Barracks,  St.  Louis.  He  was 
subsequently  shot  on  the  side  of  the  head  while 
on  a  transport  going  down  Red  River.  He  was  shot 
in  the  thigh  at  the  battle  of  Dallas  and  was  mus- 
tered out  as  Corporal  in  consequence  of  wounds. 

Upon  his  honorable  discharge  in  the  city  of  Wash- 
iiigthn,  D.  C.,  Mr.  Hairgrove  returned  to  this  State 
and  engaged  in  farming  near  Woodson,  south  of 
Jacksonville.  lie  cultivated  a  tract  of  120  acres 
until  the  Spring  of  1877,  then  selling  out  retired 
from  active  labor  and  purchased  the  home  which 
he  now  occupies  at  No.  308  East  Morgan  street. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  William  and 
Sarah  (Johnston)  Hairgrove,  the  father  a  native  of 
South  Carolina  and  the  mother  of  North  Carolina. 
The  former  was  millwright  and  farmer  combined 
and  upon  his  removal  to  Aberdeen,  Miss.,  culti- 
rated  a  tract  of  laud  for  a  period  of  fourteen 


years.  'Thence  he  came  to  Illinois  and  lived  in 
Morgan  County  until  1857.  Then  moving  across 
the  Mississippi  into  Lynn  County,  Kan.,  he  followed 
farming  there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  the 
1 2th  of  March,  1 872.  The  mother  passed  away  about 
1871).  Their  family  consisted  of  eleven  children, 
of  whom  the  following  are  living:  George,  Colum- 
bus, John,  William  J.,  Frances  M.  and  Henry  C. 

Columbus  Hairgrove  was  married  in  Morgan 
County,  March  6,  1853  to  Mrs.  Rose  A.  Whitlock, 
a  native  of  Adair  Count}',  Ky.,  and  the  daughter 
of  Jobn  and  Mary  (Shepherd)  Whitlock.  The 
parents  of  Mrs.  Hairgrove  were  natives  respectively 
of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  in  Morgan  County.  He  died  about  1871. 
The  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years  and  makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Hairgrove. 

The  wife  of  our  subject  was  born  March  30, 
1-827,  and  was  first  married  to  Hugh  Whitlock  28th 
of  October  1811.  Of  her  marriage  with  Mr.  II. 
there  were  born  two  children  —  Mary  J.  and 
Dr.  John  W.,  a  practicing  physician  of  Waverly. 
Mr.  Hairgrove  has  meddled  very  little  with  political 
affairs,  but  by  reading  keeps  himself  well  posted 
upon  current  events  and  some  time  ago  publicly 
announced  himself  by  his  vote  as  being  in  sympathy 
with  the  Greenback  party.  While  living  on  his 
farm  he  was  a  School  Director  in  his  district. 


ILLIAM  SHEPHERD.  This  late  well- 
known  pioneer  of  Morgan  County,  came 
to  Illinois  in  18-11,  became  a  resident  of 
Morgan  County  in  184-1  and  spent  his  last  peaceful 
days  at  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his 
son,  William  W.,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  residing  on  section  33  and  a  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
Jan.  7,  1803,  and  early  in  life  removed  to  Ohio, 
where  he  lived  until  emigrating  to  Illinois.  In 
this  State  he  located  first  in  LaSalle  County  and 
two  years  later,  as  before  mentioned,  took  up  his 
residence  in  Morgan,  and  after  many  years  spent 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


605 


in  the  labor  incident  to  pioneer  life  gradually  re- 
tired from  its  more  active  duties  and  departed  this 
life  in  July,  1879.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Jane  L.  Blair,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  The  pa- 
rents of  Mrs.  Shepherd  left  the  Blue  Grass  State 
when  she  was  very  young,  removing  to  Ohio,  in 
which  State  she  lived  until  her  marriage  which  oc- 
curred July  13,  1826.  She,  with  her  husband,  en- 
dured the  hardship  and  privations  incident  to  life; 
in  a  new  country  and  departed  hence  three  years 
prior  to  his  decease,  her  death  occurring  July  12, 
1876,  when  she  was  seventy-one  years  old.  She 
united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  her  youth, 
and  maintained  her  membership  throughout  the 
remainder  of  a  long  and  worthy  life. 

To  William  and  Jane  L.  (lilair)  Shepherd,  there 
was  born  a  family  of  eight  children  of  whom  the 
record  is  as  follows:  William  W.,  was  born  May  5, 
1«27,  and  has  already  been  mentioned;  .lames  A., 
was  born  June  17,  1828,  married  Miss  Alvira 
Drury  of  Morgan  County,  and  is  now  living  at 
Newton,  Iowa;  they  have  four  children — Charles 
J.,  Frederick,  Frank  and  a  babe  unnamed.  Martha 
.).,  was  born  Jan.  30,  1832  and  died  May  10,  1885; 
she  married  J.  II.  Hill,  of  Jacksonville,  and  became 
the  mother  of  four  children — Mary  J.,  Ella  F., 
Eva  J.,  and  Grace  C.  George  was  l>orn  Feb.  14, 
1834,  married  Mary  Stephenson.  of  Sangamon 
County  and  lives  near  Sidney,  Neb.,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  farming;  during  the  late  Civil  War  he 
served  in  the  Union  Army  as  Wagonmaster. 
Richard  M.  was  born  April  14,  1837,  enlisted  as  a 
Union  soldier  in  the  101st  Illinois  Infantry  and 
went  with  Sherman  on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea; 
he  is  now  engaged  in  the  nursery  business  near 
Blooinington.  Joseph  W.  was  born  March  28, 
1X10  and  during  the  Civil  War  enlisted  in  the  101st 
Illinois  Infantry  and  was  Superintendent  of  Forti- 
fications at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1862.  Emily  A.  was  born  Aug.  10, 
1842  and  was  married  to  Mr.  George  Johnson; 
John  B.,  was  born  May  26,  1856  and  died  that 
same  day. 

The  Shepherds  form  a  part  and  parcel  of  the 
worth  and  respectability  of  Morgan  County,  being 
honest,  upright,  intelligent  citizens,  lovers  of  law 
and  order,  and  who  have  exercised  no  unimportant 


part  in  bringing  this  section  to  its  present  condi- 
tion, socially,  morally  and  financially.  Every  man 
who  has  lived  honestly,  built  up  a  homestead  and 
reared  his  children  to  become  worthy  citizens,  has 
l>crforined  a  goodly  share. in  the  great  drama  of 
life  and  is  worthy  of  being  held  in  remembrance. 


ENJAM1N  W1LDAY,  an  Illinois  pioneer 
of  1842,  came  to  Logan  County,  this  State, 
with  his  wife  and  two  children  during  that 
year  and  taking  up  a  piece  of  wild  land  la- 
bored upon  it  until  1848.  That  year  he  changed  his 
residence  to  Morgan  County,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  a  resident.  He  farmed  on  rented  land  a 
number  of  years  and  and  finally  settled  on  section 
25,  township  6,  range  13,  where  he  resided  until 
1887.  lie  then  removed  to  his  present  homestead 
on  section  36,  township  16,  range  13. 

A  native  of  Pike  County,  Ohio,  Mr.  Wilday  was 
born  in  Feb.  1815,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
Ella  Wrilday,  the  father  a  native  of  Maryland  and 
the  mother  of  Delaware.  They  settled  in  Ohio  at 
an  early  day  and  became  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  survive.  Nancy,  Mrs.  Cline,  is 
a  resident  of  Logan  County,  this  State;  Jeriel;  Re- 
becca  married  John  Gilliland  of  Morgan  County; 
Itetsey,  Mrs.  Corwine,  is  a  widow  and  resides  in 
Lincoln;  Charles,  Alexander  and  Benjamin. 

Our  subject  was  reared  to  man's  estate  in  his  na- 
tive county  and  pursued  his  studies  in  the  log 
cabin  school  house  principally  during  the  winter 
season.  The  temple  of  learning  was  a  rude  struct- 
ure in  keeping  with  the  times,  destitute  of  patent 
seats  or  desks  and  with  greased  paper  for  window 
panes.  The  floor  was  made  of  puncheons  and  the 
chimney  was  built  outside  of  earth  and  sticks.  Tin: 
system  of  education  was  in  keeping  with  the  build- 
ing and  its  appointments,  but  the  youth  of  that  day 
grew  up  strong  and  healthy  in  mind  and  morals, 
and  almost  uniformly  made  good  and  reliable  citi- 
zens. 

Young  Wilday  remained  a  member  of  his  father's 
household  until  ready  to  establish  domestic  ties  of 
his  own.  He  was  married  in  his  native  county 
May  20,  1837,  to  Miss  Sarah  Units,  and  they  so- 


606 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


journcd  there  for  a  period  of  five  years.  Their 
subsequent  movements  we  have  already  indicated. 
Of  the  nine  children  born  to  them  six  are  living, 
namely :  William  II.,  Charles  A.,  Elizabeth,  Are- 
thusa  J.,  James  M.  and.  Benjamin  It.  At  the  time 
Mr.  Wilday  came  to  Morgan  County  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  land  was  in  its  primitive  condition, 
only  a  comparatively  few  men  having  yet  ventured 
on  to  the  Western  frontier.  He  endured  his  full 
share  of  hardship  and  privation,  laboring  early  and 
late  in  obtaining  a  foothold  and  making  a  comfor- 
table living  for  his  family.  He  has  a  fine  farm, 
part  of  which  lies  in  the  fertile  Meredosia  bottoms. 
lie  commenced  the  battle  of  life  for  himself  with- 
out means  or  resources  other  than  the  good  health 
and  stout  muscles  with  which  nature  had  endowed 
him. 

Mr.  Wilday  suffered  an  irreparable  loss  in  the 
death  of  his  estimable  wife,  which  took  place  Dec. 
16,  1861.  She  was  a  lady  possessing  all  the  Chris- 
tian virtues  and  her  death  was  not  only  deeply 
mourned  by  her  own  family  but  regretted  through- 
out the  community.  Mr.  Wilday  is  a  time-worn 
veteran  of  seventy-four  years  and  while  reflecting 
upon  the  changes  of  a  long  life,  may  feel  that- his 
time  has  been  reasonably  well  spent  and  that  he  has 
learned  much  from  experience  and  observation.  He 
has  had  very  little  to  do  with  public  affairs  and  has 
never  beeii  confined  within  any  party  lines,  avail- 
ing himself  of  the  privilege  to  support  for  ollice 
those  men  whom  he  considers  most  likely  to  serve 
the  interests  of  the  people.  In  religious  matters  he 
is  identified  with  the  Baptist  Church. 


(O1IN  D.  HART  is  a  prominent  breeder  of 
blooded  cattle,  horses,  hogs  and  sheep, 
and  a  leading  fanner  of  Morgan  County.  Mr. 
(|§M/  Hurt  is  proud  of  the  fact  that  he  is  the  lin- 
eal descendant  of  one  of  the  two  Hart  brothers,  who 
landed  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  in  1700,  and  whose  ca- 
reer has  been  touched  upon  in  another  part  of  this 
volume.  David  Hart,  the  father  of  John  D.,  was 
born  in  Mercer  Co.,  Ky.,  July  2,  1802,  where  he 
resided  for  some  years,  when  he  removed  wit!)  his 
father  to  Tennessee.  David  Hart  married  Eliza- 


beth Rhodes,  who  was  born  in  1805,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  David  Hart  in  1821.  Her  people  came 
from  Maryland  and  North  Carolina  in  the  last  cen- 
tury, and  from  there  removed  to  Bedford  Co., 
Tenn.  In  Dec.  1829,  the  parents  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  emigrated  to  Morgan  County,  and  lo- 
cated upon  the  homestead  of  eighty  acres,  now 
belonging  to  the  old  estate,  but  which,  at  the  time 
of  David  Hart's  death,  had  been  increased  to  622 
acres. 

David  Hart  was  the  father  of  a  large  family  of 
children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  a  daughter,  Melissa, 
married  John  White;  both  are  deceased,  but  left 
one  chilil,  Sarah  E.,  who  married  W-illiam  Turner 
of  Macoupin  Co.,  111.  Ellen  deceased  married 
Robert  Privott,  of  Kentucky;  they  had  seven  chil- 
dren— Ilarlan  N,  Willburn,  Sarah,  John,  Robert, 
George  and  Luella.  Washington  married  Sarah 
White,  now  deceased,  and  they  had  nine  children — 
David,  Lydia  and  Nancy  (deceased),  Harvey,  An- 
derson (deceased),  Emma,  Francis,  Martha  and 
Ellen.  Harvey  married  Margaret  Dugger;  they  are 
living  in  Christian  County,  and  are  the  parents  of 
eight  children — Belle,  Douglas,  Mary,  Melinda, 
Maria,  Clay  D.,  Dwight  and  Carroll.  Elizabeth  mar- 
ried Marion  Redfern  and  they  have  six  children — 
America,  Edward,  Jefferson,  Jasper,  Henry  and 
Wesley  (deceased).  Benton  (deceased)  married 
Lucy  A.Austin,  of  North  Carolina;  they  had  six 
children,  two  of  whom,  John  and  Ada,  are  deceased. 
The  four  living  are  Nettie,Charles,Alvah  and  David. 
Jefferson  married  Emma  Dugger,  now  deceased, 
and  is  the  father  of  five  children— Belle,  John, 
Mali.ssa,  Eva  and  James  (deceased).  Jane  married 
Dred  Dugger,  of  Gallatin  Co.,  111.,  and  they  had 
eleven  children — Kate,  Edgar,  Tillie,  Alice,  Clara, 
llattie,  Rosella,  James,  Maggie,  Laura  and  Ralph. 
Martha  married  Rev.  William  Evans,  of  Kentucky, 
(and  now  deceased)  and  they  had  seven  children — 
Sarah,  May,  William,  James,  David,  Eddie  and 
Ella  (deceased).  William  married  Ella  Belsher,  of 
Macoupin  County.  They  are  the  parents  of  nine 
children — Alice,  America,  Emma,  Louis,  Martha, 
Everett,  Nora,  Annie  and  Bert  (deceased). 

John  D.  Hart  was  married  to  Annie  E.  Ander- 
son, whose  people  were  from  Kentucky.  She 
traces  her  ancestry  to  Scotland.  In  this  family 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


are  six  children — Sylvia  O.,  Willard  W.,  Mura  M., 
Carney  C.,  Iva  I.  and  Carson  C. 

Mr.  Hart,  in  common  with  other  pioneers  of  this 
country,  started  in  life  with  little  money,  but  with 
a  large  amount  of  hope,  and  with  this  capital,  has 
succeeded  admirably.  His  economical  habits,  un- 
abated industry  and  good  business  faculties  have 
placed  him  in  the  enviable  position  of  indepen- 
dence. His  farm  contains  416  acres  of  first-class 
land,  peculiarly  adapted  to  agriculture  and  stock 
raising.  The  buildings  upon  this  farm  are  models 
of  convenience  and  utility.  Mr.  Hart  is  a  breeder 
of  stock,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  black  Polled 
Angus  cattle.  He  has  a  splendid  herd  of  these 
superior  cattle,  and  is  justified  in  being  proud  of 
their  fine  breeding. 

Mr.  Hart  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  and 
politically  votes  with  the  Democratic  party,  because 
he  believes  that  party  to  be  in  the  right,  and  he 
takes  great  interest  in  politics,  but  he  is  not  now,  and 
perhaps  never  will  be,  an  aspirant  for  office. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  Mrs.  Hart  emi- 
grated from  Scotland  to  Kentucky  in  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  and,  after  living  there  a 
few  years,  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Morgan  Coun- 
ty. Their  son,  Andrew  Anderson,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Hart,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  was  married  in 
this  county  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Cole.  Their  seven 
children  were  named  respectively,  Robert  W., 
James  T.,  John  P.,  Annie  E.,  Sarah  J.  (deceased), 
Stephen  D.  and  Alfred  K. 


ARAII  E.  FOREMAN,  widow  of  the  late 
William  Walker  Foreman,  is  in  possession 
of  a  fine  home  located  at  No.  463  East 
State  street,  Jacksonville,  where  she  lives 
surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  of  life  and  many  of 
its  luxuries.  She  is  a  lady  held  in  high  esteem  by 
a  large  circle  of  acquaintances,  and  is  the  subject 
of  an  interesting  history,  the  main  points  of  which 
are  as  follows: 

A  native  of  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,  Mrs.  Fore- 
man was  born  July  20,  1826',  to  Garland  Ken-  and 
Penelope  S.  (Edwards)  Smith,  being  the  eldest  of 
their  four  children.  Her  oldest  sister,  Sophia, 


607      4 


married  Dr.  James  S.  Offutt,  of  Scott  County,  Ky., 
and  still  resides  there.  Martha  J.  was  the  wife  of 
John  M.  Burch,  of  the  same  place,  but  is  now  a 
widow,  Mr.  Burch  having  died  about  1873.  Geor- 
gia A.,  Mrs.  LaFayette  Dewees,  of  Jacksonville, 
was  married  at  the  home  of  our  subject,  then  went 
to  Texas  with  her  husband,  but  remained  there 
only  a  few  months,  returning  to  Jacksonville,  where 
she  now  lives.  She  is  a  widow,  Mr.  Dewees  hav- 
ing died  about  1861. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Foreman  were  natives  of 
Kentucky,  and  the  father  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children  who  were 
named  respectively,  Sidney,  Mary  Ann,  David, 
Elizabeth,  William  Addison,  James,  Clifton,  How- 
ard, Emeline  and  Garland.  Of  these  only  two  are 
living,  namely :  Sidney  and  Howard.  Mary  Ann 
married  Dr.  William  S.  Hood,  of  Clark  County, 
Ky.  Emeline  married  Alexander  Offutt. 

Upon  reaching  womanhood,  Sarah  E.  Kerr  was 
united  in  marriage,  February,  1843,  to  William 
Walker  Foreman.  This  gentleman  was  also  a 
native  of  Bourbon  County,  Ky.,and  born  Nov.  17, 
1819,  being  the  son  of  Aaron  and  Mary  Hays 
(Walker)  Foreman,  and  the  eldest  of  a  family  of 
eight  children.  Of  these  James  H.  alone  survives. 
Mary,  the  youngest  daughter,  became  the  wife  of 
Proctor  Knott,  who  was  elected  Governor  of  Ken- 
tucky. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Foreman  died  when  he  was 
very  young,  and  he  subsequently  made  his  home 
with  an  uncle.  He  was  a  bright  and  studious  boy 
and  secured  a  college  education.  He  followed  teach- 
ing for  a  time,  and  later  engaged  in  farming  in 
Bourbon  County,  Ky.  In  1856  lie  sold  his  land  in 
the  Blue  Grass  State,  and  coming  to  Morgan 
County,  engaged  for  a  short  time  in  the  lumber 
trade  in  Jacksonville.  He  conducted  this,  however, 
a  comparatively  short  time,  subsequently  withdraw- 
ing from  active  business,  and  on  account  of  ill 
health  lived  quietly  at  his  home  until  passing  away 
on  the  12th  of  August,  1886.  Politically  he  was 
a  stanch  Democrat,  and  in  religious  matters  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church.  He  was  a  first- 
class  business  man  and  a  Director  in  the  First 
National  bank  at  Jacksonville. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foreman  there  were  born  the 


608 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


children  whose  record  is  as  follows:  Clifton  Rice, 
horn  in  Scott  County,  Ky.,  Oct.  12,  1841,  and  Kerr 
Smith,  bom  Oct.  30,  1851,  in  Bourbon  County, 
Ky.,  are  carrying  on  agriculture  in  Clinton  County, 
Mo.;  Lizzie  Walker,  who  was  born  Oct.  1,  1858, 
became  the  wife  of  Dan  McMillen,  of  LaG  range, 
Ga.,  and  is  the  mother  of  one  child,  Walker  Fore- 
man, who  was  born  Dec.  22,  1881.  Mrs.  Foreman 
hn.s  been  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  in 
Jacksonville  for  many  years.  She  has  been  a  care- 
ful and  judicious  mother,  a  kind  neighbor,  and  is 
universally  esteemed. 


FLIAS  METCALF,  a  native  of  this  State, 
came,  in  1810,  to  Morgan  County,  and  pur- 
/JL^  chased  land  on  section  1,  township  15.  He 
was  prospered  in  bis  labors  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil, 
effected  good  improvements  in  the  shape  of  farm 
buildings,  and  added  to  his  first  purchase,  so  Hint 
he  is  now  the  owner  of  135  acres,  which  is  chiefly 
devoted  to  cattle  raising.  He  has  now  a  tasteful 
and  commodious  residence,  and  all  the  outbuild- 
ings necessary  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  his 
calling,  lie  has  been  a  man  of  note  in  his  county, 
serving  as  Deputy  Sheriff  and  Constable,  and  occu- 
pying various  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility. 

The  ancestors  of  our  subject  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia and  Maryland,  and  of  English  origin.  They 
have  now  become  scattered  over  the  whole  of  the 
United  States.  Elias  was  born  Dec.  22,  1821,  and 
is  the  son  of  Emanuel  and  Sarah  (Purser)  Metcalf, 
natives  of  North  Carolina.  They  removed  to  Ken- 
lucky  shortly  after  their  marriage,  where  the  father 
carried  on  farming  until  1812.  lie  then  removed 
to  White  County,  III.,  after  having  done  good  ser- 
vice as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  from  \V'hi',e 
County  he  removed  to  Morgan  County,  111.  He 
departed  this  life  at  the  homestead  in  Morgan  Coun- 
ty, in  April,  18(>6.  The  mother  had  passed  away 
previous  to  the  decease  of  her  husband  Feb.  26, 
1864. 

Mr.  Metcalf,  our  subject,  early  in  life  became 
familiar  with  farm  pursuits,  and  was  trained  to 
those  habits  of  industry  and  economy  which  have 
followed  him  all  through  life.  At  the  age  of 


twenty-four  years  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Black,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  They  began 
life  together  upon  a  farm  in  Morgan  County,  and 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
.lolin  P.,  the  eldest  son,  married  Miss  Mary  Kelley, 
of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  they  have  three  children; 
Nettie  became  the  wife  of  J.  II.  Ma[>es,  of  Saline, 
Kan.,  and  is  the' mother  of  six  children ;  William 
It.  married  Miss  Ella  Kendall,  of  Morgan  County, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children;  Arthur 
E.  is  a  resident  of  St.  Louis;  Lizzie  married  Dr. 
John  Trible,  of  Alton,  III.,  and  has  two  children. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Metcalf  departed  this  life  at  her 
home  near  Jacksonville,  Jan.  29,  1863. 

Our  subject,  Dec.  25,  1865,  contracted  a  second 
marriage  with  Miss  Emily  Mead.  This  lady  was 
born  in  Delaware  County,  Ohio,  Apr.  21, .1833,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Lydia  (Root)  Mead, 
natives  respectively  of  Vermont  and  Ohio.  Her 
father  was  a  marble-cutter  by  trade,  and  after  a 
residence  of  a  few  years  in  the  Buckeye  State,  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  where  he  died  in  1857.  The 
mother  survives  him,  making  her  home  in  Du- 
biique,  Iowa.  Our  subject  anil  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Jack- 
sonville, and  Mr.  Metcalf  politically,  votes  the 
straight  Republican  ticket..  He  is  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  the  principles  of  his  party,  and  keeps  him- 
self well  posted  upon  current  events. 


II.  C.  G.  JONES,  junior    member   of    the 
I   linn   of   II.  K.  and  C.  G.  Jones,  and  who. 


with  his  brother,  commands  a  lucrative 
practice  in  Jacksonville  and  vicinity,  was 
born  in  Kappaliannoek  County,  Va.,  Sept.  3,  1827. 
lie  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Lincoln  County,  Mo., 
when  a  mere  child,  and  spent  his  time  there  upon 
the  farm  and  in  attendance  at  the  common  school 
until  a  youth  of  sixteen  years.  He  then  became  a 
student  in  Troy  Academy,  in  Lincoln  County,  Mo., 
and  later,  in  1849,  of  Illinois  College.  From 
this  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1854.  Then 
returning  to  Missouri,  he  organized  and  conducted 
an  academy  in  Troy,  while  he  devoted  his  leisure 
hours  to  the  study  of  medicine. 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


009 


Our  subject,  about  1866,  came  to  Jacksonville 
and  completed  his  medical  studies  under  the  in- 
struction of  his  brother.  During  the  winters  of 
1866-67  and  18C7-68,  he  attended  the  St.  Louis 
Medical  College,  from  which  lie  wns  graduated, 
and  soon  afterward  became  associated  with  his 
brother  in  the  practice  which  they  have  since  made 
extensive  and  profitable.  lie  was  married  July  22, 
1856,  to  Miss  Sarah  Wing,  of  Troy,  Mo.,  who  was 
born  March  28,  1828,  in  that  place.  The  parents 
of  Mrs.  Jones  were  Horace  B.  and  Mary  (Perkins) 
Wing,  who  were  natives  of  Vermont  and  are  now 
deceased. 

In  the  sketch  of  Dr.  H.  K.  Jones,  found  else- 
where in  this  volume,  will  be  noted  the  parental 
history.  Our  subject,  politically,  is  an  earnest 
Republican,  and,  with  his  estimable  wife,  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church.  Dr.  Jones  is  con- 
nected with  most  of  the  medical  associations  of 
Illinois,  including  the  Morgan  County  Medical 
Society,  besides  the  Microscopical  Society  of  Jack- 
sonville, the  American  Philosophical  Society  and 
the  Jacksonville  Literary  Club.  His  residence  is 
in  the  western  part  of  the  city,  near  that  of  his 
brother. 

"  f3   '/ — ^7fr^    v*   *"»' 

G.  GILLETT,  L.  L.  D.,  who  since  the 
month  of  April,  1856,  has  served  so  ably 
and  faithfully  in  the  capacity  of  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Institution  for  Deaf  and 
Dumb  at  Jacksonville,  is  a  graduate  of  the  DePaw 
University  of  Indiana.  His  diploma  bears  the  date 
of  the  year  1852,  and  confers  the  degree  A.  B.  The 
same  institution  has  since  conferred  on  him  the 
degrees  of  A.  M.  and  L.  L.  1).  For  four  years  after 
leaving  the  University  he  was  employed  in  the  In- 
diana Institute  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  and  dis- 
played such  ability  in  this  special  line  of  work  as 
to  lead  to  his  connection  with  the  Jacksonville  In- 
stitution, lie  is  acknowledged  the  most  able  and 
competent  instructor  and  administrator  the  institu- 
tion has  known,  and  few,  if  any,  can  surpass  him 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Union.  The  enrollment 
in  the  institution  at  the  present  time  is  570  The 
corps  of  teachers  numbers  thirty-one. 

The  subject,  of  this  writing  was  born  in  Madison, 

«• 


Indiana,  on  the  24  of  March,  1833.  lie  is  the  son 
of  Rev.  S.  T.  and  Harriet  (Good)  Gillctt,  natives 
of  the  States  of  New  York  and  Ohio,  respectively. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  are  still  living.  The 
Gillett  family  may  be  traced  back  to  the  days  of 
the  Ilugenots,  of  which  people  it  had  its  origin. 
Representatives  thereof  settled  in  Dorchester,  MMSS.. 
as  early  as  I6;50.  The  father  of  our  subject  has 
been  a  minister  of  the-  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
for  over  fifty  years.  In  early  life  he  was  in  the 
service  of  the  United  States  Navy. 

Dr.  Gillett  was  married  on  the  22d  of  May,  1  854, 
and  became  the  husband  of  Miss  Ellen  M.  Phipps. 
This  lady  was  born  in  the  city  of  Indianapolis  and 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Indiana  Female  College  of  that 
city.  Her  parents,  Isaac  and  Julia  (Cully)  Phipps, 
were  natives  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  res)>ect- 
ively.  There  have  been  born  of  this  union  four 
children,  viz.:  Harriet,  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Charles 
K.  Cole,  of  Helena,  Mont. ;  Charles  P.,  who  is 
his  father's  assistant  in  the  Institute;  Alma,  who 
fills  the  position  of  Principal  of  the  Department  of 
Articulation  in  the  Institute,  and  Philip  Fred,  a 
student  at  Illinois  College. 

Both  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Gillett  are  communicants 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  active  workers 
and  liberal  supporters  in  connection  with  the  same. 
Tlie  Doctor  has  twice  been  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  and  a  member  of  the  Book  Coun- 
cil of  the  church.  For  a  period  of  fourteen  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  International  Sunday- 
school  Lesson  Committee,  and  has  been  President 
of  the  International  Sunday-school  Convention.  He 
is  Vice  President  of  the  American  Sunday-school 
Union,  and  was  twice  President  of  the  Illinois  Sun- 
day-school Convention.  He  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi,  which  is  the  largest  College 
fraternity  in  the  world,  and  he  is  now  President  of 
the  Association  of  Principals  and  Superintendents 
of  American  Institutes  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb. 

Being  so  deeply  interested  and  fully  occupied  in 
religious,  professional  and  learned  societies  Dr. 
Gillett  necessarily  has  not  had  opportunity  to  take 
a  prominent  part  in  the  political  arena.  He  is, 
however,  careful  to  be  fully  conversant  with  all 
current  questions  that  concern  the  interests  of  the 
people  and  the  welfare  of  the  country.  In  the  Ma- 


,  i     610 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


sonic  fraternity  the  Doctor  is  very  popular,  and  at 
all  times  well  received.  lie  was  the  first  Eminent 
Commander  of  Hospitaller  C'ommandery  No.  32, 
of  the  order  of  Knights  Templar.  He  lias  always 
sustained  a  worthy  reputation  in  connection  with 
masonry.  He  is  a  man  as  highly  respected  as  he  is 
widely  known.  His  personal  worth  as  well  as  his 
ability  and  mental  power  command  the  highest  pos- 
sible regard,  and  it  is  freely  and  heartily  accorded 
him. 

—  •$•>!< -3"  - 

ARTIN  VOGEL,  manufacturer  of  car- 
riages, buggies,  wagons,  sleighs,  etc.,  and 
every  description  of  a  road  vehicle,  mny 
usually  be  found  at  his  headquarters  No. 
225  North  Sandy  street,  lie  was  born  in  Texas  in 
1842,  and  when  a  child  three  years  of  age  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  latter 
were  George  P.  and  Martha  (Swain)  Vogel,  who 
were  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  operated 
for  many  years  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  is 
now  living  in  retirement  at  Lawrenceburg,  Ind. 

The  parental  household  includes  eight  children. 
Martin  received  a  common-school  education  like 
his  brothers  and  sisters  and  when  a  youth  of  fifteen 
years  commenced  his  apprenticeship  at  the  trade  of 
a  carriage-maker  under  the  instructions  of  his 
father  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  "After  working  eigh- 
teen months  his  peaceful  vocation  was  changed  to 
that  of  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army,  as  he  enlisted 
in  Company  D,  32d  Indiana  Infantry,  in  which  he 
yielded  a  faithful  service  of  thirty-seven  months. 
He  participated  in  many  of  the  important  bat- 
tles, and  at  Altona  received  an  honorable  wound. 
He  was  in  the  battle  at  Green  River,  Ky., 
at  Shiloh,  Murfreesboro,  Perry  Hill,  Chiekamauga, 
and  went  with  Sherman  in  his  march  to  the  sea. 
At  Murfreesboro  he  was  captured  by  the  enemy 
and  confined  in  Libby  and  Castle  Thunder  prisons 
for  three  months.  Otherwise  than  to  suffer  the 
natural  results  of  privations  and  exposure,  he  came 
out  unharmed  and  received  an  honorable  discharge. 
Upon  leaving  the  army  Mr.  Vogel  returned  to 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  completed  his  trade, 
developing  into  a  journeyman.  The  year  18C7  found 
him  in  Morgan  County,  and  in  the  city  of  Jackson- 


ville, he  entered  the  employ  of  Richards  <fe  Co., 
with  whom  he  remained  until  1871.  He  then  com- 
menced business  for  himself  and  by  his  straight- 
forward method  of  carrying  on  his  affairs,  his  in- 
dustry and  integrity  he  was  soon  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  large  patronage  and  giving  emplo}-- 
ment  at  times  to  as  many  as  nine  men.  The  suc- 
cess has  continued  to  the  present  time  and  he  is 
now  numbered  among  the  leading  business  men  of 
Jacksonville,  his  manufactory  being  classed  among 
its  leading  interests. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  life  of 
our  subject  was  his  marriage  in  1872,  with  Miss 
Laura  A.,  daughter  of  R.  G.  Don  Carlos.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Yogel  there  was  born  one  child  only,  a 
son,  Earl.  Mr.  Vogel  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  the  I.  ().  O.  F.,  and  political!}',  a 
a  stanch  Republican.  The  neat  and  comfortable 
family  residence  is  located  at  No.  412  South  Main 
street. 


•ILLIAM  L.  FAY,  editor  of  the  Daily  and 
Weekly  Jacksonville  Journal,  is  a  native 
of  this  State,  having  been  born  in  Spring- 
field March  15,  1851.  He  was  educated  in  the 
grandest  of  all  schools,  experience,  commencing  at 
the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  and  climbing  slowly  but 
steadily  and  surely,  until  he  reached  the  top  rounds. 
He  was  ten  years  of  age  when  he  commenced  ^o 
work  in  the  printing-oflice  of  the  old  Jacksonville 
Sentinel,  and  from  that,  time  until  the  present  he 
has  been  continuously  in  the  newspaper  work.  He 
began  by  setting  type,  and  was  gradually  promoted 
until  in  187-4  he  came  into  the  Journal  ollice  as 
night-editor  and  foreman.  In  November,  188(>, 
the  Journal  company  then  organized  with  Mr. 
Fay  as  one  of  the  principal  stock-holders,  and  from 
that  date  he  has  been  associated  with  Mr.  Nichols, 
whose  sketch  will  be  found  in  the  ALBUM.  These 
two  gentlemen  have  jointly  edited  and  managed 
the  two  editions  with  signal  success.  Their  news- 
paper enjoys  a  large  circulation  and  a  finely  paying 
advertising  list,  and  has  more  influence  than  most 
of  its  competitors  in  this  region.  Mr.  Fay  has 
been  very  successful  as  a  newspaper  man,  and  with 
Mr.  Nichols  has  brought  this  paper  up  to  a  high 


r 


»-*-* 

* 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


611 


standard  of  excellence  by  sheer  force  of  industry, 
and  by  technical  and  general  intelligence.  In  (>oli- 
tics  the  Journal  commands  an  influence  which  is 
felt  in  the  counsel  of  its  party  and  it  is  read  with 
respect  by  the  leaders. 

In  the  social  world  Mr.  Fay  is  no  less  influential 
than  in  his  chosen  profession  of  journalism.  The 
Masonic  fraternity  has  a  no  more  enthusiastic 
worker,  while  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  K.  of  P.,  and  Red 
Men  have  in  him  a  worthy  and  intelligent  mem- 
ber. He  was  married  in  this  city  in  188(1  to  Miss 
Leah  Plattner. 


THOMAS  DENBY  is  one  of  the  class  of  farm- 
ers who  believe  that  mixed  husbandry  is  the 
only  safe  method  for  an  Illinois  fanner  to 
pursue.  lie  is  an  extensive  stock-raiser  of  this 
part  of  Morgan  County,  making  a  specialty  of 
swine,  and  intelligently  following  this  business,  in 
which  he  has  accumulated  a  fortune.  He  is  a  man 
who  reads  the  literature  bearing  on  the  business  in 
which  he  is  engaged,  and  he  is  reaping  the  benefit 
of  this  most  commendable  plan  of  doing.  There 
are  many  people  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
who  are  firmly  intrenched  in  the  belief  that  no  real 
knowledge  is  gained  from  books  that  bear  upon 
practical  farming.  Of  course,  they  are  wrong, 
and  Mr.  Den  by  is  one  who  believes  that  this  idea  is 
erroneous. 

Mr.  Deriby  has  always  bred  the  Poland-China 
breed  of  hogs,  and  he  believes  —  and  his  exjx»rience 
is  corroborative  of  this  belief  —  that  this  strain  of 
hogs  is  the  best.  He  has  been  feeding  swine  since 
1845,  and  during  that  long  period  has  given  this 
branch  of  stock-raising  his  undivided  attention. 
He  has  the  deserved  reputation  of  raising  the  finest 
and  largest  hogs  in  Illinois,  as  a  few  figures  will 
illustrate:  In  1852  or  1853  he  shipped  to  Beards- 
town,  111.,  a  lot  comprising  eighty  hogs  that  weighed 
on  an  average  437^  pounds  net,  and  the  heaviest  of 
these  animnls  weighed  G10  pounds,  while  the  light- 
est was  404  pounds.  This  is  said  to  be  the  heaviest 
lot  of  hogs  ever  shipped  from  Beardstown. 

Mr.  Denby  owns  200  acres  of  land  on  section  21, 
township  15,  range  1  1  .  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that 


there  is  not  a  better  cultivated  piece  of  land  in  this 
region  than  his.  Upon  this  farm  is  erected  a  brick 
house  which  is  a  model  of  comfort  and  convenience, 
and  the  barns,  sheds,  etc.,  arc  all  in  keeping  with 
the  place.  The  farm  is  well  watered  and  is  admir- 
ably adapted  to  the  business  in  which  Mr.  Denby 
is  engaged.  He  spares  no  pains  to  buy  the  test 
appliances  to  carry  on  his  farm,  believing  that  the 
best  is  none  too  good  for  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
who  would  succeed. 

Mr.  Denby  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,, Inly 
17,  1822.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Ellen 
(Conderd)  Denby;  the  former  is  a  native  of  Lin- 
colnshire, and  the  latter  of  Yorkshire,  where  they 
were  married.  After  the  senior  Denby's  marriage, 
he  began  to  farm  in  Yorkshire,  and  there  all  his 
children,  four  in  number,  were  born.  In  1832  he 
concluded  to  try  his  fortune  in  America,  and  ac- 
cordingly, on  April  3,  shipped  at  Liverpool  on 
board  a  sailing  vessel,  and  started  for  the  New 
World.  While  on  the  Atlantic,  their  ship  encoun- 
tered a  terrible  storm,  which  continued  unrelent- 
ingly for  eight  days  and  nine  nights.  During  this 
storm  there  seemed  to  be  no  hope  that  the  ship 
would  ever  reach  land,  but  the  passengers,  of  whom 
there  were,  a  great  many,  were  stout  Englishmen 
and  Scotchmen,  and  by  hard  and  persistent  work  at 
the  pumps  they  managed  to  keep  the  boat  from 
sinking.  They  finally  reached  New  York  City  on 
the  1st  of  August,  having  been  nearly  three  months 
on  the  ocean.  The  ship  contained  over  a  thousand 
people,  who  suffered  all  the  tortures  of  death. 
After  the  senior  Denby  had  landed,  he  proceeded 
at  once  to  Morgan  County,  which  he  had  heard 
spoken  of  as  the  garden  spot  of  the  United  States. 
Here  he  purchased  200  acres  of  land,  the  same  now 
occupied  by  his  son  Thomas.  The  father,  in  1817, 
decided  to  go  back  to  England,  and  while  making 
the  trip  was  attacked  by  a  fever,  and  died  while  on 
the  Atlantic.  His  body  w:is  buried  at  sea.  He  was 
then  about  fifty-three  3'ears  of  age,  and  seemingly 
had  before  him  years  of  happiness,  but  Providence 
decreed  otherwise.  His  wife  died  in  Jacksonville 
in  the  fall  of  1847,  the  same  year  in  which  her  hus- 
band passed  away.  They  were  universally  re- 
garded as  persons  of  intelligence  and  virtue. 

Mr.  Thomas   Denby  was   only  ten  years  of  age 

•» 


•  '    612 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


when  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  in  Morgan  County  and  was 
to  Martha  II.  Sparks.  She  was  born  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  in  1821.  She  died  in  1846,  and  left  be- 
hind her  the  reputation  of  being  a  hard  working 
and  intelligent  woman.  She  left  one  son,  George 
T.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  The  second 
marriage  of  Mr.  Denby  was  to  Mary  J.  Wells,  who 
was  born  in  1821,  in  Morgan  County,  where  she  has 
remained  since.  She  is  the  mother  of  five  children, 
two  of  whom  are  dead,  namely:  Sarah  K.,  wife  of 
George  W.  Kilham,  who  died  leaving  a  son  and  a 
daughter;  and  Thomas  K.,  who  died  when  he  was 
two  and  a  half  years  old.  The  living  are:  Mary 
E.,  wife  of  George  V.  Rnmson;  they  live  on  a  farm 
in  the  same  township  as  their  parents;  Anna  M.  is 
the  wife  of  T.  O.  Graves,  who  is  also  farming  in 
the  same  township;  Ann  E.  is  the  wife  of  .lohn  W. 
Leach;  they  are  also  living  on  a  farm  here.  Mrs. 
Denby  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  and  there  is  not  a  lady  in  all  the  country 
around  who  is  more  respected  than  she.  Mr.  Denby 
politically  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  part}'. 


T 


J.  BRONSON,  a  highly  respected 
resident  of  Jacksonville,  and  one  of  its  en- 
terprising  and  prosperous  citizens  is  a  native 
of  Avon,  N.  Y.,  where  his  birth  took  place  in  1842. 
To  his  parents,  Samuel  C.  and  Lucretia  (Rogers) 
Bronson,  there  were  born  twelve  children,  of  whom 
only  four  survive. 

Samuel  C.  Bronson  was  a  native  of  Connecticut 
and  born  in  February  1800.  In  his  youth  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  tanner,  also  that  of  a  boot  and 
shoemaker.  These  he  followed  a  number  of  years, 
but  finally  became  interested  in  farming  and, 
abandoning  the  bench,  occupied  himself  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
June  0,  1881.  He  was  a  good  man  in  the  broadest 
sense  of  the  word,  a  Jacksonian  Democrat,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  a  prominent 
In-other  in  the  Masonic  fraternity.  To  the  princi- 
ples of  Masonry  he  was  warmly  attached  and 
defended  them  with  all  the  strength  and  courage  of 
his  character. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  left  the  parental  roof 


on  the  24th  of  March,  1862,  when  a  young  man  of 
twenty  years,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Tole- 
do <fe  Wabash  Railroad.  Six  months  later  he 
(hanged  his  residence  to  Springfield  and  for  a 
period  of  four  years  was  in  one  of  the  ollicesof  the 
Great  Western.  Thence  he  went  to  Omaha,  Neb., 
and  entered  the  service  of  the  Union  Pacific  Com- 
pany with  whom  he  remained  until  1866.  We  next 
find  him  in  Jacksonville,  Morgan  County,  as  an 
employe  of  the  St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  <fe  Chicago 
Railroad  Company,  with  which  he  remained  two 
years. 

Upon  leaving  the  railroad  Mr.  Bronson  became 
the  employe  of  W.  F.  Hnntley  &  Co.,  engaged  in 
the  saddlery,  hardware  and  harness  business  and 
with  them  he  remained  five  or  six  years.  He  then 
commenced  business  for  himself  at  his  present  lo- 
cation. He  carries  a  full  and  fine  stock  of  every- 
thing in  his  line  and  enjoyes  an  extensive  and  con- 
stantly increasing  patronage. 

One  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  life  of 
our  subject  was  his  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Gilbert 
Snyder,  which  took  place  at  the  home  of  the  bride 
Oct.  1!),  1870.  Mrs.  Bronson  was  born  in  Jack- 
sonville, Feb.  2«r),  1842  toGilbertand  Eliza  Snyder, 
and  was  the  youngest  of  their  four  children.  Her 
sister  Sarah,  died  when  about  two  years  old;  Wes- 
ley S.  is  associated  with  Thomas  J.  Bronson,  our 
subject,  in  the  harness  and  saddlery  trade.  He 
married  Miss  Sally  Sanders,  of  Jacksonville,  and  is 
the  father  of  five  children. 

John  M.  Snyder  was  graduated  from  a  business 
college  at  Chicago  and  was  engaged  in  the  gro- 
cery trade  at  Jacksonville  until  the  outbreak  of 
the  late  Civil  War.  He  then  enlisted  in  the  101st 
Illinois  Infantry,  was  promoted  to  Quartermaster, 
but  later  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to 
Jacksonville;  assisted  in  organizing  the  (itli  Illinois 
Cavalry  and  was  promoted  to  Quartermaster  also 
in  that  regiment.  He  continued  thereafter  in  the 
service  until  18G3.  Then  again  resigning  his  com- 
mission he  returned  to  Illinois  and  became  the  pri- 
vate Secretary  of  Governor  Richard  Yatesat  Spring- 
field. He  now  holds  the  position  of  Collector  of 
toll  at  the  Copperas  Creek  Locks.  He  participated 
in  many  active  engagements  while  in  the  army  and 
acquitted  himself  in  a  most  creditable  manner  in 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


613 


connection  with  his  responsible  duties.  After  be- 
coming a  resident  of  Springfield  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Maggie  Walker,  of  Ohio,  .Inly  20,  1864. 
This  lady  was  employed  as  a  teacher  in  the  Spring- 
field public  schools  and  has  a  fine  education.  Of 
this  union  there  have  been  born  three  sons,  Fred- 
erick H.,  Willie  P.  and  Ralph  M. 

Mrs.  Bronson  entered  the  primary  department  of 
the  Illinois  Female  College,  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  the  class  of  I  800.  Of  her  union 
with  our  subject  there  arc  three  children — Anna  M., 
born  March  21,  1872;  Eliza  Lucretia,  Feb,  9,  1874, 
and  Kittie,  Oct.  31,  1879.  They  are  a  bright  and 
interesting  trio  and  continue  with  their  parents  in 
their  pleasant  home  at  No.  420  East  State  street. 

Mrs.  Eli/.a  Snyder,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Bronson, 
wns  born  in  Ireland,  Nov.  1,  1816,  and  was  one  of 
a  family  of  four  children,  the  offspring  of  Wesley 
and  Eliza  Drennon.  The  brothers  and  sisters, 
•John,  Mary  Ann,  and  Wesley  emigrated  to  Ameri- 
ca and  settled  in  'Lexington,  Ky.,  whence  they  re- 
moved to  Illinois.  Eli/.a  became  the  wife  of  Gil- 
bert Snyder  on  the  13th  of  March,  1834,  and  this 
family  in  due  time  embraced  four  children.  Mr. 
Snyder  was  a  millwright  by  trade  and  assisted  in 
placing  the  machinery  of  the  first  mill  in  Morgan 
County.  His  death  took  place  Oct.  11,  1811.  lie 
was  a  member  of  the  old  Whig  party,  politically, 
and  in  religious  matters,  identified  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  His  native  place  was 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 


i  AMES  HOG  AN,  who  departed  this  life  at  his 
home  in  Scott  County  in  .Inly,  1879,  es- 
tablished one  of  its  most  valuable  home- 
steads and  became  the  owner  of  240  acres 
of  land,  which  he  brought  to  a  fine  state  of  culti- 
vation and  upon  which  he  effected  modern  im- 
provements. His  career  was  a  fine  illustration  of 
the  results  of  energy  and  perseverance,  and  he 
came  to  Illinois  at  a  time  when  men  possessing 
those  qualifications  were  most  needed.  His  widow, 
Mrs.  1'ermelia  Hogan,  carried  on  this  large  farm 
for  about  two  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband, 
then  divided  the  property  with  her  children  and 


i 


now  has  her  homestead  of  eighty  acres  on  section 
14,  where  she  is  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts 
and  conveniences  of  life. 

Mr.  Hogan  was  born  in  County  Tipperary,  Ire- 
land, in  1803,  and  came  to  America  when  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  sojourned  for  a  time  in  New 
York  City,  then  came  to  Morgan  County,  this 
State,  and  purchased  100  acres  of  land,  the  nucleus 
of  the  present  estate.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest 
pioneers,  of  this  section,  coming  at  a  time  when 
wild  game  was  plentiful  and  when  sometimes  as 
many  as  fifteen  deer  could  be  seen  in  one  herd.  He 
battled  with  the  difficulties  attendant  upon  life  on 
the  frontier,  and  for  a  series  of  years  labored  early 
and  late  in  the  building  up  of  his  homestead  and 
the  accumulation  of  a  competence. 

Mrs.  Hogan  wns  born  in  Christian  County,  Ky., 
Aug.  10,  1824,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Mary  (Williams)  Chrisman.  Her  paternal  grand- 
father, George  Chrisman,  was  a  native  of  Christian 
County,  Ky.,  and  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  lie 
carried  on  blacksmithing  and  farming  combined, 
and  lived  to  be  eighty-eight  years  old.  The  Chris- 
man  family  is  of  German  descent  and  George 
Chrisman  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Mor- 
gan County,  this  State. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Hogan,  upon  reaching  man- 
hood, engaged  in  fanning  and  sawmilling.  He  also 
operated  a  gristmill  and  a  distillery,  and  became 
well-to-do.  He  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty, 
four  years.  The  mother  was  born  in  Christian 
County,  Ky.,  where  she  was  married.  Her  father 
did  good  service  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and 
was  killed  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Hogan,  after  the  death  of 
her  husband,  went  to  Arizona  and  spent  her  last 
days  with  one  of  her  daughters,  passing  away  in 
.June,  1887,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years;  she 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The 
parental  household  included  five  children,  of  whom 
Permelia  was  the  eldest.  Catharine  is  a  resident  of 
Chicago,  Elizabeth  lives  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Henry 
is  engaged  in  mining  in  Colorado,  Barbara  is  de- 
censed.  Miss  Permelia  came  to  Illinois  with  her 
parents  and  was  reared  to  womanhood  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Lynnville,  Morgan  County.  She  was  but 
nine  vears  old  at  the  time  of  her  father's  death, 


•» 


614 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


and  remained  at  home  with  her  mother  until  her 
marriage  with  Mr.  Ilogan,  which  occurred  in  1842. 
Of  this  union  there  were  born  ten  children,  the 
eldest  of  whom,  a  son,  Thomns,  died  when  a  prom- 
ising young  man  of  twenty-one  years.  Frank  is  a 
resident  of  Springfield.  During  the  late  Civil 
War  he  enlisted  in  the  18th  Illinois  Infantry,  in 
1861,  and  served  until  the  close,  receiving  a  wound 
which  crippled  him  for  life.  Elizabeth  is  the  wife 
of  Henry  Bingham,  a  resident  of  Springfield  and 
employed  as  an  engineer  on  the  Wabash  rail- 
road. Catherine  is  the. wife  of  Thomas  Sidles, 
who  is  a  fireman  on  the  Wabash  railroad  and 
resides  in  Springfield.  William  is  farming.  John 
remains  at  home  with  his  mother.  Peter  was 
killed  on  the  railroad.  Delia  and  Mary  are  both 
dead.  George  is  at  home.  Mr.  Ilogan,  politically, 
was  a  Democrat,  and  belonged  to  the  Catholic 
Church.  The  residence  of  Mrs.  Ilogan  is  situated 
within  one  mile  of  Chapin,  and  forms  one  of  the 
most  attractive  spots  in  that  section  of  country, 
everything  being  kept  up  in  good  sha|>e  and  de- 
noting cultivated  tastes  and  ample  means.  She  is 
a  lady  universally  respected,  and  has  reared  her 
children  to  become  honest  and  praiseworthy  citizens. 


N  II.  COATS,  the  leading  grocery  mer- 
|  chant  of  Winchester  is  a  native  of  Peters- 
burg, Pike  Co.,  Ind.,  and  was  born  Sept. 
23,  1843.  His  father,  William  T.  Coats, 
emigrated  to  Pike  County,  III.,  in  1844,  thence  to 
Scott  County,  where  he  died  in  1855  at  the  age  of 
sixty-one  jears.  The  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Coats, 
the  mother  of  John  II.,  was  Amelia  Barrett.  She 
died  in  18C2.  Both  she  and  Mr.  Coats  were  natives 
of  North  Carolina,  and  they  reared  a  family  of  four 
sons  and  two  daughters,  John  II.  being  the  young- 
est. It  will  thus  be  seen  that  our  subject  was  left 
fatherless  at  a  tender  age;  his  mother  was  an  inva- 
lid, and  he  had  no  resources  except  a  brave  spirit 
and  :i  courageous  heart. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  at  the 
common  schools,  advantages  being  denied  him  that 
would  aid  in  procuring  a  higher  education,  and  be- 
ing of  a  studious  and  religious  turn  of  mind,  at  the 


age  of  seventeen  years,  in  1 860,  he  united  with  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  was  in  that  church  until  1869, 
when  on  account  of  certain  doctrinal  views  of  the 
Baptist  denomination,  Mr.  Coats  withdrew  from 
that  organization  and  became  identified  with  the 
Christian  Church,  and  was  ordained  and  began 
preaching  at  once  for  that  church,  and  was  so  suc- 
cessful that  in  twelve  years  he  baptised  into  that 
faith  over  1,400  persons.  Very  much  to  the  regret 
of  himself  and  the  members  of  his  congregation  he 
was  unfortunately  forced  by  an  irreparable  failure 
of  his  throat  and  voice  U>  abandon  the  pulpit  in 
1884,  since  which  time,  and  for  a  year  previous, 
he  has  been  engaged  in  his  present  business  exclus- 
ively, at  Winchester. 

In  May,  1861,  Mr.  Coats  entered  the  army  as  a 
j  private  soldier,  in  Company  A,  68th  Illinois  Infan- 
try, which  regiment  was  called  out  by  President 
Lincoln  for  the  period  of  three  months.  Afterward 
as  a  member  of  Company  K,  14th  Illinois  Infantry 
he  served  gallantly  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Champion  Hills;  in  the 
campaign  in  front  of  Atlanta;  Big  Shanty,  and  other 
engagements.  At  Big  Shanty  his  regiment  was 
captured  by  the  rebel  General  Hood,  and  in  conse- 
quence Mr.  Coats  partook  of  the  overwhelming  and 
consuming  hardships  at  that  prison-hell,  Anderson- 
ville.  During  his  confinement  he  made  two  un- 
successful attempts  at  escape,  the  third  one  prov- 
ing a  success. 

Being  detailed  by  C'apt.  Wirz,  under  whose  im- 
mediate charge  the  prison  was.  and  who  afterward 
paid  the  penalty  of  his  man}'  misdeeds  at  the  end 
of  a  rope,  to  make  out  exchange  rolls,  Mr.  Coats 
by  answering  to  a  dead  man's  name  Hanked  his  way 
out,  and  on  to  Vicksburg,  where  he  was  permitted  to 
go  free.  Returning  to  Glasgow,  Mr.  Coats  engaged 
in  the  ministry  as  stated  above,  and  at  merchandis- 
ing, which  calling  and  ocuupation  he  followed  for 
several  years.  In  1873,  being  then  elected  County 
Treasurer,  lie  removed  to  Winchester,  which  has 
ever  since  been  his  place  of  residence.  lie  served 
three  full  terms  as  Treasurer  by  election,  and  held 
over  one  year  by  reason  of  a  change  in  the  law 
regulating  the  tenure.  In  1K80  he  was  a  prominent 
candidate  before  the  convention  at  Springfield  for 
the  office  of  State  Treasurer,  and  in  1882  repre- 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


615 


I 


sen  ted  Scott  County  in  the  Legislature.  In  almost 
every  State  Convention  held  since  the  war  by  the 
Republican  party  lie  has  been  chosen  as  a  delegate, 
and  in  1884  he  was  the  alternate  delegate  from  this 
congressional  district  to  the  convention  that  nom- 
inated James  G.  Blaine. 

Mr.  Coats  has  always  been  an  active,  influential 
and  conscientious  adherent  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  an  enthusiastic  worker  in  its  ranks,  and  is  now  a 
member  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee. 
He  is  a  forcible  and  pleasing  public  speaker;  unselfish 
in  his  devo'tion  to  principle;  a  man  of  the  highest 
integrity,  and  a  citizen  whose  daily  life  reflects 
honor  upon  his  community.  He  is  a  Knight  Temp- 
lar Mason;  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  an  enthusiastic 
worker  in  the  ranks  of  the  G.  A.  R..  and  a  member 
of  the  Mutual  Aid  Society. 

On  the  8th,  of  October,  1865,  at  Winchester,  Mr. 
Coats  was  married  to  Miss  Tain  me  McKvers,  the 
accomplished  daughter  of  James  McKvers,  Esq.,  of 
Glasgow,  and  to  this  union  there  were  born  three 
children,  whose  names  follow  :  Charles  B.,  Lillie  and 
J.  Harry.  The  first-named  died  in  1879  at  the  age 
of  twelve  years. 


K  E.  DOYING,one  of  the  proprietors 
of  the  Illinois  Courier,  the  Illinois  Legal 
Index  (both  of  Jacksonville),  and  of  the 
tjuiney  (111.)  Herald,  and  editor-in-chief  of  the 
first-named  paper,  was  born  in  Lower  Canada,  June 
22,  1839.  In  1851  he  located  at  Charleston  Hol- 
low, Vt.,  and  there  learned  the  printing  business. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  late  war  he  was  attcndin" 

O 

school  in  Pennsylvania,  and  gave  up  his  studies  to 
become  a  member  of  Co.  1!,  Third  Pennsylvania 
Reserves,  with  which  command  he  remained  three 
years,  participating  in  the  meantime  in  the  historic 
battles  of  Dranesville.  McClellan's  I'euinsula Cam- 
paign, Second  Bull  Run,  Fredericksburg,  South 
Mountain,  Antietam,  etc. 

Leaving  the  army,  he  worked  a  while  in  the 
government  Printing  Office  at  Washington,  and  in 
1866  came  to  Illinois.  For  ten  years,  ending  in 
1876,  he  was  in  the  printing  business  at  Carlisle, 
this  State.  For  two  years  of  the  time,  associated 


with  others,  he  published  The  Constitution  and 
Union,  and  in  1874  was  one  of  the  organizers  and 
promoters  of  the  Clinton  County  Pioneer,  a  Ger- 
man paper  ynt  published  at  that  place. 

In  1876  he  came  to  Jacksonville,  where  In;  has 
since  become  interested,  as  indicated,  in  the 
papers  named  in  the  introduction  of  this  sketch. 
The  Courier  is  &.  flourishing  paper,  with  a  wide 
and  growing  circulation.  Its  tone  is  neat  and  ele- 
gant, and  although  its  mission  would  appear  to  be 
principally  local,  its  leaders  show  a  broad  range  of 
thought  and  a  versatility  of  current  and  general 
information.-  Of  the  Legal  Index  the  writer  has 
no  information,  and  of  the  Quincy  Herald  it  is  not 
his  province  to  write  in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Doying  is  a  Knight  Templar,  an  Odd  Fellow, 
a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  a  Knight  of  Honor.  At 
Carlisle,  111.,  Dec.  2,  1869,  he  married  Miss  Hattie 
Norris,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  nine 
children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 


RANCIS  M.  MORTON,  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  ability  and  enterprise,  proprietor 
of  the  celebrated  Morton  Stock  Farm,  one 
mile  east  of  Jacksonville,  in  township  15,  range  10, 
devotes  his  time  to  breeding  high-graded  stock  and 
fast  horses,  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  his  line  in 
Morgan  County.  He  owns  two  of  the  best  road 
sUillions  in  the  county,  and  has  some  of  the  finest 
and  swiftest  blooded  horses  in  this  part  of  the 
State. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  review  was  born 
on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  Oct.  8,  1841.  He 
is  a  fine  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  pioneer 
families  of  Morgan  County.  In  1819,  a  daring, 
high-spirited,  self-reliant  youth,  over  whose  head 
but  eighteen  summers  had  passed,  penetrated  to  the 
wilds  of  this  part  of  Illinois,  animated  partly  bv  a 
desire  for  ail  venture,  and  in  part  to  select  a  suitable 
spot  whereupon  he  might  build  a  home  on  this 
virgin  soil.  This  bold,  stalwart  youth,  Joseph  Mor- 
ton by  name,  who  thus  early  sought  his  fortune  in 
a  wild,  unsettled  country,  and  became  one  of  its 
fiist  settlers,  was  the  father  of  him  of  whom  we 
write.  Himself  the  son  of  a  pioneer,  he  was  born 
in  Tennessee  in  1801.  Upon  coming  here  he  lo- 


I 


,    616 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


c.i ted  on  the  first  farm  west  of  this,  and  .after  a 
time  went  to  Madison  County.  Hut  during  the 
year  he  spent  there,  he  was  making  arrangements  to 
locate  here  permanently.  In  after  years  lie  accu- 
mulated a  large  amount  of  property,  and  owned 
800  acres  of  fine  farming  land,  the  most  of  which 
lie  brought  to  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  He  be- 
came prominently  identified  with  the  stock-raising 
interests  of  Morgan  County,  and  engaged  exten- 
sively in  raising  thorough-breds.  He  was  an  im- 
portant factor  in  developing  the  vast  agricultural 
resources  of  the  county,  and  aided  greatly  in  its 
upbuilding.  He  was  an  interested  witness  of  the 
early  and  entire  growth  of  Jacksonville,  from  the 
time  when  he  used  to  chase  the  wolves  over  its  un- 
peopled site  to  the  present  size  and  importance  as 
the  metropolis  of  a  wealthy,  populous  region.  He 
lived  on  his  old  homestead,  and  venerated  by  the 
whole  community,  until  his  eyes  closed  to  the  scenes 
of  earth,  in  1 880.  In  his  early  days  he  had  the  help 
of  a  devoted  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Odele,  and  they  reared  a  family  of  five  children. 

The  son  of  these  worthy  people,  Francis  M.,  who 
forms  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  a  sub- 
stantial education  at  Jacksonville,  and  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm  a  sound  training  in  all  that  pertains  to 
agriculture.  After  leaving  school  he  engaged  with 
his  father,  who  was  at  that  time  breeding  thoroug- 
bred  stock.  In  1 8G5  he  bought  the  homestead  of  his 
father  and  now  hns  a  valuable  farm  of  300  acres  of 
well-tilled  soil,  amply  provided  with  com  mod  ions, 
well  appointed  buildings;  and  he  also  has  a  half- 
mile  race  track  on  his  land.  In  1868  be  sold  all 
of  the  thoroughbred  stock  and  engaged  in  general 
farming,  continuing  it  until  1885,  when  lie  once 
more  turned  his  attention  to  raising  thoroughbreds. 
At  that  time  lie  bought  Pepper,  registered  in  the 
stud  book  as  No.  2361,  who  comes  of  the  most  fa- 
mous trotting  stock  in  the  world,  and  has  a  fine 
record  as  a  colt  getter  in  Morgan  County.  He  was 
sired  by  Harold,  No.  413,  who  was  the  sire  of  Maud 
S.,  the  (.{ueen  of  the  trotting  turf,  whose  wonderful 
record  of  2.08  3-4  has  never  been  lowered.  1st 
dam  Lelia,  by  St.  Elmo,  No.  375,  record  2.30 
twenty-one  years  ago.  2d  dam,  Krazier's  Camden 
thoroughbred.  Through  his  sire  Harold,  Pepper 
traces  his  blood  back  to  imported  Messenger,  an 


English  thoroughbred,  brought  to  this  country  in 
1790,  the  founder  and  sire  of  the  American  trotting 
horse,  of  whom  it  is  said  that  "when  that  old  gray 
came  charging  down  the  gangplank  of  the  ship 
which  brought  him  over,  the  value  of  not  less  than 
a  hundred  millions  struck  our  soil."  Harold  was 
by  Rysdyk's  Ilambletonian  (the  celebrated  son  of 
Abdalhih,  who  was  in  turn  flic  grandson  of  imp. 
Messenger),  dam  Enchantress,  by  old  Abdalhih. 
St.  Elmo  by  Alexander's  Abdalhih.  Pepper  is  a  bay. 
height  fifteen  and  three-fourths  hands,  weight  1,250; 
he  is  powerfully  built,  with  excellent  limbs,  heavy 
bones  and  great  substance,  has  fine  action  and  gen- 
tle disposition.  Mr.  Morton's  stud  is  headed  by 
Motor,  registered  No.  7411,  a  beautiful  bay  six- 
teen hands  high,  weight  1,180.  with  a  high  standard 
of  individuality.  He  is  considered  a  remarkably 
fine  horse.  He  was  bought  in  Frankfort,  Ky.,  South 
Elkland  Street  Farm  for  $7,500.  He  is  a  three-year- 
old,  sired  by  Onward,  No.  1411,  record  2.25  1-4; 
1st  dam  Griselda,  by  Win.  Rysdyk;  2d  dam  by 
Amos,  Cassius  W.  Clay.  Mr.  Morton  keeps  a  line 
lot  of  high  bred  mares  and  is  constantly  increasing 
his  stock  and  bids  fair  to  have  the  finest  stud  in 
the  country. 

January  27,  1863,  Mr.  Morton  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Louisa  Orear,  daughter  of 
George  Orear,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two 
children,  Gilbert  and  George,  both  of  whom  are 
still  members  of  their  household.  Gilbert  married 
Miss  Nellie  Mathews,  and  the}'  have  two  children — 
Louisa  and  Franklin.  Mrs.  Morton's  parents  were 
early  settlers  of  Morgan  Comity,  and  she  was  bom 
on  their  homestead  eight  miles  cast  of  Jacksonville, 
and  lived  there  until  her  marriage. 

Mr.  Morton  possesses  in  a  rare  degree  a  well-bal- 
anced intellect,  acumen,  foresight  and  business  fac- 
ulty so  necessary  to  success  in  life,  and  added  to 
these  are  force  and  decision  of  character,  so  that 
his  success  was  assured  from  the  start.,  and  his  place 
is  among  the  most  prominent  and  prosperous  citi- 
zens of  his  native  county.  The  characteristics 
mentioned  as  belonging  to  him  have  made  his  ad- 
vice invaluable  in  civic  affairs,  and  he  has  held 
responsible  township  offices.  He  has  carefully 
avoided  politics,  although  he  does  his  duty  at  the 
polls,  voting  with  the  Democratic  party. 


' 


i 


MORGAN  AND  SCOTT  COUNTIES. 


617 


/  AMKS  BUKBANK.  a  well-to-do  fanner  and 
stock-raiser  of  Scott  County,  is  one  of  Hie 
highly  respected,  ••  self- made  men  of  that 
county.  His  commodious  residence  and  line 
roundsare  an  ornament  to  tlie  township.  His  resi- 
dence is  beautifully  situated  on  the  "Old  State 
Road."  His  father  was  Cyrus  Bui-bank,  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  where  lie  was  born  in  1801.  His 
grandfather,  Samuel,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Bay 
State,  removed  to  New  Hampshire,  and  later  to 
Canada. 

Cyrus  Burbank  was  a  young  man  when  his  father 
went  to  Canada.  Here  the  son  married,  bought  and 
cleared  a  farm  from  the  forest,  and  became  a  well- 
to-do  farmer.  Here  he  resided  until  his  death  and 
was  recognized  as  an  honored  and  respected  citizen 
and  a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  His 
death  occurred  in  August,  1888,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  years.  His  wife  was  Eliza  Sanborn, 
a  native  of  Maine.  John  Sanborn,  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Maine,  moved  to  Canada, 
engaged  in  farming  there,  and  made  it  his  home 
Hie  remainder  of  his  life.  The  mother  is  also  now 
deceased. 

To  Cyrus  Burbank  and  wife  were  born  seven 
children,  namely:  (Seorge,  Lewis,  Elias,  James. 
Jesse,  Cyrus,  and  Pesris.  James,  the  fourth  child, 
was  born  in  Canada,  Feb.  15,  1834.  He  was 
reared  on  the  home  farm,  where  he  lived  until  he 
was  twenty-two  years  old.  In  the  fall  of  1830  he 
came  to  Illinois  und  located  in  Scott  County  where 
he  worked  on  a  farm  until  the  following  year.  The 
next  eight  years  he  rented  land,  and  in  the  spring 
of  183G  bought  his  present  place.  He  lived  in  a 
log  house  at  first,  and  worked  diligently  in  improv- 
ing the  land  he  had  bought.  He  has  since  added 
to  this  until  he  now  owns  355  acres,  and  has  made 
over  two  hundred  acres  of  it  out  of  the  forest.  He 
has  set  out  orchards,  made  hedge  fences,  planted 
all  kinds  of  fruit,  erected  all  necessary  farm  build- 
ings and  a  splendid  residence,  and  as  above  stated 
has  one  of  the  finest  and  best  improved  farms  in 
Scott  County 

On  Mr.  Bin-bank's  farm  are  some  splendid 
animals.  Among  these  arc  some  fine  Polled-Angus 
stock,  and  I'oland-China  hogs.  He  lakes  a  special 
delight  in  raising  the  latter. 

Mr.  Burbank  was  married  in  Canada  in  October, 
1857,  to  Miss  Lutliera  Ellsworth,  also  a  native  of 
Canada,  and  where  she  had  taught  school  prior 
to  her  marriage.  They  have  a  family  of  four 
children,  namely:  Irwin,  Edwin,  Oscar  and  Joseph. 

Mr.  Burbank  lias  been  a  hard  working  man,  and 
with  his  excellent  judgment  has  not  only  been  able  to 
make  life  a  success  for  himself  and  family,  but  has 


been  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  one  who  has  ever 
proved-  valuable  to  the  entire  neighborhood  in 
which  he  has  so  long  lived.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican. 

— •->+<••• 

ALEB  I'ERRY,  one  of  the  earlier  residents 
of  Scott  County,  departed  this  life  March 
5,  1884,  after  having  reached  his  more  than 
three  score  and  ten  years.  He  was  born  near  Win- 
chester, Frederick  Co.,  Va.,  in  1812,  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter,  and  after  his  marriage  re- 
moved to  Exeter,  Scott  County,  where  he  oper- 
ated as  a  contractor  and  builder.  He  there  pur- 
chased a  residence  and  other  property,  and  was 
quite  prominent  in  local  affairs,  officiating  as  Con- 
stable and  Collector  for  many  years,  also  as  School 
Director  and  Village  Trustee.  He  was  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Our  subject  was  married  Nov.  (>,  1848,  to  Mrs. 
Jane  McCormick,  daughter  of  John  Hill,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  and  widow  of  Richard  Me  Cor- 
mick,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  who  died  in  Merritt  Precinct  in  1844. 
John  Hill  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1791,  and 
removed  to  Hickman,  Tenn.,  in  1812,  where  he 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers.  He  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1828,  locating  near  Lvnnville,  where  he  en- 
tered land,  improved  a  farm,  and  lived  there  until 
1842.  He  then  removed  to  North  English,  Iowa, 
where  he  bought  a  large  farm  and  resided  until  his 
deatli  in  1864.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Mar- 
tha Carlin,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  a  rela- 
tive of  (Jov.  Carlin,  of  Illinois.  The  Carlin  fam- 
ily is  of  Scotch  descent.  Mrs.  Hill  died  in  Macou- 
pin  County,  111.  There  were  seven  children  in  the 
family,  namely:  Mary  Arizona,  Emily  and  Lizzie, 
deceased;  Jane,  Mrs.  Perry;  Frank,  deceased;  Ad- 
aline  and  John,  the  latter  deceased. 

Mrs.  Perry  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  Oct.  14, 
1818,  and  was  a  mere  child  when  the  family  re- 
moved to  Tennessee.  They  came  to  Illinois  in 
1828,  locating  near  Sycamore,  and  Miss  Jane  re- 
mained at  home  until  the  death  of  her  mother. 
She  was  married  in  Merritt  Precinct,  in  1839,  to 
Mr.  McCormick.  Of  this  union  there  were  born 
two  children:  John  F.,  now  deceased,  and  Richard 
F.  John,  during  the  late  war,  enlisted  in  the  14th 
Illinois  Infantry,  and  met  death  on  the  battlefield 
of  Shiloh,  April  G,  18(52.  Richard  was  in  the  129th 
Illinois  Infantry,  serving  a  few  mouths  toward  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  is  now  a  merchant  of  Ottum wa, 
Iowa.  Mrs.  Perry  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  She  draws  a  pension 
from  the  Government  and  is  living  quite  retired, 
in  comfortable  circumstances. 


I 


Adams,  John • 23 

A, lams,  J.  Q 3Q 

A  1  lerson,  Joseph  . . .  •• 20^ 

A  Hen,  Sylvester 549 

Allinson,  Adam 340 

AmliTton,  George  R 302 

Angel,  John 365 

Angi-lo,  Thomas  M 335 

An^elo,  William  H 352 

A  mrobus,  N.  C .326 

Armit;i!*c,  Israel    --.    .-- 575 

A rnol  I ,  Lafayette ^44 

Arihnr,  Chester    A 99 

Ati-iL*iine,C.  W 372 


B 


Bailey, J.  K    484 

Baker,   Joseph  W 261 

Bailey,  J.   K 484 

1  '..i i  iii's.  Char  1-js  A .249 

llan,  A.  Y 282 

I'.att man,  William    325 

Banj.ui,  J.  1*    355 

I'.i  v  less,  John  E 235 

IV.tuuhanip,  George  N 374 

Becknmi,  J.  B 288 

lie-^nrl,    W 206 

Berry  ma  n,  William  A 202 

Be ve ridge,  John  L 171 

Uissi'll,  William  H 151 

Black, G.  V 598 

Hue,  James 588 

Bohhiu,  J.  G 315 

I'oddy,  Michael 199 

Hoiul,  Shadrack 1 1 1 

Boston,  Jacob  A 422 

Bo wen,  John  W 444 

llracewell,  John 309 

Bradley,  IJ.T.    513 

Bramham,  George 300 

Braner,  Peter  M 384 

B  reckon,  Joseph  V 195 

Bridgcman,  S.  N 308 

Broad  well,  William  H 350 

Brockhousc,  John  H 430 


Brockhoube,  John  W 244 

Bronson,  T.  J 612 

Brown  i  A.  C iyt> 

Brown,  Or.  Isaac  H ; . . .  196 

Brown,  James  M    356 

Brown,  William  W 19.8 

Brown,  \V.  B 389 

Browitlow*  Thomas 600 

Bruner,  Rev.  F,  C •  •  -549 

Bnmk,  W.  C.  C 281 

Buchanan .  James 75 

Buchanan,  J  .  C   561 

Burbank,  James.    617 

Burnett,  George  W 208 

Burr  us,  William  .   343 

Bnrt,  John 393 

Butcher,  M rs.  Mary  A 354 

Butler,  Thomas 318 


Cahhvell,  R.  L 338 

Callaway ,  Mary  L 281 

Calveid,  William  M 324 

Carl  1 11 ,  Thomas 135 

Carpenter,  Jackson 558 

Carricl,  H.    F 254 

Castled ine,  Francis .   602 

Chance,  Albert 553 

Chance,  William 564 

Clark  ,  Mrs.  Sarah 306 

Clark,  Nancy  J    469 

Clark,  Rev.  W.  S 566 

Clay  well,  William  J 585 

Cleveland,  S.  G rover 103 

Cline,  A.  M  .,  M.  D 462 

Coates,  Job 269 

Coats,  J.  H 614 

Coles,  Kdward 115 

Cooper,    Armst long 394 

Cooper,  Hard  in  1) -.250 

Corrington,  J.  B 412 

Cor  ing  ton,   J  .  W 581 

Corington,  William  M 306 

Coultas,  Kdward 535 

Coultas,  Oliver .443 

Coultas,  Thomas  P 520 

Covey,  William 305 

Cowdin,  Philip 331 

Cox,  Charles 215 


Cox,  Hnrdin 220 

Cox,  John  H 437 

Cox,    M.I  ni  <>ii 400 

Craig,  William  P 404 

Grain,  J.  A 584 

Crawford,  James  F 533 

Crouse,  'I' 392 

Crowthcr,  Samuel   298 

Crum,  A.  A 276 

Crum,  \V.  H 445 

Cullom,  Shelby  M 175 

Cully,  T.  B 435 

Curts,   Ann  C 251 

Ctirtiss,  A.  A .451 

Curtiss,  R.  C .197 

Curtiss,  T.  E 387 


D 


Daniels,  Samuel 446 

Davenport,  B 211 

Dawson,  William 495 

Day,  W.  C 516 

DeLeuw,  Oscar  A 464 

Den  by ,  Thomas 61 1 

Deterding,  William  F 273 

I >ewees,  Cornelius 429 

Dcwees,  George  K 415 

Dewees,  James  P 438 

Devore,  J.H 410 

DeWoIf,  James.... 511 

Dinwiddie,  James 399 

I  toying,  G.  E 615 

Dresser,  H 534 

Drury,  C.  J 341 

Dunavan,  Mrs.  H.  K 232 

Duncan,  Richard  Y 283 

Duncan.  Joseph 131 

Dunn,  William  T 433 

Dyer,  A.  A 209 

I  *y<j.  Benjamin 226 


Kbey,  George 592 

F.ckliofT,  J.  H 371 

Ed wards,  Nin iaii 119 


Kilers,  Henry 

Evans,  H 

Everett,  R.   F... 


Kwing,  William  L.  D. 
Eyre,  Benjamin  E.  ... 


478 

565 

....   456 

'27 

469 


F 


Fay,  William  L   610 

Fifer,  Joe ..184 

Fillmore,  Millaid 67 

Finney,  John  W 539 

Fly nn,  Thomas  H    507 

Ford,  Thomas 139 

For  man,  Mrs.  Sarah  E 607 

Forsythe,  William 247 

Fox,  George  R 477 

Fox,  James  2 479 

Forzard.T.  B 468 

French,  Augustus  C 143 

French,  C.  S 311 

Frost,  Charles -.51 3 

Kiink  ,  Fsau 559 

Funk,  Millia 476 


G 


( 1  add  is ,  T  h  o  mas 576 

Garfi'ild,  James  A 95 

Germann,  John 332 

Gibson,  Rev.  John  M 217 

Gillham.  E.  L   573 

Gillett,  Philip  G 609 

Goebcl,  Henry 377 

GotI,  Edward  E 481 

Goodhead,  George  E 473 

Good  past  lire,  J.  J 221 

1 1  rah  am,  George  W , .  .389 

Graham,  1,.  D 20? 

Grant,  Ulysses  S 87 

Green,  A.  B 257 

Green,  H.  R 320 

Green,  John  W 589 

Green,  M.  W 272 

Guinnane,  James 203 


•t* 


INDEX. 


H. 


Hairgrove,  Columbus.    ...    -.603 

llairgrovc,  J.  W 419 

Hale,  Isaac 227 

Hall,  George   H 415 

Hall,  Henry  H 588 

llamel,  W.  H 353 

Hamilton,  J.  C 3°3 

Hamilton,  John  M '79 

Harney,  George  A 289 

Hart,  John  l> 606 

Hart,  Rev.C.e"rj?e 270 

Harris,  W.  1> 369 

Harrison,  Benjamin   107 

Harrison,  William  H 51 

Haskell,  D.  W 578 

Hayes,  Rutherford  B 91 

Hembrough,  Richard    421 

Henderson,  Amos 4°3 

Henderson,  Francis  M 252 

Henry,  Charles* 467 

Henry,  VV.  I) 25' 

Henry,  James  D    563 

Hewson,  F.mina  M 261 

Heinz,  Charles,  Sr 379 

Higgins,  L.  C •   542 

Hill,  Isaac 455 

Hills,  Robert 229 

Hobrock,  Herman 550 

Hockenhull.  Robert 191 

Hoc.fcenh.ull,  Sarah  P 264 

Hodgkinson,  Joseph .--S'S 

Hogan,  James    613 

Holliday,  Charles  1 359 

Holloway,  George  M .569 

Homes,  F.  C •  '...236 

Hopper,  Hassell 346 

Hf.Miert,  F    A 47' 

Hughes,  John  A 431 

Hulrtt,  Joseph 3'8 

Husband,  Charles  J 555 

Husband,  G.  K 554 

Hutchison,  W.  A 452 


Jackson,  Andrew 43 

J  a  meso  n ,  ( •  ec.rge 231 

Jefferson,  Thomas 27 

J-ewshury,  J.  H 201 

lohnson,  Andrew 83 

Johnson.  William  I! 586 

Jones,  I>r.  C.  ( '. 608 

Jones,   H.  K 594 

Joy,  Charles  B 239 

Joy,  l-yman  F 240 

J  um per,  Samuel    531 


K 


Kellogg,  A.  H 577 

Kennedy,  Michael 218 


Kershaw,  James 466 

Kershaw,   Thomas 499 

K  il  l.i.ii,  John 2ii 

kill. mi,  Samuel 237 

Killpatrick,  Col .  Thos.  M..-S46 

Kilner,  Henry    364 

K  1 1 rule,  S 215 


Lake,  Jesse 466' 

Lambert,  Mrs.  F.dw.ird 243 

l.anih,   I,.    485 

Lalhom,  W.  j 428 

Laurie,  George  W 432 

Leach,  John 228 

Lee,  Charles  K 545 

Lee,  Thomas 210 

Leib,  DeWitt  C 490 

Leighton,  Dr.  James    486 

Leslie,  A.  J 369 

Lincoln,  Abraham ,  79 

Liter,  Jonas 285 

Longnecker,  John , 515 

Longnecker,  Joseph 488 

Lumsden,  William  G 4^8 

Lultrell,  William  T 408 


M 


Madison,  James 31 

Malone,  L.  A  . . .' 294 

Manchester,  David    413 

Mandaville,  Thomas 333 

Manley,  W.  C.,  M.  D. 599 

Markham,  W.  H   e0j 

Massey,H.  H 464 

M  assey ,  Stephen  S 420 

Mathers,  John 381 

M  at  hers,  Mrs.  Wesley 316 

M  athews,  Richard 339 

Mattcsort,  Joel  A    147 

Mayfield,  Caesar 409 

McAHstcr,  J.  W ,36 

McAllister,  Thomas 472 

McAsey,  Kdward 511 

McCiillotigh,  William 4^3 

McCnrley ,  Samuel 484 

McCurley,  William 5Qi 

M  c  I  >o  n  aid,    Josiah  H 522 

Mr  I'  a  Hand,  A 303 

M<-I,aiighlin,  Isaac  D 556 

Meacham,  M.  M 448 

Megginson,  J.  R 461 

Metcalf,  F.lias 608 

Meyer,  C.  1. 308 

Miller,  George  W -225 

Miller,  H.  M 194 

Miller,  William 351 

Mills,  D- W 567 

M  iner,  F,.  G . . .    -5*4 

Monroe,  James 35 

Moody,  Austin 501 


Moody,  James 

Moore,  George  W 

Morrison,  Hon.  1.  I 

Morrison,  John 

Morrison,  James,  M.  1>. 

Mortimer,  William 

Morton,   F.  M 

Moss,  Henjamin  F 

Moss,G.  W 

M  uiray,  John 


N 


Nay  lor,  George 

Naylor,  Philip  H 

Naylor,  Thomas 

Neat,  William 

Nergenah,  George  H. 

Ncwby,  Robert 

Nichols,  S.  W 

Nickel,  Charles 


.470 
583 
•  205 
•323 
.362 

•275 
615 

•32' 

572 
•397 


•375 
.427 
330 
495 
.243 
•:!'7 

.583 

•39" 


o 


O'Donnell,  Dennis ... 
O'Donncll,  Patrick.. 
Oglesby,  Richard..., 

O'Neal,  J.C 

Ore,  Calvin 

Ovvrn,  W.C 


Palmer,  Frank  M 

Palmer,  George  H    . . 
Palmer,  John  M.... 

Park.  K.  V 

Peterson,  William    . 

Peak, Jacob  H 

Perkins,  Josiah.... 

Perry, Caleb 

Phillips  J-  K 

Phillips,  Kev     F.  W. 

Phillips,  W.S 

Pierce,  Franklin 

Pitncr,  Dr.  T.  J.... 

Polk  ,  James  K 

Pond,  Carl 

Portert  James 

Polls,  J  H 

Pratt*  J  ulius  F 

Puffer,  Samuel  W... 

R 


Rannells,  C.  S 

Ran-.dell,  J.S 

Ranson,  John 

Kati'^an,  Martin  K  . . 
Rawlings,  Edward.. 
Rawlings,  Robert  S . 
Raybon,  Franklin  . . . 
Reeiler,  James  W  .. 


556 
524 
.163 
•329 
•479 
.238 


.506 
•525 
.167 
.390 
•363 

219 
•5'7 
.617 
.290 

216 
.440 

•  7" 
.274 

•  59 
.241 
.246 
.401 
.360 

570 


.498 
•245 
•249 

.560 
.267 
.271 

•  417 

.562 


Reid,  John  M 

Reid.S.   H 

Uexroat,  Lewis 

Reynolds,  John 

Richardson,  John  V 

Richardson,  Jonathan 

Richardson.  V.S 

Rices,  I.  M 

Rilcy,  Robert 

Riml.cy,  H 

Ritchie,  F.  B 

Roberts,  Col.  Peter 

Robertson,  Richard 
Robinson,  Martin  I,.... 

Rottgcr,  John 

Roult,  Charles  L 

Koiilt,  William  R 

Ruble,  Richard 

Russell,  William  G 

Russwinkle,  George  H. 
Russwinkel,  J.  H 


Sample,  John  T 

Sargent,  W.  H . 

Sawyers,  J  .  D 

Schofield,  John 

Schwieger,   Angus!  H    . 

Scot!,  Kncas 

Scolt,  John   E   

Scolt,  Jonie 

Scolt,  Sylvanvis 

Self,  James  F 

Seymour,  Jackson 

Sharpe,  J.  K 

Shepherd,    W.  W 

Shepherd,  W   

Sheppard,  J    J 

Short,  W.  F 

Silcox,  J.   11 

Simpson,  W.  L 

Siv,  James  W 

Smith,  I  >aniel 

Smith,  Joseph  T 

Smith,  Larkin  B 

Smith,  Robert  D 

Smith,  Wiley 

SpaldinR,  Rev.  H 

Spires,  William  T..Sr. 

Springer,  F.  M 

Stevenson,  Irvin 

Stevenson,  S.  C 

Stout,  Jacob 

Straus,  C    F 

Strawn,  Jacob 

Strawn,  J.  W , 

Strawn,  Nan^y 

Strawn,  W.S 

Swain,  Charles  W  ..   .    . 

Swain.  Joseph  B ...... 

Swettart,  H.  B 


Taylor,  George  '/, 


INDEX. 


Taylor,  Mrs.  C.C.  K... 
Taylor,  Xachary  

...27Q 
...    63 

Van  Huron,  Martin  
Vannier,H.  L)  

•  ••   47 
...568 

Ward     J     M 

Wise,  Kreil  
Wobbc     11     \V 

••   -175 

Waters,   K    K  

48^1 

2c;6 

426 

Wooii.Jobn  

••'55 
.551 
...480 
•     3'9 

.  .   292 

Thics   William  

•••371 

Weagtey  ,  Samuel  G  
Wells,  T.  J..  
Welsh,  John  

4'8 
55' 

Woodall,  Robert  I  
Wrisht,  Hon.  J,  E  
Wright,  Sallie  H  
Wyatt,  Col.  William    |. 
Wylcler,  W.  J 

Vertrces,  Dr.  C.  M 

Virgin,  Charles  1'  ........ 

...5go 

Thompson,  J  udg«:  O.  1'  .  .  . 

..     246 

Whcwell     John 

..489 

Vogel,  Martin  

\v 

Wackerle,  W.  J.,M.  O 
Wagoner  t  William  
Wallace.  Robert  H... 

.    .6fO 

•      35' 
...24? 
-  .  .1*1 

Whitlock    II    G      

Ticknor    I     K 

Y 

Vatcs,  Richard   

••'59 

Tiirnliam,  Joel    
Tyler,  Jolin  

V 

•••339 

•55 

Whorten    Miclnel  I. 

280 

Wilrtay    I'.enJTmin 

..605 

Wihl;iy,  Charles  A  
\\ilkie,  Henry  
Williams,  Alfred    
Willson.  Charles    

600 
4'9 
354 
5t>S 

VIMIIIC,  lesse... 

...  582 

A  1       si  ohn 

CurtUs,  T.  K     

...386 

Harrison,  William  H.   .. 

Osjelsby    Richird    J 

Adams,  John  Q  
Arth  ur,  Chester  A  
Allen  ,  Sylvester  

....  98 
....548 

Hayes,  Rutherford  B  .  .  „  . 
Hewson,  John*  
Hockenhull,  R.  M.  .... 

.    ..160 

...118 

Rwing    William  1-    1)    . 

.     126 

Polk    J     K 

Fifer     Joe    

...182 

Reynolds,  Joli  n    

....  122 

r.isS|ll,  William  H  

....  i  50 
...  314 

Fill  more,   M  i  I  lard  

...66 
.    ,38 

leflVrson,  Thomas  
Johnson,  Andrew  

....      26 

82 

Six,    lam.-s  \V 

78 

Taylor,  Mrs.  C.  C.  K.... 
Taylor,  /acharv  
Tendii  k,  C.ndfrud  

...278 
....  62 
....348 

1  '  IM  llilj.i  n  ,  James  
Car  !j4j5  1  h  o  in  as  

CuIlBTshell.y  M  
CoullR'.  <>liv«-r.. 

74 
....134 
.  .  .  .  1  02 
.  ..114 
....176 

(  Iraham,   L.   D  

...206 
.     86 

Madison,  James  

.       ..      30 
146 

C.ai  Tn-ld,  James  A  

•••94 

...308 
.  .  .  106 

Mill-r,  r,,  •«>,,.,.  W  
Monroe,  James  
Morrison  ,  Isaac  I  

....  224 

-••      34 
..204 

46 

Harris,  W.  I1  

Washington,  George.,.. 

....     18 

Harrison  ,  IVnjainin  

Vates,  Richard.    . 

'54 

l!.i  v  l'-s^,  J  "h  n  F-  
Toddy,  Michael  
I'.tvrlion,  Joseph  V.  

234 
395 
357 

I'cvorc,  J  .  H  

-  -    405 

Hembrou&h,  Kicbard  .  .  .  . 
Ho_mcs,  F.  C  
Jewsbnry,  J  .  11  
K  u  in  le,  S  

•  •  •  •  357 
'34 
•  •    •  395 
214 

Mel.  align  lin,  Isaac  D  .. 
Park,  U.  V  
Peak,  Jacob  H  .. 

•••557 
....391 
.-•157 

He  wees,   James  1*  ... 
DeWolf    James 

405 
51° 

...-i-sS 

CiirMss.  R.  C... 

.  .  .  3Q«; 

Finnev,   (ohn  W... 

H'hitney.  O... 

538 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


